Winter Storytime
Open Storytime
Today it is supposed to be 60 degrees. This morning we had fog. Not an auspicious beginning to Winter Story time Continue reading
What Will It Rain by Jane Moncure
I must confess I didn’t know this story until a friend and former co-worker asked for the script. I read it and really liked it. Then I saw the pieces. How cute? and How is it that I haven’t seen or used this flannel? I’ve been here almost 16 years? I keep typing When Will it Rain….I think the drought is getting to me.
What Will it Rain by Jane Moncure
Squirrel is sort of a Henny Penny figure. He is watching the sky and knows it will rain soon.
“It will rain something just for me!”
Then, he runs into bird… who is convinced it will rain something just for bird….
“I wish it will rain cherries for me,” said bird.
Squirrel is pretty sure that that it isn’t going to rain cherries. Mouse gets in the act…
“I wish it would rain a mountain of cheese for me.”
and then
“I wish it would rain a bucket of bones.”
and…
“I wish it would rain some fish for my dish”
“Why wish for cherries or cheese or bones or fish? You won’t get your wish,” said the confident Squirrel….
“some corn, of course.”
“How about carrots?”
“No cherries, no cheese, no bones, no fish, and no corn.”
“It finally rains!”
The end scene:
“What will it Rain”
• • • • • • •
- Lisa is hosting this week’s Roundup!
- Want to know what’s up for the next Flannel Friday? Look here!
- Want help with something Flannel Friday related? Contact the current Flannel Friday Fairy Godmother
Cock-a-Doodle Quack Quack by Ivor Baddiel
If you’ve been a faithful follower of Rain Makes Applesauce, you’ll know that I adore farm animals. I’m strictly sub-urban in my lifestyle, but books for story time [To paraphrase Ol-ee-veh in Green Acres]: Farm livin’ is the life for me.
So, it’s no surprise that Cock-a-Doodle Quack Quack by Ivor Baddiel caught my eye. I made this flannel in 2007 and I’m happy to share it today. I forgot how cute the story is…
It starts with a baby rooster… He knows it’s his job to wake people up, he just doesn’t know how….
So, he asks his friend Piggy
I know it’s my job to wake everyone up in the morning, but I don’t know what to say!
Pigs say Oink…
So in the morning baby rooster tries,
Cock-a-doodle Oink
To baby Rooster’s surprise, nothing happened… so he told his friend Cow about his troubles.
Cows say Moo!
So in the morning baby rooster tries,
Cock-a-doodle Moooo
To baby Rooster’s surprise, nothing happened… so he told his friend Duck about his troubles.
- Ducks say “Quack”!!!
So in the morning baby rooster tries,
Cock-a-doodle QUACK
To baby Rooster’s surprise, nothing happened… baby Rooster was sad.
Cat saw how sad Rooster was and suggested Rooster see Owl
Owls are wise you see!
After a discussion (see book for details), Owl suggests that Rooster not say anything in the morning….
After a long night, baby Rooster stood on the farm gate…
and waited and waited and listened.
He took a deep breath
Cock-a-Doodle Poo!
no, that wasn’t right
Cock-a-Doodle-Noooo!
no, that wasn’t right.
He took a giant breath and
Cock-a-doodle DOOOOOOOOOO!
It worked! He found his voice! YAY!
10 Hungry Rabbits by Anita Lobel
While planning our Spring story time, I wanted something different. So, I invaded the to-be-cataloged books in Tech Services. I saw this book. Perfect. Have you seen it? It’s small. Certainly too small for story times. Perfect for one-on-one reading, but this has story time written all over it. It feels like the bare bones of a Stone Soup story; you’ll see.
Mama Rabbit has 10 hungry rabbits and the cupboard is bare...
You’ll notice the numbers on the rabbits are the same color as the vegetable that rabbit brings back… To start, I’m going to put the rabbits up and we’ll count to ten.
So she sends them out to find food:
One purple cabbage, 2 white onions, 3 yellow peppers...
I think I’ll point to Rabbit 1 and say, The purple rabbit brought one purple cabbage, etc.
I used a hemp rope for the onion...
;
4 red tomatoes, five pink potatoes, six orange carrots
;
Seven brown mushrooms, eight blueberries, nine green peas in a pod, and ten peppercorns
;
And… when they all came home and gathered their food … an abundance of food:
An abundance of food!
