Fa La La La Films 2024

The Christmas Challenge continues! It's been a decade for this blog and I am thrilled to do this fun holiday season challenge again!

I'll share my Christmas watchlist below. The movies I watched before November 25th are added in gray. Let me know your favorite holiday movie in the comments. Happy viewing, friends!

Live-Action Holiday Movies
Christmas with the Kranks (2004)
Love Actually (2003)
Christmas in Scotland (2023)

Last Holiday (2006)
Home Alone (1990)
Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992)
Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000)
The Santa Clause
The Santa Clause 2
The Santa Clause 3
While You Were Sleeping

Ernest Saves Christmas

The Muppet Christmas Carol

Animated Holiday Movies
Dr. Seuss' The Grinch (2018)
Frosty the Snowman

A Charlie Brown Christmas

Mickey Mouse Christmas Carol

Pluto's Christmas Tree

Arthur Christmas

Rankin/Bass Productions
Santa Claus is Comin' to Town

The Little Drummer Boy

Are These Really Christmas Movies? 😉

On Moonlight Bay (1951)
By the Light of the Silvery Moon (1953)
Susan Slept Here (1954) 

In the Good Old Summertime (1949)

My Favorite Wife (1940)

Bundle of Joy (1939)

Blog Tour: What's the Story Morning Glory?

Welcome to the Blog Tour for What's the Story, Morning Glory? by Julie Lessman, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!

I am so thrilled to be a part of this tour! I have been a huge fan of Julie Lessman for years. I was totally surprised when she announced her nonfiction/fiction memoir devotional. Being a fan, I knew I needed to have it as a part of my collection. Her writing style wraps me up and transports me to the world she created. I am invested in her books and I am invested in her. She writes and shares stories that hit the heart in a beautiful way. It's more than just fluffy love stories, it's stories of change because they come from a heart of love - God's love.

Julie's memior devotional might be the first of it's kind and I love it! It's truly a storyline I can follow along with because I've read her books ... and I greedily want more.  The depth of the five steps in each section is appreciated. As much as I want to devour this book in one sitting, it's a book that should be savoured. Listen to her stories and most importantly sink into the Scriptures she shares. Having so many scripture references is something I deeply appreciate in a devotional. Our strength comes from the Lord and we can't just pull out one verse when all a Scripture is tied together for our benefit.

Thank you, dear Julie, for sharing your stories! Hugs to you!

About the Book

Title: What's the Story, Morning Glory?
Author: Julie Lessman
Publisher: Julie Lessman LLC
Release Date: October 1, 2024
Genre: Memoir Devotional (half fiction/half nonfiction)

“DEAR LORD, JULIE ... OUR WHOLE LIFE IS IN THIS BOOK!" 

My heart went out to my sweet husband as he walked into our kitchen one day with a noticeable gulp, ashen-faced after reading my latest novel.“Yes, I know, babe,” I said with a repentant smile and a conciliatory hug, “but nobody really knows that.” 
Ahem. Until now ... 

Trust me, "What’s the Story, Morning Glory? A Memoir Devotional with a 'Novel' Approach to Practical Christianity" is not a book I wanted to write. As a novelist, I have never been partial to nonfiction, either reading it or writing it, but I had little choice when God convinced me otherwise through a number of point-blank arm-twistings I couldn’t deny and not-so-gentle proddings from family and friends. 

Despite all the encouragement, I wasn’t really sure where to begin. “It will be fiction and nonfiction combined,” the Holy Spirit whispered within, and just like that, the idea for this book took flight. First, I would tell my “real” and very personal story behind the life-lesson stories in my novels, then I would follow it up with the excerpt from my books where I teach that same life lesson to my characters, finally culminating in corresponding Scriptures, a bulleted “Takeaway” list, and a related prayer. 

Thus, What’s the Story, Morning Glory: A Memoir Devotional with a “Novel” Approach to Practical Christianity was born. A memoir devotional that when combined with scenes from my novels, becomes a “novotional” where I relate the life lessons God personally taught me through His Word. I am simply a child of God who applied these lessons and Biblical precepts to every situation in my life and consequently, saw nonstop answers to prayer and blessings galore. It is my profound hope and prayer that through my own very simple and personal stories and examples, I can do the same for others. Therefore, the format for each chapter of this book will be as

1. The Real Story (How I learned and applied the spiritual lesson in my own life)
2. The Novel Story (The scene where I teach the spiritual lesson to my characters)
3. The Scripture Story (Scriptures applicable to the spiritual lesson)
4. The Takeaway Story (Bulletized points for spiritual lesson in easy-to-read/apply format)
5. The Prayer Story (Specific prayer related to the spiritual lesson)

I pray this bottom-line, albeit somewhat quirky, 1-2-3 devotional blesses you as much as God's spiritual life lessons have blessed me! 

Hugs,
Julie Lessman  

PURCHASE LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon

Also Available

     

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About the Author

Julie Lessman is an award-winning author whose tagline of “Passion With a Purpose” underscores her intense passion for both God and romance. A lover of all things Irish, she enjoys writing close-knit Irish family sagas that evolve into 3-D love stories: the hero, the heroine, and the God that brings them together.

