Silly Stories
Storytime theme: Silly stories
Books used:
Caps for Sale: A Tale of a Peddler Some Monkeys and Their Monkey Business by Esphyr Slobodkina
Caps for Sale is a longtime picture book favorite- in fact, the book was first published way back in 1940! What makes this book such a classic that it is still carried in most library's picture book collections over 75 years after it was first published? I think it definitely has something to do with the bold, bright, yet simple illustrations which makes it appealing to readers of all ages. But I think the humor of the story is ultimately what has kept the story alive for children throughout the years.
The humor of this book is why I chose to include it in my recent "silly stories" storytime. The story follows the daily activities of a peddler, who spends his day trying to sell caps that he keeps stacked up high on top of his head. One particular day, the peddler walks and walks the streets, but is unable to sell any of his caps. He decides to take a nap under a tree, but before doing so makes sure the caps are still safely on top of his head. When he wakes up a little while later, he realizes that his caps are missing, but where could they have gone? He looks around the tree, but his caps are nowhere to be found. He looks up in the tree and discovers an astonishing sight- the tree is filled with monkeys, and even sillier, the monkeys each have one of the peddler's caps. The peddler tries to persuade the monkeys to give back the caps, but they only mock and mimic his actions. Finally when the peddler has had enough and becomes very angry with the monkeys, they finally throw the caps to the ground. The peddler stacks them back on top of his head, is on his merry way to get back to selling them again.
The unexpected monkey thieves are really what make this story so hilarious. As readers we totally don't expect them to be in the tree the peddler falls asleep under. The hilarity continues when the monkeys refuse the return the caps, and only shake their fingers at the peddler and mock his actions. Something about disobedient monkeys just seems really silly to me. Most of the kids in my storytime already new this story (not surprising), but I still love to share the classics that everyone knows because I think it helps to make everyone feel included.
Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes by Eric Litwin, illustrated by James Dean
Pete the Cat is an enormously popular picture book series, but I only read the first book in the series (Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes) this year. Sometimes it is a mystery to me why certain books become super popular, but after reading (and listening) to the story I soon figured out why it's such a huge hit.
First, the story is pretty funny- Pete the Cat is walking along in a brand new pair of white shoes when he accidentally walks into a variety of different things which stain them into different colors. But Pete is a cool cat, so he takes each accident in stride and doesn't worry over the changes too much. Second, parts of the story is meant to be sung, which I find always makes for a more memorable experience, especially when the song is as catchy as this one. You can hear a reading and singing of the story here. Lastly, a cat that wears shoes is just inherently strange and silly, which is why I decided to use it in this week's storytime. Ultimately, I appreciate the message of Pete the Cat which I think is that life may throw some unexpected things at you, and instead of over worrying about them (which we adults often do) you should go with the flow because in the end everything will be alright. I think it's an optimistic message that we all need to be reminded of sometimes.
Quackers by Liz Wong
Quackers is a newer picture book that was just published earlier this year, but I think it has a lot of potential to become a big hit. The book tells the story of a cat named Quackers. Quackers lives with a bunch of ducks, so naturally, he thinks he is also a duck. There are some things about being a duck he isn't crazy about, like eating duckweed or being in the water, but mostly he's okay with it.
One day he meets another "duck" who looks just like him! This "duck" shows him a different way of life that includes napping and drinking milk. Soon it's revealed that Quackers' new friend isn't a duck at all, he's a cat, and Quacker's learns he too is a cat. Quacker goes and lives with the other cats on the farm, but soon he misses his duck friends at the pond. In the end Quackers realizes that he is both a duck and a cat, because there are things about both that make him who he is.
The premise of this book is quite silly, and sharing the story and it's illustrations in storytime really drive up it's humor. Despite its silliness, the book has a great message that your identity doesn't have to just consist of one set of characterics. This message is especially moving to me because I am of mixed racial and ethnic backgrounds, and growing up there were not many books with this message in them, but which I really needed as I struggled with my identity. I think this book is important to share with children to help them be more accepting of themselves and of each other.
Stuck by Oliver Jeffers
I really enjoy the work of picture book author and illustrator Oliver Jeffers. A lot of his books are quite fantastical in nature, which I think resonates with younger readers who have big imaginations. I think my favorite book by Jeffers is The Incredible Book Eating Boy, the story of a boy who loves to eat books because he gets smarter with every book consumed. My favorite part is the big bite out of the back cover, perhaps the doing of the book eating boy? The book it a little long, which is why I don't often use it for storytime. For this silly storytime, I chose another one of Jeffer's fantastical and silly books, Stuck, to share with my attendees.
