Storytime Activity Ideas for Lefty by Mo Willems and Dan Santat

Lefty by Mo Willems, Illustrated by Dan Santat

My son and I are both left-handed (like Dan Santat) and love Dan Santat illustrations (...like Dan Santat, surely?) so I wanted to read this book with him. He's a bit too old for it now, but there are some interesting facts in there that he loved learning to share with his (right-handed) friends. 

It's a fun book and I can picture reading it aloud in a classroom or library, like all Mo Willems and Dan Santat books! 

Activities I would do as a librarian would include: 

• polling the class or storytime group to see who is left-handed and who is right-handed
• tracing hands on paper and coloring them (for younger kids) or drawing things that make you you (for older kids)
• giving them a word to try and write with both their left and right hands
• draw the same picture with both left and right hands
• toss beanbags into a basket with left and right hands

What activities would you incorporate into a storytime or lesson using this book? What have you tried? I'd love to hear how it went!

Pretty Ugly by David Sedaris and Ian Falconer

Pretty Ugly by David Sedaris, illustrated by Ian Falconer

I'm a huge David Sedaris fan and am usually aware when he has a new book coming out. However, even with this being a picture book (aka right up my alley!), it wasn't on my radar until recently, despite being on the Most Anticipated Books of 2024 List from Kirkus Reviews. I must be living under a rock!

Anyway, I was glad to get my hands on it because this house has tons of Toon books so even if Sedaris and Falconer weren't behind the scenes, you know it's gonna be good.

The first few pages reminded me of Saturday Night Live's take on The Twilight Zone with Pamela Anderson, to the point where I was thinking, "At least kids who haven't seen that sketch may think this book is a fresh take on the issue."

Then came the twist.

I should have known Sedaris wouldn't go with the standard idea of monsters finding true beauty to be repulsive, though I definitely thought the book was going to be a letdown at a point.

But it's not. I can't say much more because I don't want to give it away---and this twist is worth it. Let's just say... my son had to hold his hand over the page because it grossed him out so much, while I thought it was delightful.

Overall, this is a funny twist on "beautiful on the inside" with amazing final illustrations from Ian Falconer, especially lovely if you grew up loving Olivia like I did.

How Dinosaurs Went Extinct: A Safety Guide by Ame Dyckman

How Dinosaurs Went Extinct: A Safety Guide

by Ame Dyckman, illustrated by Jennifer Harney

My son doesn't read picture books much anymore; he's too busy devouring a chapter book a week. And since I'm not working as a children's librarian right now (though I'll always be one at heart), I don't really have much reason (or time!) to pick up new picture books.

So when my son saw this book in the Scholastic Book Fair catalog, he circled it and said it was one he wanted to read. We found it in the library system and checked it out immediately. He thought it was funny but only read it once before he was ready to return it.

Of course, I read it too. We've read so many of Dyckman's books over the years, and they're always funny and enjoyable.

However, this one started off a little iffy to me.

I rolled my eyes at the typical dad mansplaining, then figured I was being too sensitive. After all, it's a picture book. And maybe Dyckman was trying to make a statement? But I wish he hadn't interrupted the mother, who was actually trying to teach her child a lesson. The dad speaks up and uses the rest of the book to share stupid reasons dinosaurs went extinct. They're funny, yes. But I could imagine this happening to me, and I would prefer the child learn the truth while in the museum since there's so much to explore there. On the drive home, the dad can be as silly as he wants with the rest of the reasons. 

That said, I know I'm projecting based on my own personal experiences. I still wish this page wasn't there. What if it was just the dad and kid at the museum that day and he was offering silly explanations? Why does he have to interrupt the woman?

The reasons are pretty funny, though, because they're things kids do, like picking boogers, running with scissors, and tipping backward in a chair. And you can probably imagine how Gasosaurus went extinct.

So I can admit that I might be taking this book a little deeper than intended, but I'll still argue that this plot point could have easily been rewritten to not have a man interrupting a woman just to share a lot of nonsense, since that's already so prevalent in everyday society. I've shown the page to two friends (females, one librarian, one writer) and they felt the same way, so it's possibly an issue beyond my personal bubble.

Favorite Picture Books by Black Authors

YA books are my sweet spot, but I also wanted to highlight some picture books by Black authors as well.

