You are a LION! And Other Fun Yoga Poses by Taeeun Yoo

Yoo, Taeeun. 2012. You are a LION! And Other Fun Yoga Poses. New York: Nancy Paulsen Books. ISBN 978-0399-35602-8
 

You Are a LION! By Taeeun Yoo walks young readers through seven child friendly yoga poses using beautiful, imaginative illustrations and simple, direct instructions. This book helps young readers and their families enter the world of Yoga.

Yoo's simple direct text is refreshingly clear in its explanation of how to perform each pose. Paired with her imaginative and colorful illustrations, children and parents are inspired to try each pose, feeling the energy of its namesake. Yoo's work inspires children to stretch their minds and their bodies while learning to explore the beautiful world around them.

This book is fun and tempting to use in story time because of its beautiful illustrations and simple instructions for yoga poses.  However, it might be too difficult to incorporate into a group of very young children or in a small space.   Each pose must be tried after it is shown, that is the charm of the book. This could become difficult for a group of easily distracted children or a room with little wiggle room to stretch out. However, if one were to have an older group of children and room to stretch, this book is a fun way to introduce children to reading non-fiction and promote physical fitness.

I Know a Wee Piggy By Kim Norman

Norman, Kim. 2012. I Know A Wee Piggy. Ill by Henry Cole. New York: Dial Books for Young Readers. ISBN 978-0-8037-3735-8
 

What starts off as a normal day at the fair turns into a wild pig chase when one young boy's pig runs away. The energetic pig takes readers through a messy hunt for all of the colors of the rainbow, and then some. 

Norman's repetitive language and catchy rhymes make this a great books to share with young audiences. They will get caught up in the rhythm of the story, sit on the edge of their seat to see what mess the “wee piggy” gets into next, and enjoy this inventive way of learning colors. 

Cole's enchanting, detailed pictures add to the fun as readers imagine themselves in the middle of the fair chasing after the messy pig. Vibrant colors and winning expressions on the characters make the images come alive and quickly move the story forward as readers race to catch the very dirty “wee piggy” before he destroys the whole fair.

This book is a fun addition to story time themes on pigs, state fairs, farm animals, and colors. The repetitive language invites the audience to chime in and read along with the librarian, building important language skills like rhyming and pattern recognition through choral reading. Younger children will enjoy recognizing and identifying all of the familiar colors in which the “wee piggy” finds himself covered. This book is perfect for a preschool or toddler story time program.

Creepy Carrots! By Aaron Reynolds

 Reynolds, Aaron. 2012. Creepy Carrots!. Ill by Peter Brown. New York: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers. ISBN 978-1-4424-0297-3
 

Jasper Rabbit is an average, carrot loving bunny who finds a wild field of carrots in Crackenhopper Field. Each day he helps himself to several snacks of his favorite food from the wild field, never “get[ing] enough carrots,” until one fateful day when the “creepy carrots” start to follow him. The “creepy carrots” show up in the bathroom, in the shed, in his bedroom, and in the street outside his house. They follow Jasper Rabbit “EVERYWHERE.” Jasper must find a way to get rid of this terrifying vegetable trio before they get rid of him for good.

Ryenolds' sparing text and ingenious story of a greedy bunny hunted by “creepy carrots” works hand in hand with Peter Brown's superb gray-scale illustrations, accented in the menacing color that can only be described as Carrot Orange. This masterful marriage between art and text build the tension of Jasper Rabbit's frightening predicament, bringing to mind the scarey fun of Halloween and old black and white horror films. This story is sure to get young listeners to sit on the edge of their seat, without being too scary, and delight readers of all ages with its surprise ending.

This books is a riotous and unexpected gem for Halloween and vegetable themed preschool story time programs. It is a great example of the suspense genre, without being too scary for young children to enjoy. The simple text and imaginative plot are fun for young listeners to engage with, as well as being a great way to enjoy the spirit of Halloween. This story lends itself well to dramatic readings and could even be performed by enthusiastic audience volunteers. It is a story kids will enjoy and ask for over and over again.

Final Library Video

Thank you for all of your help and support with your valuable feedback.  Do to technology limitations I wasn't able to incorporate all of your great suggestions, but with the changes I was able to make you helped me make a much improved final video. 

Thank you!

Library Programming Digital Advocacy Video

I just made this library advocacy video for a class, and I'm in need of feedback. Please watch my 2 min video and give me some feedback on how I can improve it.  My target audience is for young families, especially moms. The better your feedback the better my grade!  Please leave your feedback in the "Comments" section of the blog for this post. 

 Thanks so much!

Audrey