Diary of A Wimpy Kid Is Now on Hoopla!

Posted on Tuesday, November 8, 2016 by Erin

"Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Double Down" book coverDid you know that the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series by Jeff Kinney is now on Hoopla in eBook format? This series follows the story of Greg Heffley, a middle school student who discovers the ups and downs of growing up. The pages include funny illustrations that look like any kid’s doodles. These drawings make the book relatable for kids and break the text up nicely. Greg’s newest adventure, also available on Hoopla, is called “Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Double Down.” Continue reading “Diary of A Wimpy Kid Is Now on Hoopla!”

2016 Missouri Building Block Nominee: The Whale in My Swimming Pool

Posted on Thursday, November 3, 2016 by Megan

The Whale in the Swimming Pool book coverIn “The Whale in My Swimming Pool” by Joyce Wan, a whale suddenly shows up in the wading pool of our young protagonist. He tries to get the whale to budge — even suggesting that the unwelcome visitor move to the neighbor’s superior pool, which has a slide! Eventually, he decides to quit fighting the whale and share the tiny pool.

“The Whale in My Swimming Pool” is a great book for story time! The illustrations are simple and sweet but large enough that they are clear and visible to a good-sized group.

Here are some ways you and your little aquanaut can extend the story: Continue reading “2016 Missouri Building Block Nominee: The Whale in My Swimming Pool”

2016 Missouri Building Block Nominee: Little Penguin Gets the Hiccups

Posted on Thursday, October 20, 2016 by Megan

"Little Penguin Gets the Hiccups" book coverClose your eyes. Wait, open them! You have to finish reading this article. Okay, that’s better. Now imagine you are closing your eyes and thinking of a cute and fuzzy little penguin. Can you imagine anything more adorable? Go ahead, I’ll give you a minute. You can’t think of anything, can you? What if I told you that the penguin has the hiccups? You didn’t think it was possible, but that cute and fuzzy penguin got 50% cuter.

In our next Missouri Building Block nominee, “Little Penguin Gets the Hiccups” by Tadgh Bentley, poor Little Penguin gorges himself on chili and subsequently gets the hiccups. This book has some great opportunities for audience participation, as you have to help scare our cute heartburn-suffering protagonist. Besides talking to your child about the unpleasant side effects of eating spicy food before bed, here are some other activities you might enjoy: Continue reading “2016 Missouri Building Block Nominee: Little Penguin Gets the Hiccups”

Books We Love: Sew and Play

Posted on Tuesday, October 18, 2016 by Jerilyn

I love to sew; I do it for fun and for relaxation. And I like to make things for my two grandchildren, so I was excited to discover “Sew and Play” by Farah Wolfe. It contains instructions for sewing 11 games for children.

First I made fabric pancakes decorated with brown felt syrup and yellow felt butter for the “Pancake Game.” I added a store-bought play skillet, plates and a pancake turner.

Photograph of "Pancake Game" pieces Continue reading “Books We Love: Sew and Play”

2016 Missouri Building Block Nominee: Bunnies!!!

Posted on Thursday, October 13, 2016 by Katie

"Bunnies!!!" book coverDeclan is a very friendly monster. He says hello to everything in the forest, from the clouds to the stumps. He also really loves bunnies. He gets super excited when he sees them. Maybe a little too excited…

Bunnies!!!” by Kevan Atteberry is a wonderful story with bright, inviting illustrations. The simple text is easy to read and understand and practically begs to be read aloud. “Bunnies!!!” can initiate conversations about meeting new friends and when it is appropriate to use loud and soft voices. This is also a fun story to act out with your children or with puppets. Regardless of how large or small your audience is, sharing the book is a delight and will leave you with a smile. Continue reading “2016 Missouri Building Block Nominee: Bunnies!!!”

2016 Missouri Building Block Nominee: Rex Wrecks It!

Posted on Thursday, October 6, 2016 by Jerilyn

"Rex Wrecks It" book coverRex knocks down all the wonderful creations each of his friends builds out of blocks in “Rex Wrecks It!” by Ben Clanton. It makes everyone sad, including Rex. So his friends decide to work together, including Rex, and build something “awesomerific.”  Hooray! Now everyone can knock it down together!

I read this story to my young grandsons. One told me we shouldn’t call people names. (Sprinkles calls Rex a blockhead.) We agreed that it was not a nice thing to do. Later when we were playing outside in the sand making castles, my other grandson grinned at me and quoted the last line of the story, “[Let’s] wreck it all together!” So we did. I love it when kids make connections between a story and their own lives. Continue reading “2016 Missouri Building Block Nominee: Rex Wrecks It!”

CoMo (and Ashland and Fulton) Rocks!

Posted on Tuesday, October 4, 2016 by Josh

Photograph of a painted rockEverybody knows that Columbia rocks, but did you know there’s an easy and free way for your family to express that sentiment? The project is called CoMo Rocks, which, at its core, is a community-wide hide-and-seek game that sparks creativity within the people of the city.

The premise is simple: you decorate and hide rocks anywhere outside for people to find. The person who finds the decorated rock can then hide the rock in another location. Or they can keep the rock and decorate a new one to hide. This creates a perpetual cycle of making, hiding and finding. Fairview Park, Stephens Lake Park and Cosmo Park are just a few of the common locales for hiding and hunting your rocks. Continue reading “CoMo (and Ashland and Fulton) Rocks!”

2016 Missouri Building Block Picture Book Award

Posted on Thursday, September 29, 2016 by Kristy

Photograph of child readingThe Missouri Building Block Picture Book Award is presented annually to the author and illustrator of the picture book voted the best by preschool and kindergarten children. Over the next 10 weeks we will be featuring book reviews and ways to enjoy this year’s nominees. Once you have read at least five of the nominees, you can vote for your favorite.

Want to get started reading the 2016 Missouri Building Block nominees? Here’s the list! Continue reading “2016 Missouri Building Block Picture Book Award”

Rhythm Sticks

Posted on Tuesday, September 27, 2016 by Amy

This month for toddler story time I put on my brave face and brought out our collection of rhythm sticks. I’ll be honest parents–I wasn’t sure how this would go over with the toddler crew. Would the sticks be used for evil instead of good? Would they take flight across the room? Would a wee one poke their eye?

Photograph of rhythm sticks
To my relief, using rhythm sticks turned out great! The toddlers were so excited to try out something new. They tapped, made noise and used them to drum on the floor. And, best of all, there were no accidents. Rhythm sticks will for sure become a part of my regular rotation of story time fun.

The benefits of using rhythm sticks with young children are endless. Rhythm sticks: Continue reading “Rhythm Sticks”

Kick Off Summer Reading With Wordless Books

Posted on Wednesday, June 1, 2016 by Kristy

Summer Reading starts today! Make sure to bring your kids in and get them signed up. Kids who sign up for Summer Reading receive reading records, and the reading records ask that kids try some suggested activities.This year, one of the suggested activities is to “read” a wordless book. These books are typically filled with beautiful, expressive illustrations, and they can help advance a child’s creativity and storytelling capabilities. Here’s a list of some of my favorite wordless books for kids.

Flora and the Peacocks by Molly Idle Continue reading “Kick Off Summer Reading With Wordless Books”