Stuck tells the story of a boy who gets his kite stuck in a tree one day. He tries throwing a few things at it to try to get it down, and wouldn't you know, all of those things get stuck too. In classic Jeffer's way, things start to get out of hand fast, and before you know it the boy has thrown a ship, his neighbor/s house, a firetruck and a crew of firefighters, a whale, and a number of other crazy things in the tree to try to release his kite. I won't give away the ending because that is the funniest part of the whole story. My only gripes about sharing the story during storytime are the illustrations can be a little difficult/cluttered to see clearly from afar, and the story is written in Jeffer's unique handwriting, which can be little hard to read. Make sure to read it a few times beforehand to avoid any stumbles.
Activities:
Song: Shake My Sillies Out
This is a classic and fun Raffi song that has lot of action in it so that everyone can get their "sillies" out! Here is a recording of it if you haven't heard it before.
I've gotta shake, shake, shake my sillies out, Shake, shake, shake my sillies out, Shake, shake, shake my sillies out, And wiggle my waggles away.
I've gotta clap, clap, clap my crazies out, Clap, clap, clap my crazies out, Clap, clap, clap my crazies out, And wiggle my waggles away.
I've gotta jump, jump, jump my jiggles out, Jump, jump, jump my jiggles out, Jump, jump, jump my jiggles out, And wiggle my waggles away.
I've gotta yawn, yawn, yawn my sleepies out, Yawn, yawn, yawn my sleepies out, Yawn, yawn, yawn my sleepies out, And wiggle my waggles away.
I've gotta stretch, stretch, stretch my stretchies out,
Stretch, stretch, stretch my stretchies out,
Stretch, stretch, stretch my stretchies out,
And wiggle my waggles away.
I've gotta shake, shake, shake my sillies out, Shake, shake, shake my sillies out, Shake, shake, shake my sillies out, And wiggle my waggles away.
Flannelboard: Down by the Bay
Down by the Bay is another classic Raffi song. I chose to use it for this storytime because all of the things seen "down by the bay" are quite silly. I originally learned to play the song on ukulele to perform for storytime, but I realized I could up the silly factor if I made some accompanying flannelboard pieces to go along with it.
Here is a video that I made outlining and playing the two ukulele songs I used for this week's silly storytime:
I got the tabs for Down by the Bay from Ultimate Guitar.
Down by the Bay
Down by the bay, Where the watermelons grow, Back to my home, I dare not go.
For if I do, My mother will say, "Did you ever you ever see a whale with a polka dot tail?" Down by the bay.
Down by the bay, Where the watermelons grow, Back to my home, I dare not go.
For if I do, My mother will say, "Did you ever see a fly wearing a tie?" Down by the bay.
Down by the bay, Where the watermelons grow, Back to my home, I dare not go.
For if I do, My mother will say, "Did you ever you ever see a bear combing his hair?" Down by the bay.
Down by the bay, Where the watermelons grow, Back to my home, I dare not go.
For if I do, My mother will say, "Did you ever you ever see a llama wearing pajamas?" Down by the bay.
Down by the bay, Where the watermelons grow, Back to my home, I dare not go.
For if I do, My mother will say, "Did you ever you ever see a goose kissing a moose?" Down by the bay.
Inspiration for this flannelboard set come from AppleBearDesign. I drew the characters freehand on freezer paper, then ironed them to felt, and cut them out.
Action song: Head, Shouldsers, Knees, & Toe
A classic and fun movement song. I always have everyone do it three times- once regular speed, second time a little bit faster, and the last time super duper fast.
Head, shoulders, knees, and toes,
knees and toes. Head, shoulders, knees, and toes,
knees and toes. And eyes and ears and mouth and nose. Head, shoulders, knees, and toes,
knees and toes!
Actions:
Head- put both hands on top of head
Shoulders- touch each shoulder with a hand
Knees- place hands on top of knees while slightly bending over
Toes- reach down and touch tops of toes (or as close as you can get!)
Eyes- use pointer fingers to point at eyes
Ears- use both hands to grab ear lobes
Mouth- use pointer fingers to point to sides of mouth
Nose- use pointer fingers to point at nose
Flannelboard: Five Little Monkeys
This is the version where the monkey's jump on the bed. In the video I shared above, I outline the version of the song that I played on ukulele for storytime. It is a little different than how it is usually sung, and there are few extra lyrics. I learned this version from the Loudest Librarian's blog (ukulele chords and recording included).
