Story time sagas
I haven’t been getting many to come to my story times. Part of my problem may be that I don’t really have a good strong core story time collection yet. A lot of the books are from the previous librarian’s collection, most of which I know I won’t use.
Upon looking at the books that I REALLY like using:
- Don’t let the pigeon drive the bus
- Catalina Magdelina Hoopensteiner Wallendiner Hogan Logan Bogan is her name (BTW I didn’t even look that up I know the book so well)
- Winchell cuts the cheese
- Big Green Monster
Well, I guess for the moment those are my core collection… I’m very sure that there are a couple others, but I can’t think of any.
Anyway, after looking at my tiny core collection, I realized a couple of things (another list…):
- I really like really silly books
- I like books with repetition, that allow the kids to get involved
- I like books that are pretty short
- I like books with bright colors
I realize that this is my mission now, if I want to save story time. I need to find more books like these. Last week, I read a couple books and I was afraid that the kids were going to die. I read them to myself beforehand, but it wasn’t until I started reading them that I realized they were WAY too long. They were books about food. I think one was about a giant carrot, one was about food having a food fight, and the other one was so forgettable that I’ve forgotten.
Tonight I had ZERO kids at my story time. I was sad. 
However my evening was brightened up when the Knit Wits (a group of knitting ladies that are my mom’s age and up) asked me to read them some picture books for them. And they loved it!
That got me thinking… why not do story time for senior citizens? Does that sound crazy? I mean I wouldn’t hand out coloring sheets or do rhymes, but why not tell stories to senior citizens? Afterwards I could leave out tea and cookies and let them mingle.
Of course I was thinking about this at about midnight, so I don’t know if it holds up in the morning light. Still.