All the Books I Read in 2018

This year was not as productive reading-wise as 2017. Work caught up with me big time, and I had some pretty serious health issues for the better part of 2018, so I didn't get to read nearly as much as I had hoped. Even so, I read 22 books of various genres and age levels, so here they are. Perhaps I'll write reviews on some of them in the new year.

Several of these were re-reads, either of books I read several years ago as a younger adult, or as a child. Some people feel like re-reading is a waste of time when there are so many books in the world, but I love it. Every time I re-read something I loved, I notice something different and get a new emotion or life lesson out of it. I try to read my favorite books at least once every five years. It's especially interesting to revisit your past thoughts and see how much you've grown since last time if you're one of those people who underlines passages and makes margin notes (like yours truly). Reading an old favorite book is also comforting, like a visit from an old friend. When I'm not feeling great physically or mentally, I like to revisit books I loved when I was younger.

Middle Grade/Tween Fiction

• Stef Soto, Taco Queen by Jennifer Torres
• George by Alex Gino
• Kristy's Great Idea by Ann M. Martin (Babysitter's Club #1)
• Out of my Mind by Sharon M. Draper

Young Adult/Teen Fiction

• You Don't Know Me but I Know You by Rebecca Barrow
• Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds
• Simon vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli
• Playing for the Commandant by Suzy Zail
• Blubber by Judy Blume
• Everything Everything by Nicola Yoon
• Lies My Girlfriend Told Me by Julie Anne Peters
• Boys Don't Knit (In Public) by T.S. Easton
• You're Welcome, Universe by Whitney Gardner
• Glass by Ellen Hopkins
• The You I've Never Known by Ellen Hopkins
• Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz
• Paperweight by Meg Haston

Adult Fiction and Nonfiction

• The Abstinence Teacher by Tom Perrotta (fiction)
• Fiend by Peter Stenson (fiction)
• Alice and Freda Forever by Alexis Coe (nonfiction)
• Prophet's Prey by Sam Bower (nonfiction)
• The Woman Warrior by Maxine Hong Kingston (ethereal mix of fiction and memoir)

2018 Middle Grade/Tween Fiction:

  
  

2018 Young Adult/Teen Fiction:

                
  

2018 Adult Fiction and Nonfiction:

    

  

December 2018 Display: RM Kids Made 2018 Great

For the end of the year, I wanted to make a bulletin board that showed all the fun we had in programs in 2018. It only took about an hour to put this board together, including printing out the pictures and finding the right letters in our stash of bulletin board supplies. I haven't made a bulletin board or display lately, so it was fun to dress up our children's area with colors and pictures of program regulars.

PS. If you're wondering about the RM, my library is the Red Mountain branch.

I included programs from other children's librarians at our branch as well as my own, and tried to focus on pictures that showcased the kids participating as opposed to our staff (it was difficult not to include the cute picture of my coworker and I reading the stuffed animals a bedtime story for the Stuffed Animal Sleepover in January, but the pic of Dr. T-Rex mingling with a big group of kiddos was better representation of our programs). March was slow and I didn't find any good pictures from that month, but all the others are represented!

January: Dr. T-Rex Science
February: Bird Feeder Challenge
April: National Pet Day
May: Family Sign Language Storytime
June: Bowling for Kids
July: Theater Day Camp
August: Sensory Playtime for Babies
September: Pirate Playtime
October: Halloween Boo
November: V is for Voting
December: No Snow, Snow Day

No Snow, Snow Day

It's December, which can be a tricky time for those of us working in public service. You don't want to ignore Christmas, but at the same time want to be inclusive of all the other cultural holidays that take place around this time of year. Usually, I solve this problem by sticking with a theme of "winter" instead of focusing on any one holiday. The No Snow, Snow Day program was something we did last December with fantastic participant numbers, so we decided to have it again this year.

This program was structured as drop-in stations, something I've learned our community prefers to an instructional program where you have to stay the whole time. We had three stations: sensory snow, shape penguins, and coffee filter snowflakes.

Sensory Snow
Supplies: baking soda, white shaving cream, large bin.
Mixing equal-ish parts baking soda and shaving cream creates a chemical reaction that makes the substance cold like snow! I did learn that if we do this program again next year, we'll need A LOT more baking soda since it sort of dissolves when hit with the shaving cream. The kids loved playing with the "snow," but I would have liked for the bin to be more full.

The mess afterward... But it vacuums up easily and smells great!

Coffee Filter Snowflakes
Supplies: white coffee filters, safety scissors
Surprisingly, this was the most difficult project for the kids to grasp. I found myself sticking close to the snowflake table in order to explain how to fold and cut the filters so that when you unfold them, you have your own originally designed snowflake. After they got the hang of it, our 4-6-year-olds especially seemed to enjoy this activity.