Little Leaders: Bold Women in Black History by Vashti Harrison

I thought I was obsessed with Vashti Harrison's artwork in Little Leaders, but then I went to her IG page and WOW. This is an amazing book to read to kids to get them interested in Black history and a great jumping off point for further research. If you don’t have a kid to read it to, you should still check it out for the gorgeous artwork.

“Vashti Harrison’s Little Leaders book first started off during a social media challenge to create art throughout Black History Month. Eventually, these drawings became the beginning of Harrison’s first bestselling book. Harrison created images of black girls dressing up as different female role models from history and turned them into a book in which she tells these women’s stories. She says she wrote these books with her younger self in mind, imagining the types of people she would have wanted to read about, the people who would inspire her to keep dreaming.”

I Am Every Good Thing by Derrick Barnes

My son and I loved Crown and the King of Kindergarten, and hearing Derrick Barnes speak was especially inspiring. I was really looking forward to I Am Every Good Thing, especially after the Black Lives Matter protests over the summer. I watched footage of local protests on the news, and my son wanted to go "walk with everyone." It only seemed natural that the conversations that inspired would also have a powerful book to really hit the point home.

The Black boy that tells this story is showing us every unique thing that makes him who he is - something that is often overlooked when it comes to news stories and biases. The book is dedicated to Tamir Rice, Trayvon Martin, EJ Bradford, Jordan Edwards, Michael Brown, Jordan Davis, and Julian Mallory, all Black boys who were senselessly killed, often by police officers.

Kirkus called this book “a much-needed book for Black children when society demonstrates otherwise,” and I agree, while also finding it important for white children (AND adults) to read so they can develop empathy and understand that Black children are just as important as they are, especially with the current racial climate and ignorance some people have about basic human rights.

The Power of Her Pen by Lesa Cline-Ransome

Ethel L. Payne was born in 1911. She went to school with white people, even though she was harassed and beaten for it. The school paper wouldn’t let her work for them because she was black, but they published her first story. Payne went to college and studied writing. She went to Japan and wrote about how Black American soldiers were treated.

When she returned to the United States, Payne worked for the Chicago Defender, one of two Black daily newspapers at the time. After 3 years of covering politics, Payne became one of three Black journalists to be given a White House press pass. She was outspoken and became known as the “First Lady of the Black Press.” Payne died in 1991 and has since been honored on a US stamp - one of only four female journalists to be featured.

The Oldest Student by Rita Lorraine Hubbard

I can’t believe I didn’t know about Mary Walker, but I’m glad I learned about her in this book. She was born into slavery in 1848. After being freed at 15, someone gave her a Bible. She wanted to read it, but had never learned. She couldn’t write, so she just made marks in the front to note her sons’ birth dates. She outlived her entire family and finally decided to learn to read. She was scared she was too old to learn, but she worked hard and never gave up. At 116, she could read! She lived to be 121.

Mora’s illustrations are amazing, showing the reader the way Walker sees scribbles all around her, then words after she learns to read. The endpapers include real photos of Mary Walker.

Tiny T. Rex and the Very Dark Dark

 

Tiny T. Rex and the Very Dark Dark

by Jonathan Stutzman, illustrated by Jay Fleck

My son is reading chapter books and graphic novels now, but any picture book starring a dinosaur is fair game for a bedtime story. I loved reading this aloud to him because being scared of the dark is something that comes and goes, and Tiny T. Rex is proactive in his approach. The illustrations are the perfect mix of adorable and beautiful.

We've previously read Tiny T. Rex and the Impossible Hug in 2019, but my son doesn't remember it so clearly we need more Tiny T. Rex in our lives!

Beverly Cleary Author Study: Petey's Bedtime Story

 Illustrated by David Small

I had never heard of this book so I was looking forward to reading it. Beverly Cleary has a magic touch with picture books, just as she does with chapter books. She makes characters that are overflowing with personality, even if they're just one-off characters instead of developed over a series.

Petey is a toddler who doesn't mind getting ready for bed. He knows he'll get to hear bedtime stories, so he's always good in the bath and putting on his pjs. His mom reads him one bedtime story, but Petey isn't tired yet. His dad reads him another, but Petey still isn't tired. He decides to tell his sleepy parents his favorite bedtime story - the one about the night he was born! Except the way Petey tells it makes it way more adventurous than it actually was.