To see what Mama Rabbit does with it, read the book.
Cate has the round-up this week.
To learn about Flannel Friday, go see Miss Anne. She’s got it all organized.
And, Melissa has a handy search tool to find all things story time.
My Red Umbrella by Robert Bright
I’m not sure I’ve ever read the book My Red Umbrella by Robert Bright. People were talking about it on the Flannel Friday Facebook page — and I’ve been meaning to present it — so this seemed like the right week to do so. It’s been around our library as long as I’ve been (1997) and I believe it was created by a volunteer. It seems some people have the umbrella grow as each animal joins the party. This flannelized version doesn’t grow with the story so perhaps this is more based on the book. This is one of my favorites; I love the opportunity for audience participation. And I love how the story builds on itself — we’re working on sequences!
The synopsis: A Little Girl goes on a walk and she wonders why she is carrying an umbrella on such a day as this.
Sunny, then a cloud appears in the sky...
So the girl gets out her Red Umbrella.
That is some umbrella!
Soon she comes upon a dog, it was wet and cold in the rain.
poor wet doggie
Come join me under my umbrella, there’s room enough here for both of us.
The two continue walking and come upon a
Kitty -- all wet and bedraggled
Come join us under my umbrella, there’s room enough here for all of us.
So the dog and cat and the girl continue and come upon a
Chicken and Rabbit...
Come join us under my umbrella, there’s room enough here for all of us.
And the dog and the cat and the chicken and the bunny and the girl continue and come upon a
Sweet lamb and...
...shivering goat.
Come join us under my umbrella, there’s room enough here for all of us.
So … the girl and the dog and the kitty and the chicken and the bunny and the pig lamb and the goat continue …
a pig
and a
Fox!
Come join us under my umbrella, there’s room enough here for all of us.
Wait a minute. Mr. Fox you have to behave under this umbrella. No funny business. Okay everyone, say it with me….
So … the girl and the dog and the kitten and the chicken and the rabbit and the lamb and goat and pig and fox continued on
and came upon a ….
a very big and very wet bear!
Oh boy was he big. But they squeeze him in and the girl and the dog and the kitten and the chicken and the rabbit and the lamb and goat and pig and fox and the bear continue on.
They all squeezed in!
They continue on and sing a song
Rain Rain Go Away! Come Again another Day!
And the sun eventually comes out … each animals walks away. And the girl decides she was really glad she brought her umbrella.
Flannel Friday stuff:
This week LQ is hosting the Flannel Friday Round-up. Round up archives and host schedule is at So Tomorrow. Next week the round up is at Story Time Secrets.
Visually scan all the Flannel Friday posts at Pinterest.
Talk about storytime and flannelboards at the Flannel Friday Facebook Page.
Follow Flannel Friday on Twitter with the #flannelfriday hashtag. (You don’t have to be on Twitter to check this out.)
Last but not least, if you’re a contributor, grab the blog button also available at Mel’s Desk!
How Many Feet in the Bed? by Diane Johnston Hamm
In honor of my plantar fasciitis, I present to you the cutest of flannelized stories–if you think that bare feet in bed are cute. I do, especially flannel ones. My co-worker (and department head) made this flannel story. I love how simple it is, but so wonderful. (The captions are mostly a summary of the text in deference to the author… go look up How Many Feet in the Bed?, you’ll love it.)
It starts with a simple backdrop and an innocent question:
When my father wakes up, I ask him, "How many feet are in the bed?"
I thought there were two...
look now there are 4
Then Tom shows up...
Gross, he's got stinky feet!
Oh look, it's baby Jane! Let's count feet...
Hey mom, join us!
How many feet are in this bed?
The book ends counting down as feet leave for various reasons. Then just Teddy is in bed… and I wonder, why wasn’t he part of the count? Hmmm.
Flannel Friday stuff:
Round up archives and host schedule is at So Tomorrow. Next week the round up is at Mel’s Desk.
Visually scan all the Flannel Friday posts at Pinterest.
Talk about storytime and flannelboards at the Flannel Friday Facebook Page.
Follow Flannel Friday on Twitter with the #flannelfriday hashtag. (You don’t have to be on Twitter to check this out.)
Last but not least, if you’re a contributor, grab the blog button also available at Mel’s Desk!
