Here, for February, are a selection of the picture books that I might use for my next Under Five’s Library Storytimes. I am not ‘reviewing’ these five titles here: I’m thinking through why I chose the books from the Book Boxes, why I might use the stories, why I might not and what I need to remember as I use them, both my first and second reading thoughts. I'll ignore for the moment, and out of kindness to you, any accompanying 'musical' input.
Are you sitting comfortably? If so, here we go . . .
FREDDIE AND THE FAIRY by Julia Donaldson and Karen George.
Thoughts: The illustrations, with their slightly wobbly lines, are gentle, and the muted colours are softly attractive. Julia’s titles can be easy to read aloud because they are grounded in her experience as a performer., which adds when you are reading it aloud for real. Sometimes, though, despite the simplicity of the rhyming verses, she throws a complication or development into the plot which needs a bit of extra voice energy, and maybe a moment’s pause and audience interaction.
Plot: Freddie rescues a Fairy, but unfortunately Bessie-Belle keeps misunderstanding his mumbled wishes. A frog arrives, not a dog, and a bat instead of a cat. Grumbles and tears! The Fairy Queen, appearing, reminds Freddie that Bessie Bell cannot hear very well. She gives Freddie three rules: don’t mumble, turn away or cover up your mouth. Freddie tries out the advice, learns, gets his wishes and all ends amusingly.
Second thoughts: Depending on the age of the children in the audience, this may be too complex an idea to use. Will it work if I introduce it by chatting about ‘hearing’ before I read the story? Demonstrate the Rules? Nevertheless, living with someone hard of hearing, I know that the message in this book is important. I’ll read it through a few more times, and decide on the day.
THE BUTTON BOOK by Sally Nicholls and Bethan Woollvin.
Thoughts: Though the illustrations, with line drawings and a basic colour palette, look a little odd to my old eyes and the drawn characters are not immediately sweet or ‘feely’, that does not mean that children would see them the same. (Don’t pre-judge, Penny!) And very much for the younger children, to my mind.
Plot: The ‘story’ is simple: in fact, the reading is almost playing. Each spread has a ‘button’; not the usual plastic button that soon stops working, but a drawn button so the book can be re-used as much as you want. The reader – adult, child or children – are the ones that have fun by supplying the sound. The round red button ‘beeps’, the orange triangle button is a ‘clapping ‘button, another is a rude noise – of course – and it ends with a song and turning out of the light.
Second thoughts: All that’s needed is a sense of fun and imagination and – for children - an adult to show how the book works the first time round. Until I try this out, I don’t know how it will go. Also, I suspect that, at the end of a busy day, the adult involvement needed might stop this being a first choice for a goodnight story. (nb. I found this, with two damaged spreads, on the Book Sale table. Mended, the book will go into my reserve collection at home.)
LITTLE CLOUD by Anne Booth and Sarah Massini.
Thoughts: A very happy book. The art work is gently beautiful; the colours create a sense of open air and a world where the people are gazing up at the sky. As a fictional place, these first pages feel very much where I’d like to be. The story has an interesting character angle pov too: a cloud rather than person and the page layouts might not make this a straightforward read. Will it work? Certainly, the words on the first pages read lightly and just poetically enough to be charmed. ‘Once there was a dream of a cloud. Waiting, hiding, in a blue sky, which became a whisper of white . . .’
Plot. The main character, a little white cloud, floats around in the sky, observed and admired by everyone on the ground. Among the watchers are three anonymous children - a girl, a boy, a younger child in a dinosaur hoodie - and a friendly dog. However when the little cloud changes from one shape to another, people don’t want to see it anymore. Only a pretty flower, a farmer watering his thirsty plants, fish in the streams and river, and the three children and dog, splashing about in the puddles, are still happy to see the cloud now. Needless to say, there is a rainbow at the storm’s end.
Second thoughts: This story is lovely but it could definitely one where, reading to a largish group, I need to expand and demonstrate the story with gestures, and comments on what’s happening. Also, what weather songs and rhymes do I have that might fit with this – or any of these other titles? (Little Cloud is another repaired book for my collection too.)
THE BIG ANGRY ROAR by Jonny Lambert
Thoughts. Aha, a book about feelings, which is almost a picture book genre in itself. However, the fact that this book is about a tiger cub and the real world animal world, unlike my other book suggestions, gives ANGRY ROAR a nice straightforward energy. Maybe because the author is both the illustrator and writer? Though anger is the theme, the book has plenty of calming white pace on the page, the grey/green/sand range of colours feel satisfying and Lambert uses an interesting perspective in the spreads. As always, I wish I had a larger version of this book to show everyone. I could walk around with the book, but the young audience often feels like a bundle of puppies around my feet.
Plot: A lion cub, still angry about the way his little sister behaves, stomps off from the pride, so full of anger he could pop. Other animals show him how they let out their anger. The zebras tramp and stamp, which hurts his soft paws., the hippo and rhino crash and splash which makes him smelly, and so on, until at last with a young elephant, they cause trouble. Fortunately, Baboon is a wise old thing and shows the two how to let the anger out safely – and there’s a kind moment to end with too.
Second thoughts. I like this ‘telling’, because of the message that comes through behind the story. I am also curious about how I could play with and expand this story through action and sounds. However, I’ve noted that the book drops straight into the African context, so the title will definitely need some moments of introduction to make the most of it.
Last of all, we have
SMELLY PEGGY by Helen Stephens.
Thoughts. I like this book, which is another single writer & illustrator title, specifically because the story is about the reality of rescue dog ownership rather than a fantasy relationship.
Plot: A young girl, Pie, narrates the story. She talks about how Peggy, though cute, is also cheeky. She jumps on beds and people, steals clothes, and rolls in all sorts of smelly stuff when they take her out for walks, and then spread the stink around at home. Then, when Peggy’s been showered clean, she shakes her wet coat out over everybody. And when Pie and her family are all cuddled up on the sofa, Peggy can still surprise them – stinkily!
Second thoughts. This strength of this book, as well as being about the practical problems of dog ownership, is that the story also suggest that animals – and people – can be loved despite their faults. I am not yet sure how or if it will work as a Storytime read, nor whether the story would be more for the parents and carers than the younger listeners.
Finally, I’m hoping my first and second thoughts on these books make some sort of sense to you. As always, I often wish I had larger versions of whichever book I’m reading so everyone could enjoy the art work during the session.
In practice, though I could walk around with each picture book, showing all the spreads and page turns, young audiences can sometimes feel like a bundle of puppies around one’s feet. There are times when everyone, big and small, needs to be kept safe!
Have a great February.
Penny Dolan
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