Vivid illustrations, silly humor.

Silly1 ( )

Picture book for reading aloud. This one went over well when I presented to primary grades and even was asked for an encore when I read it during pajama storytime last year (summer reading theme was "animals") and I may revive again for this year (summer reading theme is "music"). Definitely practice a few times to get your melody straight (I just made one up, but the effect is better if you are consistent), and you want to be able to capture those EEEEEKK!s and the various voices just right as well.

A teacher also recommended to me Jan Thomas' Can You Make a Scary Face? but pretty much any Jan Thomas book would be great for shorter attention spans (wiggly preschoolers and toddlers). ( )

Used in Storytime 7/13/17 - The Letter C ( )

As night falls across the desert plain, a guitar-strumming cowboy tries to be brave as he sings his little cows a lullaby.

The title page sets a desert scene that recedes to a solid background of deep night as the lullaby begins: rich blue whenever the cowboy relaxes into a groove and purple whenever he becomes afraid of the dark--a subtle and clever use of color to convey emotion. The comic-style figures and dialog bubbles are very expressive and appropriately zany.

A year-round crowd-pleaser that would play well in all-ages storytime. Learn the uke chords, don a cowboy hat, gather a flower, a stick, a pajama cap, and some audience volunteers, and present it as a musical comedy sketch.