Author of The Daughters of Boston, Winds of Change, Heart of San Francisco, Isle of Hope, Silver Lining Ranch, and The Cousins O’Connor series, Julie was American Christian Fiction Writers 2009 Debut Author of the Year and has garnered over 21 Romance Writers of America and other awards. Voted #1 Romance Author in Family Fiction magazine’s 2012 and 2011 Readers Choice Awards, Julie’s novels also made Family Fiction magazine’s Best of 2014, Best of 2015, and “Essential Christian Romance Authors” 2017-20, as well as Booklist’s 2010 Top 10 Inspirational Fiction and Borders Best Fiction. Her independent novel A Light in the Window was an International Digital Awards winner, a 2013 Readers' Crown Award winner, and a 2013 Book Buyers Best Award winner. 

Julie has also written a self-help workbook for writers entitled Romance-ology 101: Writing Romantic Tension for the Sweet and Inspirational Markets.

Connect with Julie by visiting julielessman.com to follow her on social media, read both romantic and spiritual excerpts from her books, or subscribe to email newsletter updates.

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Tour Giveaway

(1) winner will receive a $25 Amazon gift card, a character named after you in Julie's next book & a signed paperback copy of that book, plus a signed paperback copy of What's the Story, Morning Glory!

Full tour schedule linked below. The giveaway begins at midnight September 24, 2024 and will last through 11:59 PM EST on October 1, 2024. Winners will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. US only for print copies. Gift card open to all locales. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.

Giveaway is subject to JustRead Publicity Tours Giveaway Policies.

Enter Giveaway

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Follow along at JustRead Tours for a full list of stops!

Winter: Hockey Storytime

Today is Hockey is for Everyone Day, so our storytime theme was hockey!

Family storytime returned after a couple weeks of break. Time to get back into the storytime routine. A little technology failures towards the end of the program, but a fun morning!

Here's what we did:

Welcome
SONG: Hello Song
Storytime Reminders
 
Snowbie, our storytime puppet pal, returns to say, "Hello, everybody!"
FLANNEL:      Snowball, snowball, cold and round, behind which mitten can you be found?Behind the 5 mittens: snowball, hockey helmet, hockey stick, hockey puck, and hockey skate.

The images were clipart (or graphics) from Canva. I tried to laminate them this morning, but the laminator ate my page! I printed a second copy and used nonlaminated paper.

When we turn over the mittens, we sign the colors (like we do for the bookworm flannel). I forgot to look up pink and gray. For pink we signed red and for gray we did nothing. A kind caregiver after storytime looked up the signs and shared them with me after storytime. So sweet! Now I will be better prepared for next time! Thank you!!

BOOK: Hockey by Cynthia Klingel and Robert B. Noyed (The Child’s World, 2003)
A short nonfiction book about the sport of hockey.

 
SONG:  Dance, Freeze, Melt by The Learning Groove

A freeze song since hockey is played on ice. Ice freezes and melts!
 
BOOK: Sports Illustrated Kids Hockey Shapes by Mark Weakland (Capstone Press, 2014)
Another nonfiction picture book that focused on shapes you can find at a hockey game. I didn't use all the pages. I paperclipped page 11-16 together. The shapes we identified included circle, triangle, square, rectangle, pentagon, diamond, oval, star, cylinder, and cube. 

SONG: One from the Left by Jim Gill 

Since we talked about shapes and counting in our last book, here's a favorite counting song.

We ended up singing acapella! When I switched from my iPod to MP3 player, this song didn't move over. I replaced it on the go this morning with Hands are for Clapping by Jim Gill (knowing my posted slide wouldn't match). I didn't change my note on the agenda page ... Well. Here we are and here we go singing it. I know the song and I have wonderful leader caregivers who jumped right in and sang it with me. 
 
BOOK: I’m Cool! By Kate & Jim McMullan (Balzer & Bray [HarperCollins], 2015)
It's the big machine of hockey!

SONG: Digger, Excavator with Tom Pease

Here is where technology and I had a failure to communicate! Tom Pease did this rhyme/song live at a concert a couple years ago and I saved it to our camera. I was able to upload it and add it to a slide so it would auto play ... The iPad fell alseep because the battery was dying and then the slides disappeared and the iPad thought I wanted to take a picture. Found the albums! Found the slide! The volume was gone! Found the remote and unmuted the TV. Still no sound. (Trying not to panic, but calmly talk it through for the audience.) Caregivers sharing that I also need the unmute it on the iPad. FINALLY got it to play! Yay!! It's such a great little rhyme! 
 
BOOK: Sports Illustrated Kids Goodnight Hockey by Michael Dahl, illustrated by Christina Forshay (Picture Window Books [Capstone], 2015)
This was on my agenda to read, but it was the end of storytime by the time we finished our last rhyme (with the technology excitement). 

Announcements
Craft Instructions: Make your own hockey ice rink out of paper, tape, pipe cleaners, and wooden sticks.
SONG: Goodbye Song

Book Boogie Storytime 2024

Book Boogie is typically a 3-4 week series that highlights musical books, songs, and rhymes. This year it just worked out to have one Book Boogie storytime with room bookings and trying out a new storytime program. I do love this mini series and it was a fun morning!

This year I dug into my storytime archives to see what books I did in the past and how long had it been since I last shared them. I was surprised and excited to see the results. The theme ended up to be cows!

Welcome
SONG: Hello Song
Storytime Reminders: Be Ready, Be Seated, Be Involved, Be Respectful
Flannel: Bookworm, Bookworm where should we look? Are you behind the COLOR book?

Underneath the five books: 2 bookworms and 3 snowballs. After all was revealed, we "rolled" the snowballs and built a snowman. It was so cute.
 
