Preschoolers: Dream Big – Read

We had a wonderful Summer Reading Program at Rowan Public Library! The theme this year was “Dream Big-Read” and the staff had a lot of fun selecting books to share with three to five year-olds at the Moon Wisher program. When the staff thought of the concept of “Night” we thought of bedtime, a time of lullabies and bedtime stories. We also thought of dreams (including a child’s aspirations and a few other scary things). I would like to recap some of the great books that were used in our preschool story times this summer. Let us revel in the surprises of the night as we Dream Big – Read! with our children.

Your child is sure to enjoy Nathaniel Willy, Scared Silly, a fun folklore retold by Judith Mathews and Fay Robinson. When grandma says good-night and shuts Nathaniel Willy’s door there’s a terrible squeak. Nathaniel Willy is scared silly and believes he heard a ghost. Full of joyous rhyme and fun sound effects Grandma tries to comfort Willy by setting off a chain of noisy events as she runs to get the cat to comfort him.

“When I grow up what will I be?” is the theme of the book I Can Be Anything by Jerry Spinelli. A young boy’s hopes and dreams are infinite as he learns he can be anything from a dizzy-dance spinner to a silly-joke teller. This book serves as a great reminder that life is full of possibilities and you can be anything that you want to be when you grow up.

Sometimes one of the hardest things to do is to get your little one tucked into bed at the end of the day. In Dinosaur vs. Bedtime by Bob Shea little dinosaur faces the many challenges of the day and succeeds! Nothing can stop little dinosaur as he tackles the leaves, the slide, a bowl of spaghetti, talking grown-ups; that is until bedtime approaches. You’ll have to read the story to find out who will win, little dinosaur or bedtime.

When you think of monsters we tend to think of big, mean, and scary. But not all monsters are scary. In Big Green Monster Ed Emberley uses die-cut pages to reveal parts of a monster. This book is great to help aide a child control nighttime fears of monsters. Another fun monster book is Monster Musical Chairs by Stuart J. Murphy. This entertaining story is a great way for your child to practice his subtraction skills. As six monsters play a crazy game of musical chairs, readers learn to subtract one chair at a time and count the remaining monsters in the game.

In Sooey, South Dakota, on an itchy straw bed, loudmouth Little Runt can’t get to sleep in Bed Hogs by Kelly DiPucchio. Rose, the reigning beauty queen, has stinky feet, big sister Flo’s drools enough to fill a milkin’ pail, brother Ed shakes and jiggles when he dreams, mama dances in her sleep, and papa snores. It’s no wonder Little Runt can’t fall asleep! When Little Runt cleverly and inconspicuously kicks each member out of bed, he realizes he’s cold, scared, and lonely all by himself. Sometimes you don’t appreciate what you have until it is gone.

The book Can’t Sleep Without Sheep by Susanna Leonard Hill is a hilarious take on a familiar bedtime ritual. When a young girl named Ava has trouble falling asleep she always counts sheep. That is until one night the sheep admit that they are exhausted of jumping. The sheep send in replacements only to find out that horses are too pretty, chickens are too ridiculous, pigs are too slow, cows are a complete disaster, and buffalo are too chaotic. Ava learns that her sheep are irreplaceable and a little appreciation can go a long way.

Don’t forget all of these nighttime titles are available at Rowan Public Library!