Beverly Cleary Author Study: Janet's Thingamajigs

Original illustrations by DyAnne DiSalvo, though my copy

is a re-release with illustrations redone by Carol Thompson.

Janet loves how her mother calls stuff "thingamajigs" when she can't remember the word for them. Janet wants thingamajigs of her own, so she starts collecting small items she sees every day. 

Jimmy wants to play with Janet's thingamajigs, so Janet wraps them up in brown paper bags and keeps them on her bed to prevent him from messing with them. The bags rustle every time Janet moves on her bed, and her mother says she sounds like a mouse in a wastepaper basket.

This short story was funny to me because my kid also likes to collect anything and everything. I think it's a perfect example of how kids like what they like, and if you give them the space to get it out of their system, they'll come through it on their own and save a lot of disagreements!

Beverly Cleary Author Study: Lucky Chuck

 Illustrations by J. Winslow Higginbottom

Chuck has a job and a motorcycle license and bought a used bike. He knows the rules of the road and usually follows them, but sometimes he just wants to have fun while he rides.

I felt bad that I wanted him to learn a lesson, but I was initially projecting because motorcycle drivers around here are completely awful. However, he does learn a lesson the hard way, and I love Cleary even more for writing it that way! She did a lot of research into motorcycles and it comes through in how she explains the bike parts and the driving laws so it's a very interesting picture book.

Beverly Cleary Author Study: The Growing-Up Feet

 Original illustrations by DyAnne DiSalvo, though my copy is a re-release with illustrations redone by Carol Thompson.

I have this story in Two Times the Fun, a collection of the Janet and Jimmy stories. Janet and Jimmy's mother thinks they've outgrown their shoes, so they all go on an adventure to the shoe store.

Janet and Jimmy are excited to get something new. They can't wait to surprise their friend, the mailman, with new shoes. But the salesman measures their feet and finds the twins don't need new shoes after all. How can they surprise the mailman now?

Library on Wheels by Sharlee Glenn

After reading about Emily getting a library for her town, I wanted to keep that library love going with Mary Lemist Titcomb, who created America’s first bookmobile. 

Not much is known about her early life, but Sharlee Glenn did amazing research on her work and the times to compile an inspirational book. The images of the bookmobile’s progression over the years were especially interesting to me. I've never actually been inside a bookmobile, but had dreams of starting one a few years ago. It's a lot to manage so I really loved seeing how Titcomb did it so long ago.

Beverly Cleary Author Study: Two Dog Biscuits

Original illustrations by DyAnne DiSalvo, though my copy

is a re-release with illustrations redone by Carol Thompson.

I have this story in Two Times the Fun, a collection of the Janet and Jimmy stories. This was a cute Janet and Jimmy story. A neighbor hives them each a dog biscuit (though... why?) and their mother is worried they'll eat them. Then she gets sick of seeing the dog biscuits everywhere around the house and finding them in pockets. Their mother takes them on a walk so the twins can give their biscuits to dogs they meet along the way. But one dog is too big, one is too mean, one too loud... Will the twins ever find a critter to enjoy their biscuits?

The Power of Her Pen by Lesa Cline-Ransome

Ethel L. Payne was born in 1911. She went to school with white people, even though she was harassed and beaten for it. The school paper wouldn’t let her work for them because she was black, but they published her first story. Payne went to college and studied writing. She went to Japan and wrote about how Black American soldiers were treated.

When she returned to the United States, Payne worked for the Chicago Defender, one of two Black daily newspapers at the time. After 3 years of covering politics, Payne became one of three Black journalists to be given a White House press pass. She was outspoken and became known as the “First Lady of the Black Press.” Payne died in 1991 and has since been honored on a US stamp - one of only four female journalists to be featured.

The Oldest Student by Rita Lorraine Hubbard, illustrated by Oge Mora

I love an inspirational, educational picture book, and The Oldest Student by Rita Lorraine Hubbard, illustrated by Oge Mora fits the bill.