BOOK: Barnyard Boogie! By Tim McCanna, illustrated by Allison Black (Abrams Appleseed, 2017)
 Transition: Our animals were in a barnyard band, let's see what happens when we take animals to school!

SONG: There’s a Dog in School by Stuart Stotts and Tom Pease
 
BOOK: Is Everyone Ready for Fun? By Jan Thomas (Beach Lane Books, 2011)
 Transition: Chicken wanted our cows to stop, so let's do a movement and freeze song. Freeze can mean stop.

SONG: Dance, Freeze, Melt by Mr. Eric & Mr. Michael
 
BOOK: Let’s Sing a Lullaby with the Brave Cowboy by Jan Thomas (Beach Lane Books, 2012)
Transition: Let's do one of our favorite storytime songs about sleep. We get to be goldfish! 

SONG: The Goldfish
 

Transition: We have three things left to do today:
Announcements
Craft Instructions My friends brought little printable books to color and keep. (Old Macdonald, etc)
SONG: Goodbye Song

It was a great morning! The books and the songs were a lot of fun and they easily tied together.

Blog Tour: A Dare and A Prayer

 It's my day to celebrate Julie Lessman's newest book - A Dare and A Prayer!   

 A Dare and A Prayer is the third title in Julie's The Cousins O'Connor series. The main character is Henry Dennehy - the incorrigible twin brother of Hope Dennehy (Charity and Mitch's son). 💙

 

The rich (deep love and connection, not monies) family Julie brought to life is my favorite. This is one of the top reasons I adore her stories. Yes, you hear Henry's story (Yay, yay, yay!), but you also hear more about his family. I love the O'Connors and the world building in the amazing saga. Feel free to read this as a standalone, but I would highly encourage you to start at the beginning. 😉😁 Full series listing on her website.

 

Back to more on Henry!

 

He’s a hotshot who takes up a dare.

She’s an aspiring missionary who wants to beware.

But will love become a gamble with a dare and a prayer?

Lieutenant Henry Dennehy is a cocky and carefree fighter pilot in the Pacific Theatre of WW2, known for scoring big, both in the sky and on land. But when his buddies offer a bet he can’t refuse to turn the head of the “untouchable” nurse at 369th Station Hospital—a woman who’s shot down more flyboys than the enemy—he’s bound and determined to win. Problem is, if he wins the dare, will he lose at love?

Lieutenant Amy Leigh MacArthur was on her way to the mission field when she detoured to fight for her country instead, an Army nurse whose interest lies only in healing the wounded and teaching orphans to read. Certainly not in men, and definitely not in Henry Dennehy, the boy who ridiculed her years ago as a shy and homely teen. But when Henry pursues her and won’t take no for an answer, Amy finds a way that gives him no choice.

Until, that is, love does the same for them both ...

NOTE: This book is sweet inspirational with a higher level of romantic passion. Julie's books are "Passion with a Purpose." 💗

From Julie:

"MY TAGLINE IS “PASSION WITH A PURPOSE," which means my novels are a wee bit more passionate, both spiritually and romantically, chock-full of spiritual lessons I have learned--the hard way--throughout my own life. Especially A DARE AND A PRAYER, my newest that just released yesterday because the hero--Henry Dennehy, a lovable rogue with a big heart--has some tough life lessons of his own to learn."

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here's the Full Tour for A Dare and A Prayer:

Visit each blog and leave a comment for a change to win a prize!

October 1 — Radiant Light Blog (tease)

October 1 — LiteraryScape Book Club

October 2 — Grace Johnson Spotlight

October 3 — Britt Reads Fiction

October 4 — Where Faith and Books Meet

October 5 — A Baker’s Perspective

October 6 — My Favorite Pastime

October 7 — Reading is My SuperPower

October 8 — Writing Between the Lines

October 9 — Locks, Hooks, and Books

October 10 — Splashes of Joy

October 10 — Saraina Whitney Blog

October 11 — Radiant Light Blog (review) 

October 12 — Miss Pippi Reads Blog YOU ARE HERE! 😁

October 13 — Christian Bookaholic

October 14 — Grace Johnson Review

October 15 — Scraps of Life Blog

 

 

 

AND 👇👇👇👇👇 

 

CHECK OUT JULIE’S CONTESTS!

In honor of A Dare and a Prayer’s book birthday, Julie has two contests going on where you can win the following:

GRAND PRIZE (2 chances to win!):

—$50 Amazon gift card or $25 Amazon gift card

—Choice of three of Julie’s e-books or one of her signed paperbacks

—A character named after you or a loved one in her next book and a signed paperback copy

—Your choice of one paperback from Julie’s list of top-selling CBA authors, including Tamera Alexander, Colleen Coble, Rachel Hauck, Denise Hunter, Robin Lee Hatcher, Nancy Naigle, Cara Putman, Deborah Raney, Katherine Reay, Becky Wade, and Beth Vogt.

RUNNERS-UP PRIZES (8 chances to win!):

—Choice of three of my e-books

—OR choice of one of my signed paperbacks (based on my private stash)

—OR choice of one paperback from a list of the above-mentioned top CBA authors (based on my private stash)

So, check all the details out at her Journal Jots Blog HERE and GOOD LUCK!

 

 

Fall: Pirate Storytime

 When storytime day falls on Talk Like a Pirate Day, you have to share pirate stories! I tried to use new books instead of my usual standards and according to my GoodReads shelves, it was a success.

