I Like to Move It

(I’m posting a day early due to the fact that I will be at a summer reading program workshop all day tomorrow and won’t have access to a computer.)

We’ve entered the eating season, ladies and gentlemen. We’re sick of the fun sized candy bars and we’re thinking about our Thanksgiving menu (does anyone remember Thanksgiving being three weeks after Halloween? Or am I just getting older?). Then comes Christmas cookies and Hanukkah latkes.  Whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, and/or Kwanzaa, delicious and very special feasts probably play important roles in your celebration.

We also celebrate dance during this season. At this time, ballet companies and schools are in preparation for their biggest event/fundraiser of the year-the annual performance of the Nutcracker (Jennifer Fisher wrote a fascinating book titled Nutcracker Nation: How An Old World Ballet Became a Christmas Tradition in the New World that I highly recommend).

Dance is also a great stress reliever and cardiac/calorie buster workout. As we anticipate turkeys and tutus, let’s take a look at some dance-themed picture books that are great for a high-energy toddler/preschool storytime.

I’m sure I’m not telling you anything new when I tell you that Doreen Cronin’s Wiggle and Bounce books are perfect for a dance/movement storytime. While some books in rhyme have a forced and awkward rhyme scheme, Cronin’s text trips perfectly along your tongue. Not only do they invite (but not demand) audience participation, there are plenty of gags sure to make your toddlers/preschoolers giggle (“Feeling extra silly? Wiggle in your underwear!” Underwear is always funny-even the mere mention of it.).

Not only does Jonathan London’s Who Bop? include rabbits and frogs “boppin, hip-hop hoppin,” but it also includes the sax-playin’ Jazz Bo (a cool cat, naturally) and his drum and piano playing friends. It’s sock hop night at the jazz club, and everyone is getting down.  You’ll definitely want to practice this one before your storytime, or you might stumble on the quick rhythm of the text. The font is also quite jazzy, which makes it a little tricky for the story reader. However, the illustrations are crisp and clear, and the “story” is infectiously fun.

Books that are heavy on rhythm and slight on story can be delightful, but if you include too many in one storytime, children’s attention spans will probably drift. Bill Martin Jr’s Barn Dance definitely includes rhyme and rhythm, but there’s also a genuine story twirling through the text (a young boy discovers animals dancing the night away). Illustrations of a scarecrow and pumpkins are prominent, so it’s perfect for the fall season.

I sense a subtheme going here….dancing animals! Here’s another one to throw into that theme: Joanne Ryder’s Big Bear Ball. This is a genuine country hoedown, complete with a caller and fiddlers. The caller is the narrator of the story; he’s busy calling out the steps and describing the illustrations. Bears of all sorts, from brown bears, polar bears (I think that’s what the white bears are supposed to be), to panda bears arrive by hot air balloon (why not?) for a fun-filled night of swinging and two stepping. Toddlers will love it, but older preschoolers may think they are too old for it.

Our final book involves an individual and independent-minded frog who basks in the joy of dance. Betsy would rather dance than hop or jump; as a frog, this puts her into a problematic situation. The other frogs tell her that there’s no room for dancing; however, they are soon intrigued by Betsy’s new style of locomotion. Sure enough, everyfrog but one is twisting and hopping. This guy insists that there is no room for dancing, until Betsy tells him otherwise. Simple text, a solid storyline, and large, clear, and uncluttered illustrations make Hop Jump a terrific choice for toddlers and young preschoolers.

That’s only a handful of dance-themed books. I’d love to hear your suggestions!

Fingerplays and action rhymes are easy for this storytime! Although these books involve animals, you can save your animal-themed fingerplays for another storytime. This is a great time to break out your tried and true. The children who already know the songs will love performing them, and it’s a great way to introduce standards to families that are not familiar with them. Here are just a few suggestions:

• “If You’re Happy and You Know It”
• “The Hokey Pokey”
• “This Old Man” (perform the actions, slap thighs for “knick knack,” clap hands for “paddy whack,” and pretend to “throw” a bone for “give a dog a bone.” Adjust it to the level of your audience; toddlers may find it easier to show the numbers with their fingers and just perform the actions without the “knick knack” and “paddy whack” part. I also usually only count to 5 instead of 10 for toddler storytime.)
• “5 Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed” (animal themed, but always a fun one)

There are a multitude of great children’s musicians, but these musicians are known for their movement-oriented music:

• Jim Gill
• Johnette Downing (definitely check her out-if if you think you don’t like children’s music, you’ll love her CDs. Her music is influenced by traditional Louisiana music-being from the New Orleans area, I can’t leave her out! Her “Ants in Your Pants” is always a hit with preschoolers.)
• Cathy Fink and Marcy Marxer
• Laurie Berkner (your toddlers and preschoolers will be familiar with her if they watch the Noggin channel-she’s on Jack’s Big Music Show)

Not every song that these musicians sing are movement oriented, but many of them are. These musicians have websites on which you can find more information.

Books Mentioned:

• Cronin, Doreen.  Bounce.  New York: Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2007.
• Cronin, Doreen.  Wiggle.  New York: Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2005.
• London, Jonathan.  Who Bop? New York: HarperCollins, 2000.
• Ryder, Joanne.  Big Bear Ball.  New York: HarperCollins, 2002.
• Walsh, Ellen Stoll.  Hop Jump.  San Diego: Harcourt Brace & Co., 1993.