Preschool Storytime Ideas
United Kingdom
Here are some more ideas for storytimes for the 2011 Summer Reading program, which we began in the last issue of BayNews. The theme being distributed by the California Library Association focuses on stories from around the world, so we will be bringing outlines for those storytimes focusing on a different country each week. For more programming ideas check out: www.cla-net.org/summer-reading/resources.php
Beatrix Potter’s classic characters are perfect for preschool storytime, from Peter Rabbit to Hunca Munca. Check out the crafts at the official website: www.peterrabbit.com/fun-and-games.asp
Galdone, Paul. THE TREE SILLIES. Also available in a version with illustrations by Steven Kellogg. A suitor travels across England looking for three people sillier than his intended and her parents.
Jacobs, Joseph. JOHNNY-CAKE. Similar to “The Gingerbread Boy,” with a cake that rolls off.
Kimmel, Eric. THE OLD WOMAN AND HER PIG. Less violent than other versions, this cumulative tale concerns an old woman trying to get her pig over the turnstile in the fence.
MacDonald, Margaret Read. SLOP! A Welsh tale with repetition that invites participation, this concerns an old couple who find out they are dumping slop on a Wee Man. A good tale for Earth Day, too.
Potter, Beatrix. THE TALE OF PETER RABBIT. The poplar tale of a rabbit warned not to steal from the farmer.
Various. JACK AND THE BEANSTALK. The classic folktale of a boy who finds magic beans that grow into a beanstalk to the sky.
Various. TEENY TINY WOMAN. A woman wants to make soup from a bone she found, until she hears the bone “talking” in the night.
Penny Peck December, 2010