Week 4 results

Apparently I am VERY good at avoiding writing-- I'm behind again on this. And kind of forcing myself to do it today.....

So: Don't Squish the Sasquatch! was universally liked. Both groups of kids nodded with understanding when I asked "how many of you hate getting SQUISHED?" (Note that by aforementioned rug-rolling-up I save the kids a lot of squishing during storytime.) And they liked the sasquatch's increasing discomfort (nice) over the course of the book. Here's a surprising thing: the resolution involves making the sasquatch feel better by "smooching" him, and none of these kids knew what smooching was. What?! They'd never heard that word. I told them a smooch is a kiss and only then did the blank stares turn into giggling.

I have to say: the way a kid's eyes look when they're really into a story you're reading is one of my favorite sights. They turn all shiny, and you get this strong impression of their roundness-- wide-eyed, that's the word. Their mouths hang open just a little and you almost feel like you've lost them. (I did, in fact, think this, the first time I saw what my colleague called "the doe-eyed stare"--she set me straight.) But they're not bored, they're in love! The words and the pictures are this perfect thing happening inside their heads right now. It's a kind of joy, and I love to be in charge of that.

Anyway. Then we went into One, Two, Three O'Leary. This one, I think, did lose them a little bit- it's long, and the "story" is just verses of nursery rhymes. But oh well, I like it. They liked doing my Martin family fingerplay again, too, only this time with O'Learys instead of Martins.

Father Fox: I only read one pennyrhyme, so I'm not really sure how they liked it. They smiled, they patted their knees along with me, but sometime each of them really needs to spend some one-on-one with the furry red foxes. It's from reading this book that I developed my love of black ink drawing on top of watercolor...

Okay, the winner this round: There Are Cats in This Book. The last page asks "did you like the cats?" and each group gave an enthusiastic "YES!!" before I could finish reading. I love those cats. I really should finish the ones I started knitting from her pattern years ago and never finished.

Happy moment: one of the Head Start teachers who'd been bringing her groups for most of the few months I've been here told me she felt I've really hit my stride. Her smile was huge as she walked her line of anklebiters out of the room and back to school.

You will note that I got through four books this time. I used to always read four books in preschool storytime. But I've been doing longer stories, and with a squirmier group..... check back for week 5 to see me bite off more than I can chew!