This week at the library; or, I have a cold

Monday I have a cold. *Insert rant about tax forms here*

Tuesday I still have a cold. I also had a youth services committee meeting in the morning, errands to buy supplies, and an evening workshop on child abuse.

Wednesday The cold continues. Resisted the urge to go back to bed with my antihistamines and decongestants this morning and sniffled my way to work, where I croaked my way through Preschool Interactive (trying not to breathe on any of the kids), moved furniture, had a meeting about summer reading, and did Messy Art Club for a smaller group than usual, about 25 - beading, which seemed nice and mess-free and the kids were very enthusiastic, although there was some initial disappointment from some of my new friends who came to Elephant and Piggie and had thought Messy Art was going to be painting, so had changed into their old clothes. Sorry guys, we'll do decoupage next time. *cough*

Thursday Cancelled my dentist appointment so I could sleep in on my morning off. It is faintly possible that I will not die after all. Took all the publicity to 7 schools and visited Step Ahead Preschool, where I have a remote collection set up. Did as much planning as the cold medicines would allow, worked the evening, and then back to my beautiful bed at 8:30.

Friday Usually when I'm working a half day it's either 10-1 or 2-6, but today I was scheduled on the desk from 12-3. Which let me sleep in a little. Happy happy! New books from Kids Can Press - and a publisher has finally heeded my plea and provided middle grade chapter books that are NOT 400 pages long! They are an absolutely adorable small square size. Yay!

Saturday Almost all better (or as better as I ever get with chronic allergies) last bit of feeling sorry for myself, I promise. After I worked 10-2, I drove out to Milwaukee as I needed some program supplies. But I went out to dinner with Sara the Librarian too. Where we discussed my series project. We really should clock in for these meetings... (Yes, I know I haven't actually had Saturday yet, but what could go wrong?)

Wild Boars Cook by Meg Rosoff, illustrated by Sophie Blackall

The best picture books are about food and naughty animals. They just are. And if you can add a large mollusk, it's even better.

This book has it all. Food? Massive pudding! Naughty animals? Horrible wild boars. Large mollusk? That is one big squid.

Boris, Morris, Horace, and Doris, despite their clothes and apparently having a house, are undeniably wild boars. They have long skinny snouts, spindly legs, plump bodies, and wicked little eyes. Boris, Morris, Horace and Doris are nasty and stinky and rude. They are absolutely wild boars.

And they're hungry! After discovering (and partially devouring) a cookbook, they set out to bake a massive pudding, complete with chocolates, doughnuts, butter, puddles, and a squid (but no broccoli). Their creation is gorgeous, although the squid looks rather startled, and it's gone in seconds flat, because wild boars have no table manners. But don't worry, Doris still has the cookbook...

To get the full flavor of this book, heh, heh, heh, you have to read it with tons of expression. If you can wave your hands around a little bit too, that helps. Plus a little Southern accent on the "wiiiiiild boars!" and lots of yelling and excitement over the ingredients.

Verdict: Rosoff and Blackall have another Wild Boars title, Meet Wild Boars, but Wild Boars Cook is the one you really need, plus an extra copy for your storytime collection, to be pulled out in emergencies.

ISBN: 9780805072536; Published September 2008; Reviewed from my personal collection; Purchased for the library; Purchased for my personal collection

Preschool Interactive: Vocabulary

[Notes and Responses February 1: Despite my cold, this was a very popular storytime! I skipped This is the way we plant a garden, b/c my voice was giving out, but 5 fat peas was, as always, a hit. I also discovered a great way to use Rah Rah Radishes and emphasize vocabulary - have the kids yell the names after I say them! A couple babies got a little upset at the loud noises, but their moms just popped out to the children's area with them, another reason I love the set up of our storyroom/children's area.]


Dancing time and name tags ["Samantha the Butterfly" from Things are coming my way by Fox and Branch]

Introduction and welcome

Early Literacy Theme: Our early literacy theme today is vocabulary, knowing the names of things, feelings, concepts, and ideas. We will be learning lots of exciting new words today!

Opening name song: The more we get together

Long story: Rosie Sprout's time to shine by Allison Wortche

Movement: 5 fat peas

Early Literacy Aside: We're going to read two books now that talk about all the cool things that grow in America and we'll be learning some words you might not know like scallion, kohlrabi, and papaya!

Nonfiction: Yum! MmMm! Que Rico! America's Sproutings by Pat Mora
Rah Rah Radishes by April Sayre

Music: This is the way we plant a garden (Tune: Here we go 'round the Mulberry bush)

Short story: Do you know which ones will grow by Susan Shea

Closing: Announcements, don't forget to take more stories and a take home bag.

Closing song: Sunny Day

Process art: Seed collage

Take Home Insert

Thank you for attending today's Preschool Interactive!