Being silly with snowflakes

Shape Penguins
Supplies: black and white paper cut into shapes, orange triangles, glue sticks, googly eyes (we used self-adhesive ones and they worked great)
I like this activity because all ages of kids can tailor it to their personal skills. The younger ones can work on matching rectangles with rectangles or circles with circles, while the older ones can combine the shapes to make a more advanced penguin. It's also nice because if you don't have much time to prep, you can let the kids cut out their own shapes. If you have more time to prepare for the program you can do what I did and cut out the shapes ahead of time so participants can focus on matching shapes and creatin

The four examples: rectangle, square, circle, and oval.

Storytime regular with her circle penguin!

Penguin and snowflake

Advanced penguins--they even added a background!

Working hard on shape penguins

If there's one thing I've learned while working with this community, it's that drop-in themed programs like this are always a slam dunk. We had over 80 people at this program, and everyone found something they liked. I love watching caregivers encourage their kids to make things and be creative!

Toddlertime 12-5-8: Penguins

My Toddlertime format is:

• Intro and hello
• Book
• Toddlers are basically babies who can run away from you, so I tend to look for books with no more than two lines of text per page. When they're that age, kids are still figuring out how books work, how you hold and treat them, and looking at the pictures. They will listen to the story and participate if the book has an interactive element, so anything that will keep them engaged verbally or physically is Toddlertime gold.
• Movement song
• This is the time for a longer movement song. Ideally one that corresponds to your theme, but that's not a requirement. Some themes just aren't compatible with music, and that's okay.
• Felt story
• My favorites are the ones where the kids have to help you chant, identify colors, count with you, or sing a song.
• Movement song(s)
• Depending on how much time we have, I'll use one 2-3 minute song or two that are under a minute long.
• Goodbye
• 10-15 minute toy time
• Toddler attention spans are short! In this storytime, I only plan 15-20 minutes of content because that's about as long as you can hold their attention. After that, we do a short community playtime with educational toys to give kids the opportunity to learn to play in a group, and parents the opportunity to meet and interact with one another.

Book

I Am Small by Emma Dodd

An adorable story that explores the concept that even if you're young and small, there are still things you can do to help your family and community.

Movement Song

"Clap Your Hands"

Fun directed movement song that sneakily helps young kids develop gross motor skills. 

Felt Story

"Pippa's Penguin"
This is a longer felt story, but the kids stay engaged because they want to help you figure out why each penguin isn't correct and what makes each one unique. I got the biggest laugh when I pulled out the penguin in the glittery suit.

Movement Songs

"Doin' the Penguin" from Sesame Street

A classic from 1993! This is actually a directed movement song if you listen carefully. The kids loved pretending to fall on the ice.

"Follow the Leader" by Ella Jenkins

My favorite song to get attention back from wiggly kiddos.

Toddlertime 11-21-18: Thanksgiving

My Toddlertime format is:

• Intro and hello
• Book
• Toddlers are basically babies who can run away from you, so I tend to look for books with no more than two lines of text per page. When they're that age, kids are still figuring out how books work, how you hold and treat them, and looking at the pictures. They will listen to the story and participate if the book has an interactive element, so anything that will keep them engaged verbally or physically is Toddlertime gold.
• Movement song
• This is the time for a longer movement song. Ideally one that corresponds to your theme, but that's not a requirement. Some themes just aren't compatible with music, and that's okay.
• Felt story
• My favorites are the ones where the kids have to help you chant, identify colors, count with you, or sing a song.
• Movement song(s)
• Depending on how much time we have, I'll use one 2-3 minute song or two that are under a minute long.
• Goodbye
• 10-15 minute toy time
• Toddler attention spans are short! In this storytime, I only plan 15-20 minutes of content because that's about as long as you can hold their attention. After that, we do a short community playtime with educational toys to give kids the opportunity to learn to play in a group, and parents the opportunity to meet and interact with one another.

Book

All for Pie, Pie for All by David Martin

This book didn't go over great with the toddlers, and I think it was because it's too long. I would probably paperclip some of the pages together to make it shorter if I used this book again. However, it is a very cute story about families of different sizes and species sharing pie together and definitely gets you in a Thanksgiving mood.

Movement Song

"Happy and You Know It" by Mr. Jon

Has nothing to do with the theme, just a fun song that most kids know.

Felt Story

"Five Little Turkeys"
[A good way to get kids involved is to ask them to help you count how many turkeys are left after each verse, and invite them to chant with you if they pick it up]

Five little turkeys at the barn door
One waddled off and then there were four

Four little turkeys out under a tree
One waddled off and then there were three

Three little turkeys with nothing to do
One waddled off and then there were two

Two little turkeys in the noonday sun
One waddled off and then there was one

One little turkey--better run away!
It's almost Thanksgiving Day!

Movement Songs

"Follow the Leader" by Ella Jenkins

"Peek-a-Boo"

Both of these songs have a strange hypnotizing effect on small children. Even if they're mid-tantrum, most littles will stop what they're doing and follow my motions until the song is over.

Get Twisty!

