By Jan Pease
At story
hour on February 15, in honor of the Chinese New Year, we read “The Great Race”
and we made snake finger puppets to celebrate the Year of the Snake. My group of little boys carefully colored and
decorated their snakes, and then we all talked together in little snake voices. It reminded me again of the wonder of working
with young children. Remember that on
Fridays, through May 10th, Preschool Story hour features singing,
movement, at least one book and a simple project. Even the younger siblings proudly made their
snakes today. 
Occasionally
I sing a cowboy song at story hour. I
don’t know why those have stayed with me; most of them were songs I learned to
sing while learning simple guitar chords when I was about 15. “Let’s Sing a Lullaby with the Brave
Cowboy,” written and illustrated by Jan Thomas, is one of our new books. This very funny book includes the link to
hear the cowboy sing his lullaby.
Children will also find several fun activities just for them at www.janthomasbooks.com.
I love to
read book reviews posted online, and I find it interesting to see that a book
that gets only “one star” may be given “five stars” by someone else. “See Me Run,” written and illustrated by Paul
Meisel, is one of those books. This
story of dogs romping and running around who dig up the skeleton of a huge
dinosaur is very funny . The “I Like to Read” series includes short
texts, familiar vocabulary, repetition to reinforce learning, and illustrations
that are designed to be a part of the learning experience. This information is found on the publisher’s
website, holidayhouse.com. “See Me Run”
received the Theodore Seuss Geisel Honor award in 2012.
Eve Bunting
also has a new book for beginning readers, “Frog’s Flying Adventures.” This is her fourth book in the “Frog and
Friends” series, part of the I Am a Reader imprint from Sleeping Bear
Press. Check out the website at www.I-Am-A-Reader.com for
activities and strategies to help your
beginning reader. “Frog’s Flying
Adventures” is a level 2 book, for grades 1-2. 
Rosemary
Wells was inspired by her two daughters for the “Max and Ruby” books, and now
her five granddaughters are giving her new stories to tell. “Time-out for Sophie” introduces a new
character, Sophie, an adorable little mouse who has to take time out again and
again because of her behavior. When
Grandma takes a time out from Sophie, the lesson finally sinks in and Sophie’
behavior changes for the better. (Until
the final page. )
These
picture books are waiting for you at Litchfield Public Library! I hope to see you there!