Here's how we celebrated Talk Like a Pirate Day at family storytime this year ...

Welcome

Good morning! Let's count down from 7 and do that again ... 7-6-5-4-3-2-1-GoodMorning!!
SONG: Hello Song
Storytime Reminders: Be Ready, Be Seated, Be Involved, Be Respectful
 
Flannel: Bookworm, bookworm where should we look? Are you behind the COLOR book?

Behind the books: one bookworm and four clipart pirates in different colors ... that happened to match the book they were underneath 
 
BOOK: Sea Sheep by Eric Seltzer, illustrated by Tom Disbury (Ready-to-Read Simon Spotlight, 2020)
 
SONG: The Ocean Song
Oh the ocean is great and the ocean is grand.
There are lots of tall ships and very little land.
And we sleep down deep in a hammock near the floor
And this is what we do when we go out the door:
We ride the waves going up, we ride the waves going down
We ride the waves going up, we ride the waves going down
We ride the waves going up, we ride the waves going down
And we turn around.

This is a fun song and we did it multiple times in a row. I did start each time with a "warm-up" - shake your arms, shake your legs, practice turn around, and a deep breath. The different speeds were learning speed, a little faster, very slow, and super fast.
After we sat down we did a "cool down", little hand shake, little foot shake, spin your hands around each other, and two deep breaths.

 
BOOK: Sheep on a Ship by Nancy Shaw, illustrated by Margot Apple (Houghton Mifflin Co., 1989)
 
SONG: Goldfish Song by Laurie Berkner
This is a storytime classic and a lot of fun. A song that you can follow the lyrics to for movement - swim, sleep, shower, brush teeth, and ride bikes. 

BOOK: What Pirates Really Do by Melanie Joyce, illustrated by Alex Paterson (Little Bee Books, 2015)
 
SONG: Pirates Zoom!
Zoom, zoom, zoom We’re hunting for doubloons
Zoom, zoom, zoom We’re hunting for doubloons
If you want to take a trip
Climb aboard my pirate ship and
Zoom, zoom, zoom We’re hunting for doubloons
In 5, 4, 3, 2, 1… AHOY!
 Since we did Zoom, Zoom, Zoom last week, this was a fun addition this week. We did it a couple times before finishing storytime and moving onto our last three "activities".
 
1 - Announcements
2 - Craft Instructions: pirate maps with watercolor then crumple it up to keep in your pocket
3 - SONG: Goodbye So Long Farewell Toodle-oo by Hap Palmer

Fall: Light Storytime

Today kicked off the Fall season of my family storytime series. We focused on light today - sun, moon, stars, lights outside and inside. 

Welcome to storytime at the library. My name is Miss Pippi and I'm so glad you're here!

SONG: Hello Song
Storytime Reminders: Be Ready, Be Seated, Be Involved, Be Respectful
 
Snowbie, our storytime puppet friends
Flannel: Bookworm, Bookworm, we'll find you soon! Are you behind the (color) Moon?
Three fireflies, one star, one bookworm - ASL for the colors (green, white, yellow, purple, blue)
 
BOOK: Living Things Need Light by Karen Aleo (Little Pebble [Capstone], 2020) 
 
FINGERPLAY: Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star

American Sign Language: twinkle, stars, world, diamond (shape)
 
BOOK: Night Lights by Susan Gal (Alfred A. Knopf, 2009)
 
Two Little Fireflies from https://thelionisabookworm.blogspot.com/2014/08/storytime-light.html
Two little fireflies land on my hand
One named Sally. One named Sam.
Lights ON Sally! Lights ON Sam!
Lights off Sally. Lights off Sam.

Fingerplay: Zoom, Zoom, Zoom
Zoom, zoom, zoom We're going to the moon.
Zoom, zoom, zoom We're going to the moon.
Climb aboard my rocketship, we will take a little trip.
Zoom, zoom, zoom We're going to the moon.
In 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 Blast off!
            Far, far, far, we're going to the stars (x 2)

            Fun, fun, fun, we’re going to the sun (x 2) 
 
BOOK: When the Sky Glows by Nell Cross Beckerman, illustrated by David Litchfield (Beach Lane Books, 2022)

"The sky glows" is a repeated phrase in the book and I invited everyone to say it with me (with a sweeping hand gesture). A beautiful book but I could feel the autdience getting antsy so this was the last readaloud today.
 
SONG: Rocketship Run by Laurie Berkner
 
BOOK: Flash and Gleam: Light in Our World by Sue Fliess, illustrated by Khoa Le (Millbrook Press, 2020) We didn't read this one today, but it's an excellent light book that covers indoor and outdoor lights with minimal text.
 
Announcements: 
Craft Instructions: Construction Paper Suns - process over product
SONG: Goodbye So-Long Farewell Toodle-oo by Hap Palmer

This was a fun session of storytime. We did sign moon, stars, and sun throughout storytime. I did share the sign for light as well. My resource for ASL is www.handspeak.com. 

Summer: Star Wars Storytime

Our final summer storytime featured Star Wars. I think this one had the strongest theme focused books. Star Wars also has the most books to choose from when finding themed shareable stories.

Here's the agenda:

Welcome
SONG: The Hello Song

Storytime Reminders
 
Flannel: Bookworm, Bookworm, where should we look? Are you behind the COLOR book?
Behind the books - shooting star, star, comet, bookworm with a moon, and bookworm with a star. I've never had two little flannels under one book so that was surprising for every one. I think they were rather taken aback! 