Must Be Santa: a Flannel Friday Extravaganza Presentation
I just learned that Must Be Santa was originally covered by Mitch Miller, which means it’s older than I thought it to be. I use the Raffi version found on Singable Songs for the Very Young but apparently Bob Dylan has covered it as well. If you are unfamiliar with it, this is a call and response song; the singer/leader sings a question and the chorus answers.
(PS:I made this flannel, a rarity. My favorite parts? The beard and I used a soft, red fleece for the hat and suit … it’s yummy to feel!)
Let’s Begin:
Who's got a ...
… beard that’s long and white?
Santa's got a beard that's long and white!
Who comes along on a Special Night?
Santa comes along on a special night!
Special Night, Beard that’s White…
Must be Santa! Must be Santa!
Must be Santa, Santa Claus!
Boots! And a suit of red!
A long cap on his head!
Cap on Head! Suit of red
Special Night! Beard that’s white!
a Great Big cherry nose!
Laughs this way....
Ho ho ho! Cherry nose!
Cap on head! Suit that’s red.
Special Night. Beard that’s White.
• • •
Who will very soon come our way? (I do a little wave)
8 Little Reindeer pull his sleigh
Reindeer sleigh. Come our Way.
Ho ho ho! Cherry nose!
Cap on head! Suit that’s red.
Special Night. Beard that’s White.
Must be Santa! Santa Claus!!!
(I just noticed the moon is upside down!! Oops.)
Library Quine has the Extravaganza Round-up! . It’s a big-un this week!
Five Little Aliens
I’m not sure where this poem came from… either it was made in house (and that is why there is no source) or it came from Mailbox.
Five Little Aliens Flying Out in Space
the first one said, let’s have a race.
The second one said, watch me go
The third one said, that’s so slow
The fourth one said, my ship’s fast
The fifth one said, I’m always last.
(I just noticed the clever soul who made these aliens made each alien with x number of eyeballs… )
Piggy Wiggy by Christyan Fox
Piggy Wiggy by Christyan Fox is a delight. I’m not sure which of Christyan’s book this came from….
Piggy Wiggy is getting dressed, can you guess what he'll be?
He has red pants and a white shirt.
... and orange suspenders.
any ideas?
I love his crazy purple tie...
His lapel flower squirts water...
any guesses?
He's got a pointy blue hat....
look at those long green shoes!
hmmm, what could he be?
this red nose will probably give it away....
Did you guess?
Piggy Wiggy is dressed up like a clown!
Mrs. McMurphy’s Pumpkin by Rick Walton
Do you know the book Mrs. McMurphy’s Pumpkin by Rick Walton? I didn’t until this morning.
It’s a delightful story about a woman who lives alone on a farm. She’s firm but fair with the animals on the farm.
Four days before Halloween, a pumpkin shows up. It has a mouth, and likes to use it.
My mouth is here. I speak to you. When my teeth are here, I’ll eat you!
Yikes.
Well, Mrs. McMurphy doesn’t take to sass and she puts the pumpkin on the porch where pumpkins belong. (Actually, throughout the story Mrs. McMurphy is fair and always counteracting the pumpkin’s sass with a kind but firm word.)
The next day, the pumpkin shows up in the living room with a nose, saying:
My nose is here. I smell you. When my teeth are here, I’ll eat you!
and Mrs. McMurphy puts the pumpkin in the work shed.
Well, two days before Halloween, Mrs. McMurphy finds the pumpkin in her kitchen, saying:
My ears are here. I hear you. When my teeth are here, I’ll eat you!
Mrs. McMurphy reminds the pumpkin of its manners and sets it down the river.
The day before Halloween, Mrs. McMurphy finds said pumpkin sitting in her kitchen again.
My eyes are here. I see you. When my teeth are here, I’ll eat you!
She sends him to the North Pole. (I told you she doesn't take to sass.)
On Halloween, guess who shows up just as Mrs. McMurphy is baking?
My teeth are here. I can bite you. It’s time for me TO EAT YOU!
Look out, pumpkin on the loose!
“We’ll have to see about that,” says Mrs. McMurphy.
It's a pie!
I just want to show you the close-up of this beautiful pumpkin and ear. My colleague, who doesn’t work here anymore, came up with it. It’s lovely. I looks like she used multi-colored thread in an zig-zag needle setting. Nice job Amanda Kelly!
