This year, April 13-19th marked ALA’s National Library Week! BUT why limit our library love to just one week a year. For us here at Explorastory, every week is Library Week!!!
Books
“The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore” by William Joyce
Hey! Love the characters from Toy Story, Bug’s Life, Rolie Polie Olie, or Rise of the Guardians? Well, you’ve got the author of our first book to thank for them. His newest character, Morris Lessmore, loves words, stories and books. After a tornado carries him to a dreary and colorless land, he meets a peculiar lady who lends him a colorful book that leads him to an amazing library. There he learns the books need him just as much as he needs them. This books is a little long, but the stunning illustrations and engaging story are enough to hold the attention of kids as young as 3. And just to sweeten the deal, in 2012 this book was adapted into an Academy Award winning animated short. I literally just finished watching it and, let me tell you, it’s basically a fun-size Pixar movie. I highly recommend checking it out on iTunes (after you check the book out from the library, of course).
“Bat Night at the Library” by Brian Lies
It’s looking like another boring night for a colony of bats until news arrives that a library window has been left ajar! Suddenly, things are looking up for them now that they can enjoy the photocopier, water fountain, and especially the books found there. Just like “Morris Lessmore” this book’s illustrations are just lovely. I especially love the two pages of murals that show the bats imagining themselves as different literary characters. Kids will love pointing out the ones they recognize.
“Lola at the Library” by Anna McQuinn
If you’re ever confused about what to do at the library, just ask Lola. She’s an old pro. Every Tuesday, Lola and her mother make a special trip to find fun new books to borrow, return the ones they’ve already read and much much more. This book is short, sweet, and gets its message across in spades. I have a tendency for turning simple errands into special occasions (Buying groceries? Let’s hit up the West Side Market. Oh! And buy ingredients for a pie!) and this book has a similar philosophy. Thanks to the walks with Mom, storytime, and bakery pit stops, for Lola the library equals fun. So basically what I’m saying is trick your child into loving the library through baked goods. Just kidding! However, this book does contain a subtle message for parents about the importance a nurturing a positive relationship between your child and their library that I really hope is taken to heart.
But seriously, a pastry here or there couldn’t hurt the cause either.
Songs and Fingerplays
Unfortunately, due to the length of our first book we didn’t have time for a fingerplay, but when it comes to making time for dancing I don’t care how long that book is! I will keep you here all night. -“We can’t keep them past four.”- I will keep you here until four. We boogied to “Come Dance With Me” by our pals Mr. Michael and Mr. Eric and had a quick round of “Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes” with me shredding on my ukulele.
Crafts
Finally, we ended our library love affair by decorating our very own bookmarks. Check ’em out!
What a lovely candle!