Five little monkeys,
jumping on the bed.
One fell off and bumped his head.
Mama called the doctor and the doctor said,
"No more monkeys jumping on the bed!"
That is what the doctor said, no more monkeys jumping on the bed.
Four little monkeys,
jumping on the bed.
One fell off and bumped his head.
Mama called the doctor and the doctor said,
"No more monkeys jumping on the bed!"
That is what the doctor said, no more monkeys jumping on the bed.
Three little monkeys,
jumping on the bed.
One fell off and bumped his head.
Mama called the doctor and the doctor said,
"No more monkeys jumping on the bed!"
That is what the doctor said, no more monkeys jumping on the bed.
Two little monkeys,
jumping on the bed.
One fell off and bumped his head.
Mama called the doctor and the doctor said,
"No more monkeys jumping on the bed!"
That is what the doctor said, no more monkeys jumping on the bed.
One little monkey,
jumping on the bed.
One fell off and bumped his head.
Mama called the doctor and the doctor said,
"No more monkeys jumping on the bed!"
That is what the doctor said, no more monkeys jumping on the bed.
No little monkeys,
jumping on the bed.
None fell off and bumped their heads.
Mama called the children and the children said,
"Yes more monkeys jumping on the bed!"
That is what the children said, yes more monkeys jumping on the bed!
The template for the monkeys comes from Melissa at Mel's Desk (the PDF links are broken, but I was able to save the image files to use). The template for the bed is from Storytime Katie.
Craft: Stained Glass Kites
My inspiration for stained glass kites is from Makes and Takes. I just realized I forgot to take a picture of the end result, but I did take some pictures of the prep work I did for the craft. While the craft came out well in storytime, it required a huge amount of prep work, supervision, and hands-on work the day of storytime itself. Also because my storytime kids are in preschool and because of time constraints, I usually try to limit any cutting with scissors by pre-cutting everything needed. Because of this I prepared my kites a little different than Makes and Takes.
Supplies:
-1 sheet cardstock
- black construction paper sheets (1 per/kite)
- X-acto knife
- tissue paper in a variety of colors
- yarn (multiple colors optional)
The first step was to make a kite frame template out of the cardstock that could be reused for tracing. I freehanded a shape that looked good to me, and that fit on a standard sheet of construction paper. The white kite frame is the template:
After I used the template to trace many kite frames on black construction paper, I cut the outside edges of the kites first, then I used an X-acto knife to cut the insides to give the shape of the frame.
Once all the frames were cut out, I measured out and cut 2 sheets of contact paper for each kite (one for the kite frame and one to seal it later). There are built-in lines on the paper side of the contact paper, which helps a lot with measuring. Once the contact sheets are cut, the frames need to be placed on the sticky side of the paper. In order to do this peel the paper part of the contact paper off, place the sticky half sticky side up, then carefully lay the kite on the sticky side. Don't worry about smoothing it down too much as that will be covered in the next step. The kite frame on the sticky side of the contact paper will look like this:
Once that step is done, you want to carefully reattach the paper side of the contact sheet back over the sticky side to preserve its stickiness, when you do this you can push down and smooth out the frame to ensure its stuck to the sticky side of the paper:
The finished product should look like this. The kite frame neatly encased in the contact paper sheet:
The next steps to prep for the craft are to cut the sheets of tissue paper into small squares, these will be the glass part of the stained glass. Make sure to use a variety of bright colors. Lastly, cut out pieces of yarn in a uniform length (I did about 10 inches long) to serve as tails for the kites. I knotted together 3 different colored yarns for each tail, but you can use one color if that is all you have.
To complete the craft itself, give each child a kite sheet, and access to the tissue paper squares. They will peel the paper from the contact sheet (like a big sticker), and place tissue paper squares on the inside of the kit until it is all covered and no more clear plastic shows. When I did this craft I had each child come to me when they were done laying their tissue paper squares. I had a stack of the extra empty contact sheets, which I peeled, then carefully lay over their work, sealing it in. Then I cut away the excess contact plastic, and then stapled the knotted yarn tails at the bottom of the kite. Make sure that every child has a enough space to work, the sticky contact paper makes it easy to get stuck to others.