Our stories today included:
Rosie Sprout's time to shine by Allison Wortche

Yum! MmMm! Que Rico! America's Sproutings by Pat Mora
Rah Rah Radishes by April Sayre
Do you know which ones will grow by Susan Shea


Our songs and rhymes included:
Five fat peas (five fat peas in a pea pod pressed. One grew, two grew, so did all the rest. They grew and grew and did not stop until one pea in the pod went POP!)

This is the way we plant the garden (to the tune of Here we go round the mulberry bush)

Our early literacy skill was: Vocabulary, knowing the names of things feelings, concepts, and ideas.

You can practice vocabulary - and yummy stories, by checking out the kids' cookbooks in the 641s. Try cooking some simple meals together and practicing the correct words for the different utensils and foods.

You can also use our process song to narrate other things, by singing your way through daily events like "this is the way we get dressed in the morning" or "this is the way we go for a walk" using lots of vocabulary along the way - zipper, button, shoelace, sidewalk, specific names of trees, etc.

Our art project this week was: Seed Collage

Our take home craft is: Planting bags
You will need: Tape, a little water, a sunny window
Add a little water to your bag and tape to a sunny window. Watch your seeds grow!

Library events for ages 3-6 coming soon:
February 1, 3:30-5pm, Messy Art Club (beading)
Registration opens today for our  Dr. Seuss Birthday Celebration on March 2! Sign up now, space is limited!

For more library events, new books, and more, check out our website at www.elkhorn.lib.wi.us, join us on Facebook, or talk to a librarian. Please let me know if you have suggestions or questions!

Jennifer Wharton
Youth Services Librarian
jwharton@elkhorn.lib.wi.us
262-723-2678 ext. 14

Runaway Dinner by Allan Ahlberg, illustrated by Bruce Ingram

I have a cold so I am pulling out some of my favorite storytime books as significant portions of my brain are no longer functioning.

I am not, in general, a fan of Ahlberg's work. Put away the pitchforks, please! We are all entitled to our own opinion! It just never grabbed me and I've felt generally unenthusiastic about the various illustrators he's teamed up with.

But when I discovered this book on our library shelves several years ago, I fell in love with it. It's now one of my favorite stories, although it doesn't always work well in storytime.

Banjo, a little boy, sits down to eat his dinner. But the dinner, a nice sausage, has other ideas and runs away. Soon there's a gingerbread-boy-parade of food, furniture, cutlery, and people running through the city. One by one things drop out of the race; the carrots escape, the peas are eaten, the chair gets sat on, the plate becomes a frisbee, until finally Banjo catches the sausage and...well, you'll have to read the story to find out Melvin's fate.

Ingram's illustrations depend on broad swatches of color, against which the food and utensils trot briskly on spindly legs. Background people and details are sketched in outline, focusing the story on the various animated objects as they have their adventures.

The real draw for this story is Ahlberg's text. He perfectly creates a flowing rhythm that draws the listener and reader through the story. Repetition and exclamation blend smoothly together creating a sing-song poetry of the quirky story. "Well, he was a little boy, this boy, lived in a house, slept in a bed, wore all the usual sorts of clothes, socks and scarves and such."

This story is a little long for the average storytime, but it has that special quality that catches children's interest and holds it throughout a longer tale. I've found it works best if you read it quickly in a good storytelling voice. Expression depends on the audience; younger kids need guidance to catch the jokes, while you can read it completely deadpan to older, say 4s and 5s, and get howls of laughter.

Verdict: This is one of my personal and storytime favorites and if your library doesn't own it I highly recommend it.

ISBN: 076361426; Published August 2006 by Candlewick; Reviewed from my personal copy; Purchased for the library; Purchased for my personal library

Nonfiction Monday: The fabulous flying machines of Alberto Santos-Dumont by Victoria Griffith, illustrated by Eva Montanari

This oversized picture book presents several scenes from Alberto Santos-Dumont's life. Considered by many to be the true first inventor of the airplane, Dumont was famous during the early part of his life, although he quickly sank into obscurity.

This book focuses on three scenes in his life; flying his dirigible around Paris, his friendship with Louis Cartier, inspiring the creation of men's wristwatches, and his first ascension in his plane, wildly successful despite the rivalry of Louis Bleriot. Throughout the three imagined scenes, based on historical events, Dumont's dreams of airplanes as everyday transportation and keys to world peace are emphasized.

A lengthy author's note gives the history of Santos-Dumont's life, the author's inspiration, a few photographs, and context for the three stories included in the book. A bibliography, index, and note on the art is also included.

Eva Montanari's illustrations recreate the historical setting. Her Impressionist style and elongated figures capture the excitement and bustle of Paris after the turn of the century. and focus the reader's eye on the main characters of each scene. There is limited detail in facial features and mechanical areas, but the story is really about personalities and events and Montanari's art reflects this.

