Coyote Storytime (and Cowboys)

Sometimes I try too hard to get my storytime books all on a theme.  And it is always a mistake to read a book that I find lukewarm or boring just because it is on topic. This week I had coyotes as my theme and I could only find one toddler level book.  So I renamed my wolf puppet, Cleo the Coyote. After introducing her, I set her behind me on a table. When I bring stuffed animals, I say that they are there to listen to storytime and afterwards everyone will get a chance to pet then. This makes them less of a distraction.

[My very first storytime was Jungle Animals.  I brought a super sized alligator and lion. The kids went berserk and all climbed on the stuffed animals at once. Pandemonium reigned.  My trainer, the Youth Services Coordinator for our library system, let it go on for a few minutes, until I had absorbed the lesson and then put the animals away under the table] 

Cleo in the Snow is a cat who goes sledding. After I read the book,  I turned my head and yipped. Where is that coming from? I turned it the other way and yipped again.  Oh, Cleo is that you? What are you trying to tell us?  Then I let her whisper into my ear and tell the kids that Cleo thinks that was the funniest book she had ever had read to her. A cat named Cleo!

This was my book lineup:

Toddler books :

Way out west lives a coyote named Frank by Jillian Lund

Cleo in the Snow by Caroline Mockford

Wolves by Jim Arnosky. 

Preschool books:

Gingerbread Cowboy by Janet Squires

Little Lost Cowboy by Simon Puttock

Way out west lives a coyote named Frank by Jillian Lund

Many thanks to Cate at Storytiming for sharing her coyote flannels.  You can find them here.  I added an orange moon and sang the Nancy Stewart song, Five Coyotes up on a hill. You can find it here.  The kids all join in with the Awoooo’s and when we got down to two coyotes, I stop after, “One coyote said” And ask the kids  - what did she say? And most of them were able to reply, “I’m gettin' kind of hungry” 

For the preschoolers I also sang the Nancy Stewart song, I am a Cowboy. This is a repeating song, with me singing one line and the kids repeating the line.  I take them through all the motions first.  You can find the song on her Singin' Sidesaddle CD.

I’ve used the song before as a time filler before after school programs and as part of a cowboy storytime.  Here is a flannel I made for the cowboy storytime using Cowboy Small by Lois Lenski for the pattern. I find the book too small in format to read to a group.

I put the cowboy on the flannelboard and ask the kids, What does a cowboy need? As the kids guess horse, rope, etc.  I put up the flannel for the item. If they are having trouble coming up with answers, I ask more questions, What will the cowboy wear on his feet?  What does a cowboy ride around rounding up? to get them thinking.

Here is a picture of poor Cleo. She lost an eye while getting some rough love after my Tuesday storytimes.   Despite my heart palpitations, it doesn't appear that anyone actually consumed her eye. I thought a patch looked better than the empty eye socket for the Thursday storytimes.

Disclaimer:  The opinions expressed on this site are my own and do not necessarily represent the vies of Spokane Public Library.