Sometimes when I'm short on programs, I refer to those online calendars that list every single local and national holiday that's ever been celebrated. That's how I found out that National Tongue Twister Day is November 8th. I wanted to have a tongue twister program, but couldn't figure out what we would actually DO in that program until I started searching for tongue twister-related crafts and activities. Thanks to a bunch of websites I didn't keep track of, I came up with a plan.

Station 1: Craft
Using only markers and construction paper, you can make this awesome tongue twister craft! I took it one step further and actually cut a slit in the mouth with scissors so the tongue could literally stick through. Some of the results were terrifying (mostly mine because I can't draw faces) and others were downright adorable. This is an example from Teaching Madness. Unfortunately, I was too busy running the program to get pictures of what our patrons made.

Station 2: Twister

I ordered the actual game of Twister for this program. When I was clicking around Amazon looking for the best version, I found out that Finger Twister is a thing, too! I had to order two Finger Twisters in addition to an extra-large Twister board.

Station 3: Tongue Twisters

Of course, no tongue twister program would be complete without people actually reading them aloud. I set up the microphone and encouraged everyone to pick a tongue twister out of a hat and step up to the mic. Everyone who read one was entered into a drawing to win one of four prizes: the two Finger Twister sets, a small tongue twister coloring book, or a 3D printed Einstein with his tongue sticking out. 

This is just the 3D printer template. The finished product was much less terrifying.

This was a fun program that I might repeat in the summer or the next time National Tongue Twister Day rolls around!

Sign Language Storytime: Things That Go

My Sign Language Storytime format is:
Intro and hello
Felt story
Movement song or video
Book
Movement song
Goodbye

This storytime is special for a couple of reasons. First, it's the only one that I give a handout with pictures of the signs on it, so that the kids and grownups can refer to it during storytime and then practice at home. Second, I'm experimenting with adding an AV component to storytime by showing videos to follow along with instead of just listening to songs.

Handout:

Intro and hello:

Hello: "Hello Friends"
Before turning on the music, I teach the kids (and grownups) the American Sign Language sign for "friends." Then we boogie, wave, and sing hello to all our friends!

Warming Up Motor Skills: "Open, Shut Them"
On this song we do the movements described in the lyrics: open our hands, close our hands, clap three times, put our hands in our lap, creep our fingers up to our chin, and don't let them in our mouths.

Stretch: "Tall/Small"
This is a short, easy stretch the kids get a kick out of. While we're stretching, I like to encourage them to reach for the ceiling, touch their toes, then make themselves into a tiny ball.

Felt Story
"This Little Train"
To the tune of "This Old Man." Bolded text is where I encourage storytimers to sing along.
Start out with just the tracks on the board, add each train car with their verses.

This little train, painted black (add black engine)
It comes chugging down the track
With a choo-coo, toot-toot, hear the whistle blow
This little train goes chugging home.

This little car, painted blue (add blue train car)
It has seats for me and you
With a choo-coo, toot-toot, hear the whistle blow
This little train goes chugging home.

This little car, painted yellow (add yellow train car)
It shimmies and shakes like a bowl of jello
With a choo-coo, toot-toot, hear the whistle blow
This little train goes chugging home.

This little car, painted green (add green train car)
It's the fanciest train car you've ever seen
With a choo-coo, toot-toot, hear the whistle blow
This little train goes chugging home.

These train tracks, metal and gray (point to tracks)
They take you places far away
With a choo-coo, toot-toot, hear the whistle blow
This little train goes chugging home.

This caboose, painted red (add caboose)
It will take you home to bed
With a choo-coo, toot-toot, hear the whistle blow
This little train goes chugging home.

Movement Song
"Five Little Monkeys"

I decided not to use a video this month, because I once again could not find one with signs relating to our theme that presented a good amount of signs in an accessible way. So, we learned the signs for "boat" and "bus," then rocked out to "Row, Row, Row Your Boat" and "Wheels on the Bus."

Book

Trashy Town by Andrea Zimmerman

This book is one of the few that is great for toddlers and preschoolers alike. Even if you don't want to use the official signs for "truck" and "town," it still has a great opportunity for repetition and directed movement. The kids love being included when it's time to "Dump it in, smash it down, drive around the trashy town!" An added bonus is, the universal sign everyone uses when pretending to drive a car is actually the official sign for car or truck! 

Movement Song
"Hurry, Hurry, Drive That Firetruck"

Since we already learned the sign for truck (on the handout above), I gave a bonus sign, "fire," and then we practiced our sign for "firetruck" between the usual movements in this song. A lot of the older kiddos seemed delighted to know the sign for firetruck, which was really fun to watch.

Fire

Goodbye
"Until We Meet Again" from Out of the Box
When we sing this song, I help them recall the sign for friends from the hello song, and teach them a couple others as we sing: meet, time, and say.

Friends

Meet

Goodbye

This is the only storytime that I don't close with bubbles, because directly following is another program called Stay and Play where I set out 4-5 bins of toys for a 30 minute free play. Adding bubbles to that seems to be too much stimulation.