I can’t believe I didn’t know about Mary Walker, but I’m glad I learned about her in this book. She was born into slavery in 1848. After being freed at 15, someone gave her a Bible. She wanted to read it, but had never learned. She couldn’t write, so she just made marks in the front to note her sons’ birth dates. She outlived her entire family and finally decided to learn to read. She was scared she was too old to learn, but she worked hard and never gave up. At 116, she could read! She lived to be 121.

Mora’s illustrations are amazing, showing the reader the way Walker sees scribbles all around her, then words after she learns to read. The endpapers include real photos of Mary Walker.

Beverly Cleary Author Study: The Real Hole

Original illustrations by DyAnne DiSalvo, though my copy is

a re-release with illustrations redone by Carol Thompson.

I have this story in Two Times the Fun, a collection of the Janet and Jimmy stories. It seems like an Easy Reader story on its own, but Google shows they were kind of a picture book/Easy Reader hybrid. I like them as a collection because I think they work well as a beginner chapter book. The twins are only four, though, so I can see the reasoning behind making it a picture book parents would read to their four-year-olds.

Janet loves to play pretend, but Jimmy loves things that are real. When he digs a real hole, Janet wants to pretend it's a nest or a fishing pond. Jimmy doesn't like that, but he doesn't know what he could use the hole for.

This book is pretty simple but it's fun and light-hearted, and I think kids would love it because it's definitely how kids act.

Beverly Cleary Author Study: The Hullabaloo ABC

 Illustrations by Ted Rand

This might be a picture book, but the kids definitely have the same vibe as the kids in Henry Huggins' neighborhood. The book is more engaging than ABC books that just list words or show pictures of items starting with that letter. Instead, The Hullabaloo ABC takes a loud, fun walk around the farm, meeting animals and making noise.

There are a lot of fun things to see in Ted Rand's illustrations, which look like classic paintings with a lot of motion to engage young viewers.

The Office: A Day at Dunder Mifflin Elementary

The Office: A Day at Dunder Mifflin Elementary is by Robb Pearlman and illustrated by Melanie Demmer.

This book is a must-have for any fans of The Office, whether you have kids or not.

My son is too young to watch The Office with me, but he loved this book! It has a lot of inside jokes for fans, but still works as a stand-alone school story for kids.

Michael is chosen to be line leader for Ms. Levinson’s class, and he wants to be the best he can be! He won’t accept help from anyone, but he soon realizes he can’t handle everything on his own.

This book has callbacks to the show hidden in every illustration, so there’s an extra engaging aspect (for kids and their parents!). There’s also a fun bulletin board beneath the dust jacket, and the endpapers are super cute!

Mootilda's Bad Mood by Corey Rosen Schwartz, Kirsti Call, ill. by Claudia Ranucci

Mootilda's Bad Mood by Corey Rosen Schwartz and Kirsti Call, illustrated by Claudia Ranucci, is out now from Little Bee Books/Simon and Schuster.

Mootilda wakes up in a bad mooood, and the day goes downhill from there. Her bad mood is catching - lambs, pigs, chickens, and more grow grumpy after they encounter Mootilda. Then one small thing changes the entire course of the day.

This book is a fun way to talk with kids about moods in general, but also to show them that bad moods are ok, they happen to the best of us, they can easily affect others around us, but they don't last forever. The book has the signature rhymes and puns of Rosen Schwartz's other books, so kids will love it (and it's super fun to read aloud as an adult)! Also, at a time when I feel like I'm in a bad mood almost every day for one reason or another, this book was a really lighthearted way to help me step back and realize I don't need to stay in that funk!

Everything Awesome About Dinosaurs by Mike Lowery

Thanks to @kidlitexchange and @scholasticinc for sharing Everything Awesome About Dinosaurs by @mikelowerystudio.

My kid loves dinosaurs, and of course I encourage all types of reading, but some of the dinosaur books he brings home from school are a little bland, or too dense for his age. He wants something fun to read, but full of facts - and that can be a tough order for a 5yo! I was relieved to see this book because I knew it would have the information my son wants, and I personally love Lowery’s drawing style and humor - win-win!

Since my son is young, we look at the pictures and read the large, handwritten facts together. Sometimes I’ll read the smaller typewritten facts aloud, but sometimes he’s ready to move on and soak up more information on the next page. I love that, because as he gets older, he’ll be able to keep coming back to this book and learn new things!

