Story time at the public library is the first exposure to books outside the home for many preschool children. For the librarian, it is an exciting opportunity to instill in youngsters a love of reading and books. But coming up with new ideas that hold the children’s attention can be trying. Until now. Here are 55 tried-and-true story hour programs with a thematic approach. All are highly flexible and adaptable across the full preschool age range. Most of the ideas are arranged under one of eight specific themes that include four to eight one-hour programs: barnyard animals, the Caldecott Medal, colors, families, a storytelling feast, the five senses, reptiles and amphibians, and around the world. There are also 18 individual holiday and seasonal programs. All story hours provide ideas for name tags, suggested audiovisual materials, recommended story, poetry and song selections, additional titles and a full description of the activity.

Reproduction of the original: The Story Hour by Kate Douglas Wiggin, Nora Archibald Smith

While many texts explore ways to plan and implement story times in both school and public libraries, until now no work has brought together extensive book talks and follow-up activities specifically designed to develop thinking skills in young children. This innovative study offers age-appropriate book suggestions with related questions and activities tailored to a variety of thinking skills, including verbal or linguistic thinking, divergent and creative thinking, analytical and mathematical thinking, visual or spatial thinking, and many others. The program presented in this volume was successfully developed and implemented in the preschool/kindergarten laboratory school of Lindenwood University in St. Charles, Missouri, with 90 percent of the participating children selected for gifted programs in both public and private schools. Ideal for children's librarians, school librarians, teachers of early childhood gifted programs, parents, and homeschoolers, this study provides the tools for making any story hour a "brain power story hour."

"Lists of Stories and Programs for Story Hours" is a bulleting from the St. Louis Public Library issued to help teachers and parents organize their kids' reading activities. The book is broken into several chapters containing stories for little children, stories for special occasions, stories for reading out loud, and those for older children. The bulletin doesn't contain the texts of the stories, though.

'Story Hour Readings: Seventh Year' by E.C. Hartwell is an outstanding literature anthology that promises to enrich the reading experience of seventh-grade pupils and junior high school students, even outside the classroom. The book provides a diverse range of stories from pioneer tales to special-day celebrations, carefully chosen to encourage a love for good reading. The editor's focus on the quality of the material makes it an ideal pick for teachers looking for enriching silent reading options. With stories like 'The Story of Molly Pitcher' and 'Charlemagne and Roland' readers are sure to be engaged and inspired to read more.

Unlock the art of storytelling with "For the Story Teller, Story Telling and Stories to Tell" by Carolyn Sherwin Bailey. This charming book provides tips and tricks for captivating your audience with engaging tales and a collection of delightful stories to get you started!