2-5 Story Time: Stuff Ms. Lauren's been wanting to do.

It's the story time I've been waiting for! I'm out of themes, so I had license to read all the books wouldn't fit easily into one.

I learned Elfrida Vipont's The Elephant and the Bad Baby for my first assignment in my storytelling class.

I changed some of the words when I did it in class.

I now know from experience that seven rounds of stealing merchandise and enciting shopkeepers to run after the Elephant and the Bad Baby are a little too much.

The Elephant and the Bad Baby only robbed five people in my version, which I Americanized a little... (I know! I know! But you're just much more likely to come across a hotdog stand than a butcher shop selling meat pies around here!) You will be happy to know I did the straight up seven in storytime.

If the pictures were a little bigger or a little less detailed it might have worked better. As big and graceful and beautiful as Brigg's elephant is, I still prefer telling it. It's much easier to make your hands go rumpeta rumpeta rumpeta in your lap when they're not holding the book. I think the kids would have caught onto the motion better as well. But Pre-school storytime is for books, so perhaps this one will not make an encore appearance. Just as well- our system is down to one copy. I begged the little girl who took it to take good care of it.

Someone please reprint this book! If I can't do it in storytime, I at least want to know that kids are getting it one-on-one.

I think every time I glance at the shelves I come across a new book in which all the characters end up getting stuck in something. But Lisa Wheeler in Bubble Gum, Bubble Gum does it with such catchy rhythm and inventive rhyme (first "bad-mood-how-rude-tough-dude shrew" I've come across to date) that it stands out.

The rhythm is so persistent that I was moved to sing the book, which was fun for me. However, everyone else kept trying to sing along and realizing that they didn't know the words, ultimately trailing off. I'll try chanting it next time.

Next: I'm Not Cute by Jonathan Allen.
This one reached out and grabbed me (I can't look at it without squealing "But you are...you are!) Grown-ups seemed to appreciate this one more than the kids did. Next time I'll play up the rage baby owl lets forth each time someone dares give him (what did he give him, kids?) a great...big...hug.

Finally: Who Hops? by Katie Davis. What can I say? You can do it all day. "Ms. Sally types, Ms. Lauren types, Mr. Joseph types, Fido the dog types. No he doesn't!!!" Kids love a chance to correct authority, and here I'm encouraging it. It was a hit.

I also included a poem by Paul Laurence Dunbar. Seriously. I heard someone reciting "The Seedling" a month or so back at a Harlem Renaissance program and I was struck with inspiration: Flannel Board! The kids were transfixed as ever with our big red not-TV screen, though I realized later it was not enough of a break to keep them from wiggling through the next story. I might add a few felt pieces and work on placing them in rhythm with the poem.

We had a new little boy, too. I think he may have had some developmental delays. He was entranced by everything. So entranced, in fact, that he insisted on standing right in front of my book, blocking everyone else's view. I was so busy managing him and trying to continue with the program that the obvious solution to this problem completely evaded me: Give his Mom a copy of what we're reading! He made it through the first session and half of the second before Mom had had enough and decided it was time to go. I really hope they come back.