As a parent reading it aloud, I especially appreciate the pronunciation key for all of these dinosaurs and other creatures! I definitely stumble over dinosaur names if left to my own devices, so it’s nice to have right under the pictures in this book. I also love Lowery’s trademark humor and random jokes, which help make this book amazing for all ages!

Best Picture Books Read in 2019

I always enjoy looking back over the books I read in a year and grouping them into genre categories, and then ranking them. I use the star ratings on Goodreads for each individual review, but when it comes to picking my favorites, I typically just go for the ones that stuck out in my mind. These books are especially memorable because I read them aloud to students during school library time. I love picking wonderful books to share with them, so I hope you'll consider sharing these with your kids and/or students. Or, honestly, just enjoy them yourself, because they are quality (and sometimes silly!) books.

There are so many amazing picture books being published that it seems hard to keep up with them all. I'm pretty proud that 3/5 of these books were published this year, and 2/5 are from 2018.

Circle by Mac Barnett and Jon Klassen (2019). I cannot properly express my love for this trilogy. I'll admit, when Triangle first came out I read it and thought "Hm, ok..." It was funny and my kid and I really enjoyed it, but that's where it ended for me. Then came Square, and things started to fill out in my mind, to the extent that we were crazy excited for Circle and had to get it the day it was released! I can't count how many times we've read the whole trilogy... and I even have a tattoo in honor of it! Something about these books is just so fun to me, but the writing and illustrations are so sparse that I feel like it really allows your imagination to step in and round out these characters, and they're realistic and relatable in a way you don't think a shape could be!

Pete the Cat and the Perfect Pizza Party by Kimberly Dean and James Dean (2019). This one was a huge hit at home, so I knew I needed to take it to school to read aloud to the Early Childhood students. It's fun to read aloud because there is so much tone and inflection necessary to really pull the kids into the story. Add in the alliteration and it's just a blast to share with enthusiastic readers! I read it once, and the next class, after our planned reading was done, the children asked to hear it again! I can't count how many times I read this book in the span of a week.

We Don't Eat Our Classmates by Ryan T. Higgins (2018). I found this book right before school started, so of course it's what I read aloud to every class once we started back! Everyone loved it because it's so silly and fun to read, but it also does remind students (especially the youngest) how they should act at school and with friends. It's not a "moral" exactly, but the lesson is there in a fun way, so it's relevant. I kept laughing at how many people sent this book to me - friends from the public library who knew I love picture books/am at a school now sent it to me on hold, parents recommended it to me, and my mom even tried to buy me a copy of it to read because she thought I'd love it! And none of them were wrong. Read this one if you haven't yet.

Thank You, Omu! by Oge Mora (2018). I got this from the library in May to read to my kid because he calls his grandmother "Oma" and we thought it was a funny coincidence. It's a very touching story, and I won't lie - I teared up at the end when reading it to him! Then it was chosen as this year's Read for the Record book, so on November 7th I had elementary students read it aloud to small groups of younger kids. Everyone really loved the book and the spirit of kindness and giving that it embodies.

Llama Destroys the World by Jonathan Stutzman and Heather Fox (2019). This is another book my son and I found at the public library, read together, and then knew I had to read it at the school library. This book is so silly, with a gluttonous Llama stuffing himself silly with cake and eventually ripping a black hole in the universe. It's a great jumping off point for conversations about outer space and black holes, which the Early Childhood students were surprisingly knowledgeable about. Super fun to read aloud, so definitely check it out.

Arabella and the Magic Pencil by Stephanie Ward and Shaney Hyde

Thanks to @kidlitexchange and EK Books for Kids for sharing Arabella and the Magic Pencil by Stephanie Ward and Shaney Hyde. All opinions are my own. 

It’s always tough to welcome a new sibling into the family, and unique book addresses the changes in a creative way. Arabella is used to being the center of her parents’ world, and gets one wish every year. She wishes for wonderful things, but not once does she wish for a little brother.

She gets one anyway. And he’s loud, and messes with Arabella’s stuff, and keeps bugging her. When Arabella wishes for a magic pencil that brings anything she draws to life, she realizes she could use it to erase her little brother. But should she?

This is a cute story with beautiful illustrations that sweep you right into Arabella’s vibrant world.