The 2012 Summer Reading Program theme "Dream Big - Read" offers a wide variety of ideas for summer storytimes. We will cover a few each month, beginning with this issue, and continuing through February and March to give you plenty of time to prepare. Be sure to check out the themes Camping, and Bedtime, which are already listed.

Also check out the website for summer reading maintained by the California Library Association: www.cla-net.org/displaycommon.cfm?an=1&subarticlenbr=330 . They have the powerpoint presentations and handouts from a workshop on the 2012 SRP theme, held in November at the CLA conference. The children's presentation is listed first. Be sure to download the handout - it is 25 pages long so it takes a minute, but it is worth it. They have listed several storytime themes with craft ideas.

Even preschoolers will understand the concept of stars, since they can see them. Be sure to sing “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.” For an art activity, try these easy sparkly stars: www.busybeekidscrafts.com/Easy-Sparkly-Star.html or these 3-D stars www.enchantedlearning.com/crafts/stars/3dstar2/ if you have slightly older children:

If this is a storytime for the whole family, maybe you can include a "Star Wars" element by inviting a local "Star Wars" club to come in costume. In the San Francisco Bay Area, there is the Golden Gate Garrison: www.goldengategarrison.com/main.php .

Baumgart, Klaus. LAURA'S STAR.
   A little girl befriends a star that has fallen out of the sky, and helps it get back home.

Dragonwagon, Crescent. HALF A MOON AND ONE WHOLE STAR.
   A young African-American girl falls to sleep on a summer night, after seeing starry skies.

Durango, Julie. DREAM AWAY.
   A young boy looks forward to falling asleep, and sailing the ocean of stars with his father in this rhyming story.

Goble, Paul. THE LOST CHILDREN.
   A Blackfoot Indian legend about six orphaned brothers who decide to live in the sky, and become the constellation Pleiades.

Hort, Lenny. HOW MANY STARS IN THE SKY?
   An African-American father and son count the stars to try to go to sleep.

Jeffers, Oliver. HOW TO CATCH A STAR.
   A boy tries to catch a star from the sky.

Lee, Y.J. THE LITTLE MOON PRINCESS.
   A sparrow helps the moon princess use jewels to light up the sky.

O'Connor, Jane. STELLAR STARGAZER!
   Fancy Nancy and her father love watching the stars at a campout.

Ray, Mary Lyn. STARS.
   With lovely illustrations by Marla Frazee, this celebration of stars shows us that stars are not just in the sky.

Wallace, Nancy. STARS! STARS! STARS!
   Minna and her mother invite friends to the Star Space Museum for star-gazing.