Nanette Bulebosh

L&I SCI 757

Storytime Observation Report

March 2007

Of all the things that impressed me about the Little Listeners session I attended last

week, the toddlers wearing those paper elephant ears stands out as the strongest

memory. The formal part of the program had ended 20 minutes earlier and, by this time,

the children were happily occupied at one of the three most popular stations in this

sunny and spacious 3rd floor children’s room: the Legos table, the rows of wooden

puzzles along the South wall, or the “Captain’s Deck” platform that has long been a

favorite at this mid-sized city public library. But all were still wearing those goofy-looking

elephant ears that they and their caregivers had just put together.

I think I found this visual image touching because the children were so completely

oblivious to how goofy they looked; they were totally un-self-conscious. This was an

instant reminder to me of how innocent and vulnerable kids this age are. And how

malleable. What we do (or not do) with toddlers impacts them greatly. This means that

every choice librarians make when we design programs for them is important. Their

impressionable brains will soak up, like sponges, whatever experiences we decide to

give them. We’re not only enriching their language, as Jane Marino puts it. We’re

enriching their lives.

Designing a storytime around a specific theme isn’t as important for infants and toddlers

as it is for older children, Marino said in her “Mother Goose Time” presentation. But for

this Thursday morning session, “Animal Friends” seemed a good choice. It not only

provided the presenter with a focus – how else do you select three or four books from a

collection of several thousand? – it enabled her to cover several of the pre-literacy skills

(intentionally or not) with imagery, language and sounds that were already familiar to the

children. The books, props, songs, and fingerplays the presenter (I’ll call her Ann) chose

built upon words and sounds they already knew. A brain specialist would say that Ann

effectively connected neurons, thus enabling learning to take place.

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What Ann did well: As I mentioned on the discussion board, Ann welcomed the group

with a song, “Welcome, Welcome, Everyone,” followed by enticing questions. “What’s in

my box today?” I liked her decision to keep the books hidden in a “teddy bear” box until

she was ready for them. This made the books seem mysterious, like precious gifts even.

Many of the 20 toddlers in the room leaned forward with curiosity, and one actually

walked up to check out things for himself.

The first story, “Monkey Business,” was a large pop-up book, so the animals literally

jumped out at every turn of a page. I thought this was a great way to grab the toddler’s

attention. 3-D, lift-the-flap, sparkly, and touch-feely books are a perfect fit for very young

children; it is with their hands that they do much of their learning. Ann’s use of the stuffed

animals was effective for the same reason.

Other books included “Who Says Woof?” “I Love Animals,” and another one I didn’t write

down. All four had big, colorful illustrations of animals, large typeface, and a minimal

number of pages. And all of them included animal sounds, thus allowing Ann a chance

to invite the group to participate, and many did so with enthusiasm. She accompanied

many of the sounds – within and between each book - with gestures meant to imitate

elephant trunks, monkey arms, etc. Adult voices and gestures were louder and more

pervasive than the children’s – by the time the youngest toddlers figured out what was

being asked of them, the moment was over – but this was not necessarily a bad thing.

The caregivers’ enthusiasm, the way they wrapped their arms around the kids to help

them with the motions, and the intimacy between the generations were wonderful things

to witness.

How Ann could have done better: She should have presented the songs and fingerplays

much more slowly. Each of the Five Little Monkeys fell off the bed way too quickly, even

for me. And it would have been good to repeat some of them. Marino said she repeats

nearly every song she does. This practice may well bore older children, but toddlers and

babies thrive on repetition. It reinforces what they just heard or said, or tried to say. It

gives them a sense of accomplishment. It gives them success.

Another thing that disappointed me was the static, we-must-all-remain-sitting nature of

the program. There were no invitations to even stand up, let alone walk like elephants,

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crouch like tigers, or dance like a monkey. Incorporating movement into storytimes

poses several risks, distracting kids’ attention, raising the noise level, and creating chaos

among them. But children this age do need to wiggle. They are still discovering what

their bodies are capable of. They are still amazed by their tongues, elbows, hips, and

other body parts that the rest of us have long taken for granted, so naturally they want to

experiment with them all. We now know that even adult learning can be enhanced with

physical movement (at least for second language learners), so imagine how much

greater the impact can be with children.

Finally, I didn’t see any effort to connect with individuals. There were no special

greetings or introductions at the beginning, as Marino advises presenters to do. I

couldn’t tell if those in the group were regulars or newcomers. If Ann knew any of the

parents’ or children’s names, none were used. To be fair, she took the time to talk to me

briefly before, and for several minutes after, the program. So my presence may have

undermined the very behavior I found lacking. This was also a large group, more than

40 people in all, so asking everyone to share their name would have been quite time-

consuming. Still, she could have more actively reached out, by smiling and greeting

individuals as they walked in, saying things like “welcome back!” to the faces she

recognized, or even reaching down to pat a head, if possible. Marino rightly stresses the

importance of making people feel welcome. Just greeting people by name can achieve

that. With kids, just hunching down to their eye level sends a very strong message

about how you feel about them.

But these are additions that would have made a good program better. I think overall this

Little Listeners session was effective in its organization, presentation, and diversity of

activities, especially its reliance on music, familiar sounds, and (however small)

gestures. Ann is clearly experienced at this, and she has a warm and friendly presence

about her. All the six pre-literacy skills were touched upon, Language & Vocabulary

most of all. Most importantly, everyone – children and adults alike – seemed to have

fun. And associating libraries, books and reading with fun is valuable in itself. That’s

how you get people to come back.

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