BOOK: Star Wars Blast Off! By DK READERS: Pre-Level 1
 
SONG: The Tempo Marches On by Jim Gill

A classic kid's marching song that gets faster and faster. After the song, we wiggled out our legs because they worked hard! Started with toes, feet, knees, leg one, leg two, both legs, a couple deep breathes. It's good to cool down after an intense song or activity.
 
BOOK: What is a Droid? DK READERS: Level 1
 

SONG: Put On My Walkin’ Shoes by Miss Carole

 Another fantastic walking/marching song for kids. This one has different movements - walk, stomp, run, tiptoe, backwards, walk. After this song, we did some arm stretches/movement because we worked our legs, so we should move our arms, too.

BOOK: A Jedi You Will Be by Preeti Chhibbler, illustrated by Mike Deas

 This book is fun! Yet language tricky because some of the turns of phrase are in the Yoda reversal style. I did highlight breathing deep, using your strength (show me your muscles), and pretending to use the force (because we lifted out the ship from the swamp with Yoda & Luke).  

SONG: Rocketship Run by Laurie Berkner

 We can't talk space without doing Rocketship Run! The refrain is fast and fun with the countdown. The verses are slower with movement as well - spinning suns, dancing moons, jumping stars, and sitting down in your own hometown. For the first time, I felt that I got the countdown correct every time with my fingers. It's fast for adults, so it's super fast for kiddos ... but they love it.

Announcements

Activity Instructions: Star Wars Vehicles Scavenger Hunt

SONG: Goodbye Song

The end of a storytime session is always so bittersweet. I love spending time reading, dancing, flanneling, signing, and singing with my families. Some families will return for Fall storytime, while others will be attending their schools. I want to stay and keep moving along, but I also know that my brain and body need a breather. I need to clean up my Summer desk and get ready for the new season. My brain needs to log all the events of the past season then create new adventures for Fall. Rest and rejuvenate are important. I'll be back next mont!

Chiefs Storytime

The library hosted a storytime special with the fire chief and the police chief. After a mini storytime, we walked over to the station and got a tour!

Welcome: Good morning! Let's do a countdown from 6 today - 6,5,4,3,2,1 - Good morning!!
SONG: Hello Song
Storytime Reminders
 
Flannel: Bookworm, Bookworm where should we look? Are you behind the COLOR book?

Behind the books: police logo, fire logo, flannel rescue vehicle, flannel ladder truck, and one bookworm
 
BOOK: Here Come the Helpers by Leslie Kimmelman, illustrated by Barbara Bakos (Little Simon, 2018)
 
Introduce Police Chief 
BOOK: How Do Dinosaurs Stay Safe? by Jane Yolen, illustrated by Mark Teague (The Blue Sky Press [Scholastic], 2015)
 
SONG: It Takes Some Friends by Jim Gill

Introduce Fire Chief 
BOOK: A Visit to the Fire Station by Rosalyn Clark (Lerner, 2018)
 
Announcements: Storytime TUES / Pool TH / Summer Reading
Activity Instructions: Paw Patrol Seek’n’Find in CS / Tour the Police & Fire Station
SONG: Goodbye
 
Exit and walk next door

Summer Storytime Series

 Ah, Summer!

The library is hopping and moving and hosting a larger group of people. We're also seeing a wider range of ages during Family Storytime. During the school year, the range is between birth and 4 years with maybe a Kindergartener. While the Summer brings older siblings who could be in various elementary grades.

With an older group in mind, I went with some pop culture themes for Summer. We're getting geeky at the library! It's a new challenge to blend classic storytime elements together with movie or videogame themes. It will be fun!

Themes this Summer include ...

Super Mario

Sonic the Hedgehog

Zelda

Jurassic Park aka Dinosaurs

Pokemon

Star Wars

Storytime: Preschool Planters & Seeds

Week two of our Preschool Planters mini storytime session. This week we focused on seeds. I was hoping for A Seed is Sleepy to be available, but it was not. That nonfiction series written by Dianna Hutts Aston and illustrated by Sylvia Long is just so delightful. I used another nonfiction book and it worked out great!

Here's our storytime agenda:

Welcome
SONG: Can’t Wait to Celebrate by Jim Gill
Storytime Reminders

Flannel: Bookworm, Bookworm, where should we look?

Behind the books ... two bookworm and three popcorn kernels (aka seeds).
 
Morning has come (clap, clap)
Night is away (clap, clap)
Rise with the sun and welcome the day!
Last week we learned sun and day. This week we added the ASL work for morning. We sang this one twice through with patrons invited to join in whenever they felt comfortable.

BOOK: Seeds by Marissa Kirkman (Pebble [Little Capstone], 2020)

After talking about seeds, we need a garden. Sometimes people build their own gardens. They need to use a hammer, or a saw or sandpaper. Let's build a garden with one of our favorite tool songs:
SONG: Hammer and Saw by Jim Gill

BOOK: Let’s Go Nuts! Seeds We Eat by April Pulley Sayre (Beach Lane Books, 2013)

This foodie trio of books is so much fun! And this book fit the theme perfect!

It led well into a surprise flannel with our "seeds" on the board. The seeds are popcorn kernels.

We counted down with our fingers, shook our bodies during sizzling, and clapped our hands at POP!

I slapped a flannel popcorn piece on top of the kernel when they clapped. I don't know who was more excited for this little rhyme - me or the audience.

