AMONG THE ANKLE BITERS by Penny Dolan. Or How I Learned about Library Storytimes.

Earlier this year, I started helping out with Storytimes at my local library.  As an ex-primary teacher and then a visiting author, I’m used to talking to children in semi-public places.  

However, when facing the small people known among the Visiting Trade
as the ANKLE BITERS and KNEE HUGGERS brigade, 
the rules are slightly different. . .

There they sit there, around the library carpet: an audience composed of several wide-eyed, wobbling toddlers, a quantity of  independent-minded two-year olds and, with luck, some enthusiastically vocal three year olds, along with their range of "extras": their new-born baby siblings and all the assorted mums, dads, grandparents, carers, child-minders and more who come along.

This isn’t a quiet-and-cosy, sit-in-the-corner-reading kind of session. Storytimes involve lots of cheerful singing and actions, a bit of storytelling - with or without books – along with relevant animal toys, puppets and suchlike, plus what might be called a large amount of expressive mime (or, as some might say, showing-off) from the leader.

The long Storytime half-hour (or so) also includes an obligatory rhythmic interlude, involving a large boxful of small percussion instruments that can be merrily jangled, bashed and squabbled over. There may, occasionally, be a bubbling bubble-machine or a giving-out of stickers & colouring sheets and other delights. 

Moreover, all of this has to take place at a pace that is brisk, calm and confident enough to take the little ones – and the big ones - along with you, even while you feel like a low-budget children’s tv presenter with a big, wide smile. “Storytime!"

Now, despite all my earlier experience, I have had to learn new skills and re-learn others so here, for your own education and interest, are some of my recent realisations:

One: Knowing what you now don’t know. 

You may believe your brain worn away by years of children’s songs. You may imagine that those words are permanently inscribed on the inside of your skull. This is not true. Yes, you can join in with a nursery sing-song but leading a song alone is a very different matter. All but the first lines may well have faded if you don't have very young children around.

You are, in addition, likely to muddle one tune with another, or forget quite how that song resolves its ending, e.g. what did happen after the last little duck went swimming away, over the hills and far away etc. How exactly did they get back and through whom? 

Variants exist, but which one is needed? And which brain-worm should you ignore? I have had to do quite a lot of unseen relearning and rehearsing when alone, and I always keeping a crib-card list of all the maybe-not-so familiar songs to hand when I'm "live”.

Two: Keeping the focus when “Aaaagh!” happens. . . 

You may also find that knowing which precise number of little spotted frogs one is singing about fades somewhat when you spot sturdy Billy about to crash into fragile little Rose just in front of your eyes and action is needed.  When I lose my place, I ask the audience, smiling widely, and/or to begin again at a number chosen with almost-papal confidence.

.

Three:  So, today I’ll be reading from . .  . ? 

Discovering books that are good for reading aloud – repeat, aloud - for these youngest children is not as easy as you’d imagine. Most picture books are made for close interaction, with lots of pointing at the page, responding to a single child’s reactions, and the books generally take place (and are plotted) within a very close relationship too. 

Finding a book you’re happy with using for a Storytime may take up more time than you think, despite the number of picture books available. Moreover – and sorry, dear writer - the book may need to be transformed into told, acted-out story to make sense. Luckily, this task can be seen as useful story-writing research and one quickly learns to spot weak or boring plot-points.

Four:  Look at this interesting thing - or “what I see is mine!”

The good thing about using objects and props is they can both help one remember a particular story or song and give the audience something on which to focus their attention. The less good thing is that, unlike Reception classes, these youngest children are very tactile. Some will grab at anything on offer so I now watch for any hands coming. If the item will come to no harm, I let the adult know I’ll collect it back in afterwards. If not, I place the prop back somewhere out of reach.

Early on, I learned to consider prop materials too. I brought in four bright wooden dice to demonstrated the colours in a song. I began and suddenly saw, as two small speedy paws reached out, my blocks about to become wonderfully throw-able missiles Phew! Thank goodness I saw that before it happened! Ever since, I point out the colours on t-shirts or items around the library and choose song colours accordingly – and we now sing about spots and stripes as well as primary colours for that particular song.

Five: “We like knowing what we know”.   

Or, in other words, gender equality hasn’t reached the canon of nursery songs yet, although I do fight back during Wheels on the Bus when I can. "The mummies on the bus go "Chatter chatter chatter." Pah! However, the familiar, cultural versions are what these little children know they know, so one has to go gently with any innovations.

 
Besides, there’s a whole history within those nursery lines.
Who, from among these tiny children, will actually have jumped up and down in the hay on the back of a tractor? 
Who will have wound up a bobbin? 
Who will have seen ordinary people riding horses as a means of everyday transport: gallop, gallop, gallop? 
Or big ships sailing on Alley-Ohs anywhere? 
Or come across a farm still as mixed as Old Macdonald’s, ee-i-oh? 
To my mind, these songs create an agreeable sort of time-warp, helping all children to know more about past cultures.  
Please note: I’m very happy to bring in other songs when I have found them and know some, but for now . . .

Six: A different audience or not?  

The grown-ups in the audiences at Storytimes are mostly like the teachers and library staff that authors meet on school visits. While most join in enthusiastically and in a kindly, helpful way, some will be ready to correct your amusing variation on a familiar rhyme, or choose better stories, or even chat or scan their phone-screens. 

Just focus on the session, I tell myself. Don’t worry if the children wander around and about too much either, as long as they are safe – and that the Storytime helper is over there blocking that suddenly-opened library door. Besides, once the Storytime itself is over, these free sessions offer a relaxed time and space for any new mums or carers and their children to start making new friends, and that surely is a good thing at what can be a lonely time.

Seven: Ready or not . . ? 

I put off volunteering for these Storytime sessions for quite a while as I wasn’t sure if the preparation, learning and revision would be worth the loss of writing time.

I’d like to report that, in general, leading these Library Storytimes certainly is worth it because:

 - I’m keeping my public “persona” and performance voice alive at a time when there are fewer school visits around to keep this bit of me in good condition.

- I’m remembering past skills and material as well as widening my repertoire for working with Nursery and Early Years children.

- I’m enjoying assessing a range of picture books for possible read-aloud qualities. (See point three, above.)

- I’m pottering about among my pens, pencils and art materials once again and that makes me very happy.

- I’m moving about much more instead of being stuck at my desk. Everything involved with the sessions including carting books and props about and shifting light book-boxes makes, with care, a very good physical workout.

- I’m meeting and working with all the other Storytime helpers and library staff, and so avoiding any writing recluse syndrome.

- And, finally, I am now finding Storytimes much easier and more enjoyable, even when things don’t go perfectly to plan.

In fact, I was told by the librarians that it doesn’t matter if you aren’t perfect at Storytime, because the sessions are intended to get new parents sharing the books, rhymes and stories with their children themselves. Perhaps my less-than-musical singing could even inspire those listening grown-ups to do better? 

All I need to do is keep the Storytime rolling along. 

 Are you ready? All together now?

“Head, shoulders, knees and toes, knees and toes  . . .”

Penny Dolan