The Storytime Handbook

Librarians, teachers, parents, and caregivers can energize storytimes and curricula with this informative and entertaining resource filled with engaging and creative ways to integrate storytelling and story-related materials into programs for children, ages birth-12.

Fresh, fun ideas for children's storytime fill this book. The author, a long-time storytime facilitator, has put together 52 weekly themes plus additional plans for holidays, all with detailed instructions for talking about the theme and choosing the books, crafts, songs, poems, games and snacks. Each storytime idea is illustrated with photographs of a suggested craft and snack for easy reference. Libraries, bookstores, preschools and parents alike can use this book to offer themed storytimes that include discussion, literature, art, music, movement and food. Options are provided for each storytime, so the ideas can be used year after year.

Story time is a popular activity in public libraries. Unfortunately, many librarians (and not just children’s librarians) are thrust into the role of providing this service have not taken a course or had the necessary experience of performing story times. Story times are so popular that they are now offered to children of many ages, not just to preschoolers. This book will help librarians who have never done story time to learn to promote, plan, and perform story times, and will be useful to experienced librarians to build on their story time repertoires. Because story times are essential components of library service to children and in such demand, in many libraries, even librarians who have never done story time before are being asked to step into that role. Story Time Success: A Practical Guide for Librarians is comprehensive handbook which can help any librarian learn to promote, plan, and perform story times even with no prior training or experience. Key elements include: Customizable planning templates Hints for choosing appropriate books and other materials Suggestions for overcoming performance anxiety Troubleshooting for common story time problems and pitfalls Evaluation rubrics for performers and supervisors Veterans and beginners alike will find many useful pointers for establishing and improving their story time skills and repertoires.

Based on the groundbreaking research of VIEWS2—the first systematic study of storytimes done to date—this book recommends simple interactive ways to emphasize early literacy techniques and encourage children to use and practice their pre-reading skills while preserving the delight inherent in storytime.

According to recent research, the best way to make new connections in a child’s brain is by building on something already known. A child who loves a book will listen to it repeatedly, maintaining interest. Using a selected book in a number of consecutive preschool storytimes, but presenting it differently each time, can help children learn new skill sets. This book presents a new approach to storytime, one that employs repetition with variety to create an experience which helps children connect and engage with the story on a higher level. Diamant-Cohen, recently awarded the 2013 ASCLA Leadership and Professional Achievement Award, and Hetrick offer a year’s worth of activities specifically designed to address multiple intelligences through a repetition-based process. Incorporating recent theories on developmental learning, this book includes Scripts for 8 different books, with enough activities to repeat each one for six weeks, along with lists of optional alternative books Planning aids such as outlines of storytime sessions, a fill-in-the-blanks planning sheet, questions for evaluation, and tips for enhanced storytimes using props and crafts Detailed but straightforward explanations of theory and research that will help readers communicate effectively with parents, caregivers, and other stakeholders From setup to execution, here’s everything you need to create and implement a successful, elevated storytime.