I didn't care for this book the first time I read it, the events seemed random and out of context and I disliked the fictional dialogue. However, my interest increased when I read the author's note and looked over the story a few more times and I found the structure interesting after all. It's just enough information to interest students in pursuing the story further, with the three points in the aviator's life providing different perspectives and points for research.

Verdict: Recommended for school libraries or if you're fortunate enough to have adult patrons who still read aloud to their elementary aged children. Keep in mind that the book will probably have to be shelved in your oversized section because of it's height.

ISBN: 9781419700118; Published September 2011 by Abrams; Review copy provided by author (for Cybils, but this title was moved to Fiction Picture Books)

Flying off my bookshelf

This won't be a regular feature, but whenever I have a particularly large stack of books and they're flying off my bookshelf back to the library...

• Bad Kitty for President by Nick Bruel I was surprised at how nonfiction-ish this was! Lots of information about elections. It felt oddly adult, but I think kids will read it anyways, although it won't be as popular as the other titles. Purchased for the library.
• Power Lunch: First Course by J. Torres. I really liked this graphic novel about a kid who gets superpowers from eating different kinds of food, but it was waaaay too short. Although, it's only 7.79 on my vendor...I'll put it on a wishlist.
• X-men first class: Marvel Girl I'm previewing some more series from ABDO. This one is really too old for my section, since it's all about Jean Grey facing her demons and starts out with some of the guys arguing over her. I think I will just get some more Spider-Man.
• Mal and Chad: Food Fight by Stephen McCranie I was relieved to discover this one was as charming, touching, and funny as the first. Purchased for the library.
• Friendship wish by Elisa Kleven. I love her artwork and I liked this story about a dog looking for a friend in and out of dreams, but I don't know that it will have wide appeal.
• Everything goes on land by Brian Biggs I don't really get the appeal of this crowded car book with retro illustrations, but everyone else says it's amazing, and the seek and find aspects would certainly be popular so maybe I'll get it for the library.
• Best kind of kiss by Margaret Allum Sickly sweet so would probably circulate well. But I just held my breath and bought a huge stack of gooey picture books so I don't need to put myself through it again for a while.
• Proud Crow by Bernadette Watts One of her older titles. The illustrations aren't appealing and most of my audience won't know who St. Francis is or be familiar with how he connects to animals.
• Rosie Sprout's Time to Shine by Allison Wortche Very sympathetic character, I liked that she wanted to be best at something but she didn't have to outdo the extrovert. The illustrations were adorable. BUT I am truly sick of picture books with unrealistic class sizes. SIX KIDS?? A kindergarten or first grade class, as this appears to be, would have at least 15 kids, most of our classes have 20-25 and we're a small town! I just can't pass this in picture books anymore. Grrr.
• Diary of a pet turkey: based on a true story by Joanne F Ingis I don't get the point of this book. Apparently it's about raising a wild turkey as a pet (although there's a note at the beginning that says that turkeys are wild animals and you should approach them). It's narrated by the turkey with factual information about turkeys in separate sections. The pictures look like a little kids drew them and the book ends abruptly. There's nothing to back up the facts or to substantiate this being a true story. Weird.
• Tom's Tweet by Jill Esbaum illustrated by Dan Santat Ooooh, we have to have this. Hilarious! Santat is always funny, no matter who he illustrates, but Esbaum's rhyming text hits the perfect disgruntled note. Can't wait to read this in storytime.
• Flying Canoe by Eric Kimmel Meh. Don't think most of my audience would get the subtleties of this French-Canadian Christmas legend. The artwork is too dark and indistinct too. I'll look for something else for next year's holiday storytelling.
• Three Perfect Peaches by Cynthia DeFelice This is one Kate Coombs recommended in her blog tour. It was hilarious and I'm so glad I discovered it! But I really don't think I can risk it in storytime. I have a number of extremely...humorless parents and either the shepherd kissing the queen or the king kissing the horse's behind is sure to set them off. I might keep it in reserve at an Elephant and Piggie and see who shows up though...
• Sketch Monsters: Escape of the scribbles by Joshua Williamson I liked the art of this colorful graphic novel, but the subject seemed weird. A girl who can't express her emotions at all draws monsters and has to learn to be emotional to bring them back when they escape. Don't see an audience for this.
• Duped: True stories of the world's best swindlers by Andreas Schroder, illustrated by Remy Simard Loved the subject matter, but there were way too many typos and the comic portions seemed randomly inserted and did not blend well.
• The mysteries of Angkor Wat: Exploring Cambodia's Ancient Temple by Richard Sobel This book felt really...thin to me. It bops around from vague speculation about the history of Angkor Wat to the photographer's experiences with the children there. From the main body of the text, it sounds like the whole book was written based on one three-day visit, but the acknowledgements say he made multiple trips. Cool photography, but poorly written and organized.
• The Winter Visitors by Karel Hayes The art felt a little amateurish but was quite attractive and the paneled, almost wordless design was well-executed. This could work in storytime if you do wordless books, as I often do. Might add this one to the collection

Yes, I have talked myself out a book for Nonfiction Monday. Sigh. Will have to do some serious reading and reviewing the rest of today!