Three little kernels sizzling in the pot, All of a sudden, one went POP!
     TWO little kernels sizzling in the pot, All of a sudden, one went POP!
          ONE little kernel sizzling in the pot, All of a sudden, one went POP!

 

After counting down from three to one, let's count more! Our song goes from one to five. (It actually mentions 6, 8, 10 as well but I didn't remember or bring that up during our transition.) We did a little finger wiggling and arm stretching, then hid our hands behind our backs while I started the music.

SONG: One from the Left by Jim Gill

BOOK: How Does a Seed Grow? By Sue Kim, photos by Tilde (Little Simon, 2010)

This particular book is a staff book because it is a "toy book". The pages foldout as you read the book to show photographs of how plants get roots and sprouts, then shows a kiddo holding that vegetable or fruit. When we read about the roots, I stretch my free hand down. When we read about the sprouts, I stretch my free hand up.

Fingerplay: Little Seed
Little seed in the ground             [Crouch down on the floor, hands covering heads.]
Sitting so still                                  [Stay crouching.]
Little seed, will you sprout?
Yes, I will!                                [Jump up!]

Announcements: 
Craft Instructions: planting seeds indoors

1 cup (peat pot)

+ dirt chunk (aka expanded peat pellet)

+ a pinch of little seeds (Bee Friendly Mix Wildflower Seeds)

+ a pinch of bigger seeds (Sunshine Variety Mix Sunflower Seeds)

SONG: Goodbye Rap by Miss Carole x 2

I always play this rap twice because it's so short and fun. 

Storytime: Preschool Planters & Green

Preschool Planters is a mini storytime session I inherited and done for many years. It's something I look forward to every Spring. The theme for this year's week one was green for Spring and growing things. This was a day I walked in feeling like I had everything all lined up and ... I didn't. I forgot to cue a song on my playlist and forgot two slides for the storytime screen. It all worked out and the adults got a little chuckle when I said, "I guess it's not a ready day for me today!"

Here's our storytime agenda:

Welcome
SONG: Can’t Wait to Celebrate by Jim Gill
Storytime Reminders

Flannel: Bookworm, Bookworm, where should we look?

Behind the books was one bookworm, an avocado, a kiwi, greenbeans, and a green bell pepper.
 
Morning has come (clap, clap)
Night is away (clap, clap)
Rise with the sun and welcome the day!
We learned the ASL word for sun and day. Next week we'll add another sign.

BOOK:   How’s the Weather in Spring? By Jenna Lee Gleisner (Cherry Lake Pub, 2014)
 
Fingerplay: What the Robin Told 
The wind told the grasses, 
And the grasses told the trees. 
The trees told the flowers, 
And the flowers told the bees. 
The bees told the robin, (bird sign)
And the robin sang out clear, 
“Wake up! Wake up! Spring is here.” 

This is the slide I didn't have ... but that's okay since it's a familiar one to me and I have my agenda printed out in case I get lost. This is one we did together with ASL words. I really enjoy this Spring poem.
 
BOOK:   Green on Green by Dianne White, illustrated by Felicita Sala (Beach Lane Books, 2020)
While reading this book, it can be fairly easy to add ASL color words as you go.

SONG: Green Grass Grew All Around by Greg & Steve
 
BOOK: A Green, Green Garden by Mercer Mayer (Harper, 2011)
 
Fingerplay: Five Fat Peas
Five fat peas in a pea pod pressed
One grew, two grew, and so did all the rest
They grew and they grew and they did not stop
Until one day the pod went POP!
 
Flannel: Pea Soup
One little pea jumped into the pot and waited for the soup to get hot
Two little peas jumped into the pot and waited for the soup to get hot
Three little peas jumped into the pot and waited for the soup to get hot
Four little peas jumped into the pot and waited for the soup to get hot
Five little peas jumped into the pot and waited for the soup to get hot
Finally, the soup got so hot, all the peas jumped out of the pot!

We also added ASL words to this rhyme as well - counting 1-5, jumping, waiting, & hot.
 
Announcements: 
Craft Instructions: brown construction paper that they colored with crayons to make gardens
SONG: Goodbye Rap by Miss Carole

I always play this rap twice because it's so short and fun.

Storytime: Library Week 2023

 Today, I shared a Family Storytime Special to celebrate National Library Week! 🎉

It was not quite a ready day for this librarian, but that is okay. We talk about having a ready day at storytime. I told myself to slow down, take your time if you need it. If you need to change things up, it is okay to change things. The audience supports you. And it went well! A large turnout to celebrate library week at storytime.

In past years, I selected library books, rhymes, or songs, but for today I went with some favorites and new books. Our craft project after storytime was drawing a bookshelf and gluesticking small bookcover pictures to the shelves. It was really cute. To bring it full circle, the bookcovers I selected were books we read at storytime over the past year or so. Shoutout to GoodReads for having a grid layout!

Here's what we did at storytime today:

Welcome
SONG: Hello Song
Storytime Reminders: Be Ready, Be Seated, Be Involved, Be Respectful
Storytime Puppet: Snowbie
FLANNEL: Bookworm, Bookworm, where should we look? Are you behind the COLOR book?

Behind the 5 books: 1 bookworm, Gossie & Gertie, Gerald & Piggie, Clifford, and Skippyjon Jones
 
BOOK: The Loud Librarian by Jenna Beatrice, illustrated by Erika Lynne Jones (Atheneum, 2023)

I selected this title because it's a new book, it's diverse, and it features quiet and loud spaces in the library. There is room for libraries to be quiet and loud.

