Friday Fun (Saturday Edition)

My coworker is making monster flip books for a Franny K Stein program and we started discussing the proper number of eyes a monster should had. That led to a discussion of eyes on eyestalks.

I was anti eyestalks because the eyes were not as protected.

Coworker A said that eyes on eyestalks would be lovely because you can look around corners or behind you without having to turn.

I countered that if I had eyes on eyestalks I would constantly be paranoid that my eyes would get caught in elevator drawers. Or I'd move my eyestalk to look in a drawer just as someone slammed it. And really, I'd rather have less eye-mobility than have to worry about fragile eyes and fragile eye-stalks constantly.

Warning: If you come up to my desk and ask if we have any copies of The Neverending Story in, while I am searching in the catalog I will sing to you

"THE NEVERENDING STO-OOOORYYYYY! AA-AAAAAAAAA-AAAAA-AAAAAAA-AAAAAAAAAA-A-A-AAAAAAAAAH."

And then when my coworker mocks me I will tell her that she is lucky the patron didn’t ask for The Princess Bride. When she asks me to sing THAT theme song, I will.

“OUR LOVE IS LIKE A STOOOORY BOOK STOO-OOO-RYYYYYY BUT IT’S AS REAL AS THE FEEEEEELINGS I FEEEEEL. OUR LOVE IS LIIIIIIKE A STORYBOOK STOOOOOOOORY BUT IT’S AS REAAAAAAAAAL AS THE FEELINGS IIIIIIII FEEL.”

Fiesta Babies by Carmen Tafolla

If there was any justice in the world I would have had this post done a few days ago for Cinqo de Mayo, but between two babies and buying a new house (!!!), I am an even bigger slacker than usual! But this book is fantastic! Anytime is the right time for Fiesta Babies.

Fiesta Babies is brand new to the library but I had to use it in a book-break* right away and it is being added to my list of no fail awesome books. The text is perfect for storytime - rhyming but not cloying, fun and bouncy, and just the right legnth. The pictures are colorful and vibrant and make you want to jump inside the pictures!

*a book break is kinda like a mini-storytime whenever I notice that the library is full of storytime-age kids. We read one book and maybe do one fingerplay sort of as a teaser for storytimes. It also works super well to clam down rowdy crowds who have started to throw plastic vegetables at each other.

I am especially a sucker for movement in books that can be copied by the kidlets during storytime. It's a book and a stretcher all in one! "K'mon, kids, stand up! 'Fiesta babies dance two by two' - Can you dance too? 'the cha-cha-cha ... and the choo-choo-choo!'" WAY TOO MUCH FUN!

In conclusion - I adore this book and you should check it out for a storytime or two.

I may have just had a conversation with my favorite 4 year old almost entirely in chicken.

(background - at the reference desk we give out hand stamps to anyone who asks for them. You want a chicken on your hand? Here ya go!)

4yo (pointing at the stamps): baaaaawk? bok bok bok ba-bawk baaaaawk!
LP (nodding and picking up the stamp): bok bok bwaaaaaaaawk.
4yo (holding out her hand): ba BAWK bok bok
LP (stamping): bok babawk bok booooook
4yo (waving): bok book babawk bok!

I LOVE MY JOB!