This week at the library; or, Series, Series, Series!

Life - and programs - continue, but I have a big project coming up in February. I'm figuring not many people will be showing up during that month, so I'm planning a big change and reorganization of the children's area. Once it's finished, I think I will finally have the children's area exactly as I want it!

One of the major things I'll be doing is weeding, refreshing, and shifting the juvenile series. These are all beginning chapter books and are looking rather tired. So, QUESTION TIME!! What are your favorite, most popular beginning chapter book series and genres?

Monday - A morning of interesting questions...a patron who wanted a particular book in the series wouldn't really believe me when I explained it was a "vook" (which was new to me) and not a "real" book. Somebody, apparently inspired by the Recall Walker petition people in the lobby, wants to set up a vegan food sampler in our lobby. No school, so lots of kids today as well. And an entire afternoon of meetings. No matter how many meetings we have, it's never enough!

Tuesday - Frantic planning, I was supposed to meet with my aide (see what I mean? no end to the meetings!) but my preschool program took longer than I anticipated. I set up half the community room for storytime and half for bleeding art tissue paper, with two tables of books about oceans and water. For storytime, we

• sang "Sunny Day"
• read All the water in the world by George Ella Lyon
• read Down Down Down by Steve Jenkins
• sang "the animals in the ocean" to the tune of "the wheels on the bus"
• read About Crustaceans by Cathryn Sill with flannelboard

Then the kids made bleeding art tissue paper fishes. Some finished early, so I hastily read Down by the cool of the pool by Tony Mitton (which really only works if you're jumping up and down and I should have done a storytelling instead). The tables of books weren't really necessary, the teachers wanted the books I had read and a few more, but didn't have time to look at them. The 40 kids did a great job listening and they learned several new words! This wasn't too time-consuming - about 45 minutes to set up the room with my aide's help, 25 minutes of storytime, 20 minutes of craft and putting on coats, and about 45 minutes to clean up and put everything away. Mostly. Then I spent a couple hours on the desk and also cutting out peacocks for our bird storytime tomorrow. My to do list stretches forth, but I ignored it and went home only 15 minutes late.

Wednesday - Had a really big group of kids for Preschool Interactive, at least 20 (because when we did Pretty Ladybug, I handed out 20 dots. So that's how I know). Went well although I was NOT organized, had to go back to my office for the name tags and then for the books! I am always reminding myself that every storytime does not have to be perfect. I don't have to have the perfect books, the perfect combination, etc. It's ok if I don't have every single child riveted every moment. I remind myself of this when things are kind of crazy like this morning.

I had on my calendar "tentative visit" from the county's special education school, Lakeland, and it turned into a definite visit. About 20 middle school aged kids. They were more active and involved than the previous group that came, and I hadn't really planned anything, but it worked fine anyways. I did a tour, read the books I happened to have in my office, we made butterfly masks, and then the kids hung out in the storyroom and looked at books while we waited for the bus. It turned into a long visit - 12-1:45 - but everyone was pretty relaxed and enjoyed getting out and socializing at the library. I'm getting better at working with these special kids, although I'll never be as good as their teachers of course! But I think I'm offering good programs that everyone enjoys and is comfortable with. The books we read:

• A dog is a dog by Stephen Shaskan (loved this one)
• There are no cats in this book by Viviane Schwarz (it took them a few pages to catch on, but then they loved it)
• Go away big green monster by Ed Emberley (REALLY loved this one. They were all shouting "big green monster!" by the end)
• What will fat cat sit on? by Jan Thomas (they weren't sure about this one)
• The cow loves cookies by Karma Wilson (loved the chorus)
• Plant a kiss by Amy Krouse Rosenthal (loved the rhymes)
• My friend is sad by Mo Willems (they LOVED the happy vs. sad dichotomy. A couple kids explained to me that happy and sad were opposites!)

They told me I was a good storyteller!

Lego Club is booming again, back to 45 people today! I am going to have to think about rearranging the room again.

Thursday - I did have another Lakeland visit today, just three guys. We had a slow tour of the library, the bookdrops being the highlight as always, and some stories in the storyroom, A dog is a dog, Jan Thomas' Doghouse, and Duck Soup.

Our second try at the Elephant and Piggie Kids' Club! We were mostly snowed out the first time, so I just did the same thing again this time. It was HUGE! I only had a couple kids when I started promptly at 3:30, but they started trickling in a few minutes later. By the time we finished our last story at 4pm, I had about 15 kids ages 3 to 10, mostly in the 5-7 range. As we were painting piggies, some more kids stuck their heads in the door and asked if they could come in...then a group of middle school girls...so we ended up with around 35! I still need to work on integrating puppets - I'm not really sure how to hold a book and a puppet, and not really comfortable enough to do the puppets without the books, so I had the kids do the puppets, which kinda worked, but not as well as I wanted. I need more rehearsal, but for that I need more time and, well...anyways, this is what we did.

