Beyond the Wheels on the Bus: Toddler Story Time Favorites

Beyond the Wheels on the Bus: Toddler Story Time Favorites

For nine years I was a school librarian, working almost exclusively with kids between the ages of 3 and 13: the heartland of childhood. I have probably a whole textbook's worth of notes and lesson plans and booklists all aimed at this age group, gleaned from that near-decade of work. But for the past six months, I've had a temporary job working with the two far ends of the youth spectrum: toddlers and teenagers. I visit high school classes to talk up books they might like and to promote the public library, and I lead a weekly story time for 1- and 2-year olds.

What I've noticed about toddlers, in particular, is that it's a serious challenge to find suitable books for reading aloud to a group of kids this age: the books need to be rhythmic, have bright pictures, not be too long, and can't have more than a few words on each page, as paying attention to the lady up at the front is really not these kids' strong point or first priority. The parents and grandparents and nannies who come to my story times have a little more latitude, as they're mostly reading one-on-one to their children, but even so they peruse the picture books and board books avidly, looking for titles that will keep their kids interested, and that won't be ripped to shreds by the time they return to the library.

Young toddlers in a group can't be expected to follow a plot, so there are a limited number of topics that lend themselves to a book for this audience. I recently joked to a friend that all the story time books I'd been reading had one of two basic themes: either "Mommy loves you," or "There sure are a lot of animals!"

Still, I've managed to find enough books to keep everybody reasonably happy. If you have a toddler—or a group of toddlers—in your life, they might enjoy some of these titles:

• The Baby Goes Beep, by Rebecca O'Connell; illustrated by Ken Wilson-Max.

A baby's day, in brief, with sound effects. Great for audience participation.

• Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? by Bill Martin; illustrated by Eric Carle.

Many parents and kids already know this book but they don't care; actually, toddlers perk up visibly at the sight of something familiar. And a good book never gets old.

• Five Little Monkeys, by Eileen Christelow.

Most parents (and some kids) will be able to chant along with this book without even seeing the words, but the surprise ending will trip them up and make them laugh.

• I Kissed the Baby! by Mary Murphy

Great for new big brothers and sisters. Plus, the black-and-white illustrations have hypnotic baby appeal.

• I Went Walking, by Sue Williams; illustrated by Julie Vivas

Similar in concept to "Brown Bear, Brown Bear," this book features a young child who meets one animal after another. As with many animal books, the read-aloud experience can be further livened up by suggesting that the audience make the appropriate noises on each page.

• It Looked Like Spilt Milk, by Charles G. Shaw

This book is deceptively quiet and yet has an almost hypnotic effect on toddlers. It looked like spilt milk, but it wasn't spilt milk…so what was it? Your audience may actually stop dumping books on the floor in their eagerness to find out.

• The Seals on the Bus, by Lenny Hort; illustrated by G. Brian Karas

Yes, yes, the wheels on the bus go round and round…but what do the tigers on the bus do? How about the skunks? Better to find out through this book than to live it in a real bus ride, that's for sure. Plus, a book that can be sung is always a nice bonus.

March 4, 2008

 

Comments

[Catherine]

LOL at "there sure are a lot of animals!"