SONG: One from the Left by Jim Gill

We started this with stretches to get ready - dancing your fingers up, in front of your face, hide them behind your back and keep them there while I start our music. 

BOOK: Mister Kitty is Lost! By Greg Pizzoli (Little Brown & Co., 2023)

This book is another new book and a lot of fun. It's counting which paired well with One from the Left we just sang together.

The original plan was to do these two singing songs with a couple American Sign Language words, but I was losing my voice. We did a favorite storytime song instead - The Goldfish by Laurie Berkner 

This song we've done a lot and the kiddos are singing along and doing the actions. It's wonderful!

SONG: The More We Read Together (Tune:  The More We Get Together)

The more we read together, together, together.

The more we read together the happier we’ll be.

          For your books are my books. And my books are your books.

          The more we read together the happier we’ll be.

SONG: Read a Book (tune: Row, Row, Row Your Boat)

Read, read, read a book, travel anywhere

World-wide, you decide: a book will take you there.

After our dance, we read our next book ... It's an adventure book because I think libraries are full of adventures because they're full of books to read and activities to do.

BOOK: Adventure Awaits by Henry Cole (Little Simon, 2022)

SONG: Rocketship Run! By Laurie Berkner

A favorite action song at storytime - counting down, jumping up, and running in place.

Verses are spinning, dancing, jumping, and coming back to earth (sitting down)

Announcements

Craft Instructions for Build Your Own Bookshelf (paper craft)

SONG: Goodbye, So-Long, Farewell, Toodle-loo by Hap Palmer

Books Can Be Let Go

NetGalley shared a great tip this week ... "Take a look at your shelves and let go of books that don't interest you anymore."

I love reading and I love books. I've never tallied my TBR (to be read) stack or lists, but I'm sure it's in the hundreds. I own digital books as well as physical books. I have books that I have yet to read and books I want to read again. Yet there are also books that I might never get around to reading.

That's okay, readers! It's okay to own a book and never read it. It's okay to let go of books or stop reading books that don't peek your interest. There is joy is giving books away. There will be a reader who is thrilled to find that book you no longer want on your shelves.

What should I do with the books I no longer want or need?

- Give them to a family member.

- Give them to a friend.

- Add books to Little Free Libraries.

- Give them to a library (check their donation policy).

- Give them a school or child care center (check their donation policy).

- Donate them to a thrift store.

- Donate them to a nonprofit or charity book sale.

- Sell them at a used bookstore or online and buy more books!

If the books are too much to share ... old information, misinformation, musty, dusty, broken, etc. ... it's okay to recycle or throw away books. I always want to give books new life, but sometimes books have their time and it's time to send them away.

- Recycle

- Trash

- Repurpose

Where you do you take your "old" books?  How do you repurpose books?

Blog Tour: A Hope and a Prayer

 Happy Thursday, readers!

I am thrilled to share with you Julie Lessman's newest title, A Hope and a Prayer. It is book two in her series, The Cousins O'Connor. Here's the jacket blurb for you:

She’s in love with her best friend. 
He’s in love with her cousin.
But when the war reveals a gift so rare, 
will they be saved by a hope and a prayer?

As Head Nurse at 2d Hospital in Nancy, France, Lieutenant Hope Dennehy is known for her healing touch, especially when it comes to mending the wounds and spirit of her best friend, Lieutenant Bren O’Neill. When Hope’s cousin breaks Bren’s heart, Hope is always there, helping to heal him with a friendship so anointed and deep, it threatens to break her heart too.

Flying high as a daredevil aeromedical evac pilot in the European Theatre, “Lieutenant Love” O’Neill crashes and burns when the woman he loves falls for another. Depending on the support and prayers of Nurse Hope Dennehy to save him, Bren re-evaluates his free-wheeling lifestyle when he witnesses the heinous atrocities of the Buchenwald concentration camp. Suddenly nothing in life is as important as taking care of those he loves … or is it? Battling demons from his past, Bren learns that only one thing can truly save him from himself.  --  A Hope and a Prayer

Come for the romance and stay for the history, the banter, the slang, and the faith! I fall in love with every book I have read by Julie Lessman. Yes, you can read each story as a standalone. Yes, you can read book one, A Wing and a Prayer before A Hope and a Prayer. You can read A Hope and a Prayer before any of the books about the O'Connor family.

BUT.

Could I convince you start at book one? Like book one, book one?? I adore the O'Connor clan and her newest title gives you a wonderful story of Hope and just a taste of her large, tough, loving, and faithful family. Dive in, readers! It's a great adventure in history that spans generations.

In celebration of A Hope and a Prayer's release, Julie is hosting a GIVEAWAY with this blog tour!

Comment on this blog post to be entered in to win an eBook!

Tell me, how many Lessman books have you read???

One commenter from each stop will win, so go visit each stop for a chance to win!

Every commenter will also be entered to win a signed book from Julie.

See the full tour schedule on Julie's blog, Journal Jots. 

Thank you, Julie!!

Librarian Hats

 Today, January 15, is National Hat Day!

As librarians, we wear lots of hats and this came to mind when I'm quietly celebrating 15 years at my library. I never thought I would be where I am today! I believe most adults would say that as well when they reflect on their lives or occupations.

I feel blessed to be where I am today. I am surrounded by a great team of co-workers. We have exciting projects ahead for the year and years to come. We've also accomplished fantastic things, too!