• Introduction: Elephant and Piggie are all about friends and stories. The Elephant and Piggie Kids' Club will focus on listening to and telling stories, puppets, and working together as friends!
• Opening song: Sunny Day
• Mo Willems story (with Elephant and Piggie friends) My friend is sad
• Long story: How to be a baby by me, the big sister by Sally Lloyd-Jones
• Folk Tale (with puppets): Anansi and the talking melon by Eric Kimmel
• Puppet story: Three little pigs
• Short story: A dog is a dog by Steve Shaskan
• Craft: paint piggie banks
• Open puppet playtime

It was Girl Scout (Daisies) night, which is always exciting and I also had reserved our Storyroom for the Cub Scouts, who showed up promptly as the Daisies were leaving...all three of them. Turned out some people had cancelled the meeting, but hadn't told everybody else or something.

Friday - No programs, just me and the Amazon orders (I am the queen of Amazon) and planning all the crafts for February, so I can plan what I need to order, so I can plan what I need my aide to cut out and prepare so I can plan the publicity...you get the point. I still have to plan the actual programs asides from the crafts and projects. Also had a hectic afternoon on the desk. My sore throat is telling me grimly that if I don't get more sleep it's going to transform from a "I'm tired" sore throat to a "I'm sick" sore throat, so I will probably let most of my planned work for the weekend go and catch up on sleep with large amounts of orange juice.

Leaf Can Be...by Laura Salas, illustrated by Violeta Dabija

Laura Salas' poem of the many uses and beauties of a tree is illuminated by Dabija's softly glowing pastels.

The poem drifts through the many functions of leaves, from shelter for animals to collecting sunlight, producing food to becoming food. In the second half of the poem, the author shows leaves' second life off the tree, in piles, coloring the hills, and providing medicines and ground cover.

Dabija's illustrations have a slight cartoonish look, softened by her lively colors that show a peaceful, green world. Some of the illustrations are a little confusing, as the reader tries to figure out exactly where the leaves are and what they're doing, as when it says "food maker" and the illustrations show a tree with oranges, implying that leaves make fruit, at least in my mind.

At the end, a "more about leaves" section identifies and explains in more detail each function described in poetic language. Some of the these explanations are so brief they don't really explain at all, "Sun Taker: One of the major jobs of a leaf is to take in sunlight" but most of the explanations are clear enough. A glossary identifies some of the words in the "more about leaves" section and a brief bibliography offers further reading.

The illustrations and poetic language seemed aimed at very young children, but the further information, especially with terms that needed definition in a glossary, for an older audience. This is a sweet book, but it tries a little too hard to be all things for all ages.

Verdict: The lovely illustrations and simply lyrical poem will make this a good storytime choice, but Millbrook is one of those publishers where it's library bound or nothing, so you'll have to decide if it's worth the extra five dollars. I'll wait and see what other easy nonfiction I need to buy this year before deciding.


ISBN: 9780761362036; Published Winter 2012 by Millbrook (I saw publication months ranging from January to March); Egalley provided by publisher through Netgalley

Blog Tour with Kate Coombs, celebrating Hans My Hedgehog!

Welcome to my stop on Kate Coombs' blog tour, celebrating the release of her new folktale retelling, Hans My Hedgehog! In case you missed it, I posted a review of this delightful retelling yesterday.

I'm very interested in contemporary folktale retellings right now, because my new library program, the Elephant and Piggie Kids' Club, is focused on folktales and puppetry (and Elephant and Piggie, of course). I asked Kate Coombs some questions about herself in general and folktales in particular and she had some interesting answers. Enjoy!

So. Who are you really, Kate Coombs?

I'm a person who's in love with words and the books that hold them. As a child, I knew I would grow up to be an author, and a children's fantasy writer, at that. I wrote a lot of plays and poems at an early age.

Other than that, I'd say I am someone who likes chocolate a little too much. I come from a large, multiethnic family (we're all adopted). I also have some close friends who make my life very rich.

I collect folk art, seashells, and—since I moved from California to Utah last summer—winter clothes and a much-appreciated ice scraper.

[Only one ice scraper!? Since I moved to Wisconsin from Texas four years ago, I have accumulated FIVE.]


Having just finished the Cybils Nonfiction Picture Book panel, I've been thinking a lot about back matter - sources, bibliography, etc. How important is it to communicate to readers where your story came from?

I wrote an author's note for Hans My Hedgehog in part because I had been hearing a lot about back matter, which told me there was an audience out there of people who wanted to know about story sources. Besides, I made some significant changes to the story, so I wanted to be very clear about that.

