I have missed my weekly storytimes and was so happy to return to the storytime room this morning for an all-ages summer storytime! I chose some of my favorite summery (or anytime) books, and there’s definitely a theme about facing new situations with courage, though I didn’t set out with that intention. Sometimes it just works out!

• “Hello Friends” song with ASL, via Jbrary
• The Angry Little Puffin by Timothy Young
• Jabari Jumps by Gaia Cornwall
• Song cube: “Zoom Zoom Zoom, We’re Going to the Moon” and “I’m A Little Teapot”
• There Might Be Lobsters by Carolyn Crimi and Laurel Molk, with stuffed lobster (every time I held it up, the kids shouted “lobsters!” along with the word in the story)
• Roller Coaster by Marla Frazee
• Song cube: “ABCs,” “If You’re Happy and You Know It”
• The Little Taco Truck by Tanya Valentine and Jorge Martin
• “Goodbye Friends” song with ASL, via Jbrary
• Clean up mats
• Activity: Use crayons to color on a food truck on butcher paper

Favorite interactive moments:

• Before Jabari Jumps, asking who’s been swimming, who’s jumped off the side into a pool, who’s jumped off a diving board (two had!)
• Before Roller Coaster, asking if anyone has been on a roller coaster before (yes, and it was blue!)
• A younger kid about halfway through said “I’m done” and started toddling out. It’s good to know when to call it!
• Asking for suggestions during “If You’re Happy and You Know It,” one kid raised their hand but then didn’t have a suggestion, so we sang, “If you’re happy and you know it, raise your hand.”

There were about fifteen kids at today’s storytime. I have one more summer storytime in August, and then in the fall our weekly storytimes will start up again. What are your favorite read-alouds for summer?