Now let's take a look at hats!

First, here are a couple great hat books for storytime:

 These titles are in no particular order, because they're all enjoyable. I have used the majority of them in storytime. Henri's Hats is the newest, so it is on the storytime potential list. 

Now to give a short list of hats a librarian wears at work. Feel free to add more in the comments if I missed one or a few. It's a running list! Again, in no particular order ...

• Librarian
• Furniture Mover
• Room Monitor 
• Setup Crew
• Cleanup Crew
• Professional Paper Cutter
• Finder of Things
• Puppeteer
• Singer
• Reader
• Dancer
• Instructor
• Leader
• Follower
• Listener
• Curator
• Story Recommender
• Book Wrangler
• Shelver
• Community Liaison
• Discussion Leader
• Podcaster
• Videographer
• Marketer
• Writer
• Photographer
• Book Jockey (for a nod to the show Parks and Rec)
• and more!

These hats come and go through the years. I think every job has shifts both from internal and external forces. Sometimes you can see the hat coming and other times it just appears on your head or on your desk. This list is meant for lightheartedness and pride in what we can accomplish. 

Author: With This Pledge

With This Pledge is the first book in the new Carnton series by Tamera Alexander. It was released on January 1, 2019. In celebration of this new book and series, JustRead Publicity Tours is hosting a blog tour and giveaway!

I am thrilled to be hosting Tamera Alexander today on Miss Pippi Reads. She will be giving us insights on character name selection in With This Pledge. Enjoy!

Character Name Selection by Tamera Alexander

Character name selection in With This Pledge, a Carnton novel, was easier than usual. Because Captain Roland Ward Jones and Elizabeth ("Lizzie") Clouston are the real life hero and heroine who met and fell in love at the Carnton home in Franklin, Tennessee during the Civil War, following the Battle of Franklin on November 30, 1864. And With This Pledge is their love story. History holds a treasure trove of knowledge about Captain Roland Ward Jones—details about his home life, his war record as a sharpshooter, his extensive land ownership in Mississippi, and the remarkable collection of personal correspondence (written both to and from Roland) that reveal a bevy of insights into his character. We know Roland was among hundreds of wounded Confederate soldiers who were brought to Carnton following the Battle of Franklin. We know he staunchly supported the Southern Cause. We know he convalesced about six weeks longer at Carnton than any of the other soldiers. And why did he stay longer? Because he fell in love with the McGavock’s governess—Lizzie Clouston.

Sadly, most of the details about Lizzie’s life have been lost to time, so she was more of a mystery. To introduce the necessary conflict needed for the story, I chose to give Lizzie opposing views to Roland’s—and that of the Southern Cause. Yet when forty thousand soldiers converge on the fields of Franklin, Tennessee that unseasonably warm November afternoon, the war demands she give answer. Especially when she finds herself drawn to Roland and discovers that his moral ground is utterly at odds with her own.

Learn more about what’s truth and what’s fiction in With This Pledge, a Carnton Novel on Tamera’s Website — www.TameraAlexander.com

With This Pledge Book Description

Carnton home where she is governess is converted into a Confederate field hospital, and Lizzie is called upon to assist the military doctor with surgeries that determine life or death. Faced with the unimaginable, she must summon fortitude, even as she fears for the life of Towny, her fiancé and lifelong friend.

As a young soldier lies dying in Lizzie’s arms, she vows to relay his final words to his mother, but knows little more than the boy’s first name. That same night, decorated Mississippi sharpshooter Captain Roland Ward Jones extracts a different promise from Lizzie: that she intervene should the surgeon decide to amputate his leg.

Lizzie is nothing if not a woman of her word, earning the soldiers’ respect as she tends to the wounded within Carnton’s walls. None is more admiring than Captain Jones, who doesn’t realize she is pledged to another. But as Lizzie’s heart softens towardthe Confederate captain, she discovers that his moral ground is at odds with her own. Now torn between love, principles, and promises made, she struggles to be true to her heart while standing for what she knows is right—no matter the cost.

From the pages of history and the personal accounts of those who endured the Battle of Franklin, Tamera Alexander weaves the real-life love letters between Captain Roland Ward Jones and Miss Elizabeth Clouston into a story of unlikely romance first kindled amid the shadows of war.

PURCHASE LINKS*: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | CBD | Book Depository

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EXCERPT

Head HERE for an exclusive excerpt!

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Tamera Alexander is a USA Today bestselling novelist whose works have been awarded and nominated for numerous industry-leading honors, including the Christy Award (two-time winner, seven-time finalist), the RITA Award (two-time winner, four-time finalist), the Carol Award, the Maggie Award, the Booksellers Best Award, and Library Journal's top distinction, among others. After seventeen years in Colorado, Tamera and her husband now reside in Nashville, Tennessee, where they live a short distance from Belmont Mansion and Belle Meade Plantation, the setting of Tamera’s two USA Today bestselling Southern series.  



CONNECT WITH THEAUTHOR: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

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TOUR GIVEAWAY

(1) winner will win a release copy of With This Pledge + $10 Amazon Gift Card

Enter via the Rafflecopter giveaway below. Giveaway will begin at midnight January 14, 2019 and last through 11:59 pm January 28, 2019. US only for a print copy of the book. International winners will receive an ebook. Gift card prize will be issued as an e-gift card. Winners will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. Giveaway is subject to the policies found here.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Follow along at JustRead Tours for a full list of stops!

*NOTE: This post contains affiliate links.