Should we/how can we explain story sources to kids, other than the standard "this story was told a long time ago by people in x country?" Is it important to do so?

The author's note is mostly for adults. I like to tell kids that 200 or 300 years ago, before there were TVs or radios or the Internet or movies or even electric lights and books, people used to sit around telling stories to entertain each other. Then, when books did come along, guys like the Brothers Grimm in Germany went around and wrote down a bunch of those old stories. Hans My Hedgehog is one folktale they recorded. So are some of the Disney princess stories, though they've been changed quite a bit.

What is the purpose of giving this kind of credit, after all? We acknowledge the original creator of the work in as much as that's possible, which is only fair. In addition, we give the story a context, sort of like saying to someone you've just met, "Where are you from?" It does matter, but it's just one piece of the puzzle.

[Good points! I like to preserve what I think of as "the continuity of stories" by teaching kids the delightful little ending rhymes that show up in many Germanic folktales. My favorite is "Snip Snap Snout/My Tale's Told Out!" which also works as a quick clapping rhyme]

This is kind of a tired question, but I'm going to bring it up again - in telling folktales to young audiences (I'm thinking preschool) do we sanitize them? For example, I have parents who were shocked, SHOCKED, that the gingerbread boy gets eaten at the end. I've always wimped out on the wolf eating the first two little pigs. Should children hear these stories in their original form?

I do think any need for sanitizing varies by age, as well as by the child in question. My cousin's son was terrified of Disney movies as a toddler—and if you think about it, most of them have really scary chase or fight scenes full of roaring monsters and billowing black-and-purple clouds with lightning glaring through them towards the end.

Pre-K kids are usually up for the "3's": The Three Bears, The Three Little Pigs, and The Three Billy Goats Gruff. Plus maybe The Little Red Hen. Little Red Riding Hood is questionable for some little ones, and something like Hansel and Gretel is obviously not a good story for toddlers.

But, as you said, the question comes up even in the case of the simpler folktales. I mean, I can see why people want to save those first two pig brothers. It's just so tempting. Of course, we are forgetting that a story like that was actually intended to punish the lazy pigs and reward the hard-working pig. It doesn't teach much of a lesson if the two lazy brothers escape unscathed. And since children can be pretty ruthless about justice, they are often fine with this turn of events.

On a related note, some rather young kids are blithe about all this violence because they see it over and over on TV, if only in cartoons. And they are right in one sense—the violence in a story like The Gingerbread Boy or The Three Little Pigs is cartoonish. It's all in fun, delightfully gruesome in the same way that a ghost story like The Teeny Tiny Woman is delightfully frightful.

On top of that question, retellings! How much of the original story should a retelling encompass - is it ok to change endings, genders, and behaviors of the characters?

This may sound like a copout, but I am completely sincere when I say that a retelling works just fine with quite a few changes as long as it retains the spirit of the original. This is probably easier to see in middle grade and young adult novelizations of fairy tales. A story like Ella Enchanted remains true to Cinderella in one way, while Marissa Meyer's new book Cinder remains true to it in another.

To go into a little more detail about Cinderella, what these novelizations and retellings retain is a sense of injustice that resonates with everyone, but especially with children of a certain age (and particularly middle children!). That is, as we used to put it, "Nobody loves me/Everybody hates me/I'm going to go eat worms." The glass slipper and the pumpkin coach are marvelous details, but what really matters is the feeling of familial persecution and the relief of having other people turn out to be so much more discerning about how wonderful one really is. In this story, "other people" means the handsome prince and, by extension, the entire society he represents. So, while we tend to focus on the romance in talking about this classic fairy tale, I suspect Cinderella is mostly about being able to say vicariously to that unappreciative group of people known as family, "Neener, neener, I am too important!"

[Ha! You are so right. I loved the way you kept the main theme of Hans and some of the quirky details, like riding a rooster, but took out some of the abrupt violence which is an element that makes many Grimm tales difficult to tell without changes.]

What did you change in retelling Hans my Hedgehog and why?

When I was first asked to retell Hans, the editor told me that the original was "violent and meandering." I read the Grimms' tale and had to agree. As I explain in my author's note, in the original story Hans' parents hate him, the pig herd is slaughtered, Hans treats the first princess very badly, and the way Hans is reclaimed from hedgehoghood is both draggy and depressing. So those are some key things I changed.

More important, what did I keep? The strangeness of a boy who is half hedgehog, of course—and the resulting social ostracism. The music, though I changed the bagpipe to a fiddle (illustrator John Nickle's idea) and made the music part of the magic. I kept the pigs, but I saved their lives and made them the amusing instrument of Hans' revenge on the first king. I retained the promises two kings made in the forest and the way they handled those promises when Hans came calling. In particular, I kept Hans' perseverance in the face of adversity. I do feel I was true to the story. In fact, I'd like to think I was a little truer. The original didn't hang together very well, which is one reason it hasn't been retold much over the years.

