Claire drew a pig nose on a face mask and read the part of Piggie, and I put on a set of elephant ears to be Gerald. This is one of my favorite Elephant and Piggie books, where Gerald the Elephant is unhappy to discover that a couple of birds have decided to build a nest on top of his head. There Is a Bird on My Head? by Mo Willems This has turned out to be an unexpected bonus of outdoor storytime, and a new way of promoting interactions between parents and kids. Since the families were spread out, my coworker, Claire, walked a second copy of the book around to help the kids see the illustrations (she says it’s fun to hear the caregivers talking to their kids about things they see in the pictures. I’ve noticed that the kids in the outdoor storytime tend to stay seated on their blankets, and this was a great way to encourage them to move around a bit more. It begins by asking who has different body parts (wiggle-waggle toes, hokey-pokey heads, and big, bold bottoms), and then asks the kids to move each part in different ways.

This is a really cute book, reminiscent of Eric Carle’s From Head to Toe, but featuring children instead of animals. Who Has Wiggle-Waggle Toes? by Vicki Shiefman and Francesca Chessa It was sweet to see all of the caregivers and kids sitting on their blankets and looking at the book together. The book was a bit longer than the ones I usually read for my musical storytime audience, but since we had given out copies to each family, they could follow along as we read, giving the kids a really clear view of the illustrations. The book is actually based on an Oscar Award-winning short film, which was originally funded by a Kickstarter pitched by the author. Our featured picture book, and this year’s picture book selection for San Mateo County Reads, this is a beautiful story about an African American father and daughter, and their struggles to recreate a special hairstyle for a very special day. Here are the books and songs that we used: BOOKS: At the first outdoor storytime, I had to use a microphone on a stand, which was really awkward for reading aloud. I can put the speaker on one of the picnic tables closer to the audience, and use a headset mic when I read and sing.

On a side note our library system recently purchased portable PA systems for each branch, and these have made a HUGE difference for outdoor storytime. We had copies of the book to give out, along with copies of Black Brother, Black Brother by Jewell Parker Rhodes for older kids. Our libraries are participating in a program called San Mateo County Reads, sponsored by the County Office of Education, so our featured book was Hair Love by Matthew A.

Well, my Toddler Storytime this week got rained out, but we luckily the weather held for our Musical Storytime.

Hair love by matthew cherry