Story Time

This afternoon it was my turn to go and read for a half hour to Hannah's first grade class. This was my third (and obviously, last) turn this year to read to her class. The first time I went, I didn't bring enough books of my own, so I ended up reading some that they already had in the class.

So today I grabbed five books we had on hand from a recent library trip (most of our own books are packed away). One of the books I grabbed at the last minute turned out to be the hit of the story time. It was the book White is For Blueberry, by George Shannon.

This book pairs colors with objects that don't seem to fit at first (especially with the artwork): "Pink is for crow," for example, with a picture of a black crow. Then you turn the page and see a picture of pink newborn birds in a nest with the words "when it has just hatched from its egg." The reactions from the kids when I read this story was just so fun. I'm pretty sure none of them had seen the book before (or they would have been blurting out the answers). I would read the initial color page ("Blue is for firelight") and they would all be saying "Huh?" and then I would turn the page and read the connection ("when the fire is at the tip of a candle") and there would be a big "OH!" from the group. It was like you could see all 20 little lightbulbs go off over each of their heads. Every page was like this. So fun to be a part of!

As soon as I finished the book (it was the last one I read), there was an immediate, unanimous chorus of "Read it again! Read it again!" And since there were just a few minutes left, I did (a little quicker this time) and they all wanted to be able to shout out the "answer" for each color before I turned the page.

Speaking of stories, I have to share two of our favorite new stories we've found at the library, that we've liked so much we've bought our own copies to keep.

The first is Library Lion, by Michelle Knudsen.

I don't know exactly why, but I love this story! I read it to Hannah's class the last time I was the parent reader and they were all pretty mesmerized by it. (I'm planning to read it to McKay's class when I get to read there next week.) I love the art and I just think the story is so neat, with a great message too. Maybe it's because we have a special place in our hearts for the library at our house.

The second story is The End, by David LaRochelle.

This is just a fun story that tells itself backwards, by starting with "They lived happily ever after." Each pages tells a part of the story, ending with "because..." and you turn the page to see what happened earlier that caused this particular event. It's a great cause and effect book and kids love to read it backwards and forwards!

Happy story time!