It seems like the number of new folk and fairy tale retellings dwindles every year. Are these stories still relevant?

The number of new folk and fairy tale retellings is definitely dwindling. The theory is that parents are pushing their children to read chapter books earlier, so picture books for 6- to 8-year-olds are getting squeezed out. As one of my editors told me last year, her acquisitions team only wants picture books for toddlers at this point.

I think this shows a real lack of understanding on the part of parents and publishers about the role of picture books in promoting the growth of young readers in that in-between stage, whether the books are used as read-alouds or for independent reading. I know I used to read some amazing longer picture books to first graders, and they became really driven to improve their reading because of the sheer stunning power of those books. One of their favorites was The Talking Eggs by Robert D. San Souci, illustrated by Jerry Pinkney. It's a Southern American variation of a weirdly wonderful European folktale.

[It's definitely parents - kids still want and need picture books. I was able to have some third grade classes visit the library and check out books on their own a few years ago. I gave them complete freedom of choice, and guess what they picked for their two books each? Almost all of them chose a longer picture book, often old favorites, and then something that just caught their eye, nonfiction or a graphic novel.]

How do we present them to kids when often the older ones think they're childish and the little ones can't sit still for long stories anymore? (The gradual shortening of attention spans in young children is a whole 'nother issue, but trust me, it's there.)

When my first picture book came out, I found that first graders couldn't understand it very well, and it went completely over the heads of kindergartners. It's a rather sophisticated original folktale. Second graders were on board, however. Age really does have a lot to do with the success of a particular book. William Steig's The Magic Pebble, for example, is a great story, but it's pretty complex for many five-year-olds. It would be even harder for a three-year-old to follow with any degree of patience.

I have found that most 6- to 8-year-olds really enjoy listening to longer picture books. Just don't ever betray their trust by reading them books that aren't utterly fantastic!

Another consideration is whether you have just one child or a group. One child can focus, not just because of adult attention, but because she isn't distracted by all those other kids.

There are some pretty eerie-cool books for slightly older kids who think folktales are babyish. The story of Baba Yaga and Vasilisa the Brave, retold by Marianna Mayer and illustrated by Kinuko Y. Craft, is one that comes to mind. When I took those picture books seriously, the older kids seemed to feel they could join me. A great story is a great story.

[I'm hoping my new program will appeal to the 6-8 year old crowds, if only I can get parents to bring them! I'm planning to ease into longer and more mature folktales so that parents of toddlers and young preschoolers, who I'm sure will show up, won't be shocked!]

Along those lines, do you have any thoughts on storytelling? I haven't been successful in getting audiences for storytellers who don't have any bells and whistles - is storytelling dying along with the folktale, or is there still hope?

I think if the storyteller is sucked into the story, kids will be, too. But you have to play the audience to hook them in the first place, and that's not always easy. Right age, right story, and a touch of magic...then it works.

In the library setting, it may be partly a question of hooking busy parents, and that's even trickier. Maybe the kids would like to come and listen, but their parents are too intent on rushing around to bring them.

Recommendation time! What are your favorite folk and fairy tales to share with young audiences? 

I'm going to name books for those slightly older primary grade kids since I think they're less familiar to many library-goers. I've already mentioned The Talking Eggs, a real winner. Bony Legs by Joanna Cole and Derek Zimmer is another goodie—notice that it's also a Baba Yaga story. It's intended as an easy reader, but I've had older students who really got into it. East of the Sun, West of the Moon is a long but wonderful story. Mercer Mayer and P.J. Lynch have both done nice versions.

A crazy, fun story not everyone is familiar with is Three Perfect Peaches. The version I have is by Cynthia DeFelice and Mary DeMarsh, illustrated by Irene Trivas. Aaron Shepard's retelling of One-Eye! Two-Eyes! Three-Eyes! as illustrated by Gary Clement is lively and appealing, with some cheerfully deliberate anachronisms in the artwork.

I'll just list several others I like: Mr. Semolina-Semolinus, retold by Anthony L. Manna and Christodoula Mitakidou and illustrated by Giselle Potter; The Language of Birds, retold by Rafe Martin and illustrated by Susan Gaber; Little Sister and the Month Brothers, retold by Beatrice Schenk de Regniers and illustrated by Margot Tomes; Caldecott winner The Fool of the World and the Flying Ship, retold by Arthur Ransome and illustrated by Uri Shulevitz; Iron John, retold by Marianna Mayer and illustrated by Winslow Pels; The Water of Life, retold by Barbara Rogasky and illustrated by Trina Schart Hyman; Tatterhood and the Hobgoblins, retold and illustrated by Lauren Mills; and The Tinderbox, a rather dire Hans Christian Andersen story recently retold by Stephen Mitchell and illustrated by Bagram Ibatoulline.

[Great recommendations! Some of these are new to me and I can't wait to try them out. I love Iron John by the way, and that's one where Mayer retold the story in a very similar way to Hans, taking out the random violence and keeping the basic themes of love and faithfulness that drive the story]

Are there good retellings out there for the preschool crowd?

Oh, that's a little harder! I have already mentioned classics such as the "3" stories. Byron Barton has retold a few such tales for very young readers in board book format, but they probably work best as bedtime stories. Pre-K kids have trouble sitting still for a story in a group—they're just so easily distracted by one another, along with whatever's out the window, a loose bit of carpet, a single ant, you name it. Cumulative tales, well-rhymed stories, sung stories, and chants are most effective with smaller children. And really, some of those books are also from the oral tradition. Look at Mother Goose, for example.

Michael Rosen's Little Rabbit Foo-Foo and Simms Taback's There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly are the kinds of books I'm thinking about. Also, surprisingly, The Fox Went Out on a Chilly Night, illustrated by Peter Spier. I used to sing that one to first graders, and the kids were charmed.

Ultimately, the famous "3" stories and tales like The Little Red Hen or The Gingerbread Man are cumulative, have a refrain, or use some other predictable pattern: e.g., porridge, porridge, porridge; chair, chair, chair; bed, bed, bed—three cumulative sets, perhaps? These patterns no doubt help explain why they work with little listeners.

What is your experience in sharing these stories with audiences?

I can usually hook them, and I never use bells and whistles. Of course, I have an extremely high story immersion factor myself, and I think it's contagious. But the wrong book for the wrong age group is a hard sell, no matter what. I've had a few flops in amongst my storytelling successes, believe me! Yet my deep belief in the power of story keeps me going—and keeps me writing.

[Thanks so much for stopping by with us today Kate! I hope other librarians will be inspired to use some of your suggestions to add more folktales to their storytime curriculums. And, of course, everyone should check out your delightful new tale, Hans My Hedgehog!!]

Preschool Interactive: Print Awareness

[Notes and Responses January 25: I was surprised at what a huge hit Blue Chicken was. The kids requested two repeats of flap little birdies. I was worried that Pretty Ladybug would be too long, since we sing for every single number, but we went to 20 and everyone enjoyed it and parents afterwards said they liked doing higher numbers. I think it might have gone better if I'd had something standing up afterwards though. I almost didn't read Loon Baby because some kids were losing interest, but then I pointed out to myself that there were still more than 10 kids listening and they quieted down for the story.]


Dancing time and name tags ["Samantha the Butterfly" from Things are coming my way by Fox and Branch]

Introduction and welcome

Early Literacy Theme: Print Awareness includes knowing that print has meaning, knowing how to handle a book, and noticing print all around

Opening name song: The more we get together

Long story: Blue chicken by Deborah Freedman

Early Literacy Aside: Print awareness includes numbers as well as letters and we're going to practice recognizing some of our numbers in this next song. I'm going to need your help counting and singing!

Movement/Flannelboard: Pretty ladybug

Nonfiction: About Birds by Cathryn Sill

Music: Flap little birdies (to the tune of Hop Little Bunnies)

Short story: Loon baby by Molly Griffin

Closing: Announcements, don't forget to take more stories and a take home bag.

Closing song: Sunny Day

Process art: Dot Painting (MaryAnn Kohl's Art with Anything pg. 38)

Take Home Insert

Thank you for attending today's Preschool Interactive!

Our stories today included:

Blue chicken by Deborah Freedman 

About Birds by Cathryn Sill 

Loon baby by Molly Griffin

Our songs and rhymes included:

Flap little birdies, adapted from Hop hop little bunnies. Try googling this song on Utube for lots of adorable versions you can do at home!

Pretty ladybug. You can continue counting with this simple song/flannelboard. All you need is something round and some black dots - or try drawing a ladybug and adding spots while you sing!

Our early literacy skill was: Print Awareness, including knowing that print has meaning, knowing how to handle a book, and noticing print all around  

You can practice print awareness while you are reading together by pointing at words as you read and having your children sound out words.

 Our art project this week was: Dot painting

Our take home craft is: Peacocks

You will need: tape or glue, decorations and/or drawing materials.

Tape or glue your peacock's feathers to the back of the main body (the little square is the top of the head). Decorate! You can see this craft here:  www.allkidsnetwork.com/crafts/animals/birds/peacock-craft.asp

Library events for ages 3-6 coming soon:

January 25, 3:30-5pm, Lego Club. All ages welcome, drop in between 3:30 and 5.

January 26, 3:30pm, Elephant and Piggie Kids' Club. Stories, puppetry, and painting piggie banks!

For more library events, new books, and more, check out our website at www.elkhorn.lib.wi.us, join us on Facebook, or talk to a librarian. Please let me know if you have suggestions or questions!

Jennifer Wharton
Youth Services Librarian
jwharton@elkhorn.lib.wi.us
262-723-2678 ext. 14