It's hard to find.

Books that is. Rhymes, too. "For what?" you ask. Books and rhymes that are appropriate for babies and toddlers for a library program. For the past 2 and a half years, I have been putting together baby and toddler story times for my library. I have found it increasingly harder to find age appropriate books (namely board books) that I can purchase or order through our catalog in a large quantity. I figure if I'm having trouble finding ideas, I'm sure there are others out there facing the same problems.

First, I'd like to explain how I have organized my program. The baby and toddler program is called Read, Rhyme, and Romp. It is for children age 0 through 3 years and their caregivers. The program usually has a broad theme like "My World" or "Music and Me" for marketing purposes, but I don't adhere firmly to the theme (we use the same theme for our preschool story time). I use it as a suggestion. Anyway, each "theme" lasts for 6-10 weeks (we usually have a 6 week break in between sessions which coordinates with holidays and summer reading program preparation).

I keep each weekly program to 20 minutes. I have found this to be about the right length for the attention span of babies and toddlers. I also keep it at a fast pace; this way the children can stay focused. I have created an outline for my program which includes the same opening and closing rhymes for each program, as well as, reoccurring interactive rhymes, finger-plays and flannel boards (see my first post). Repetition creates a predictable program, and this helps the children feel comfortable and take ownership of the program.

Now I will explain why I need multiple copies of the same book. When we read the book of the day, each child is given a copy, so he/she and the caregiver can interact with the book while I read. I encourage the parents to read along with me. This may seem like chaos, but once you get the routine established (2 to 3 weeks), it works fantastically.

Within this program I also promote the 6 early literacy skills--print awareness, print motivation, vocabulary, letter knowledge, phonological awareness, and narrative skills--endorsed by Every Child Ready to Read. I do this by printing the day's skill with a brief description in my handout (which also includes the rhymes of the day). I will also do quick asides on how to promote the skill at home.

I do believe I have made this post longer than I intended, but I genuinely hope that this "brief" description can help someone in their quest for baby and toddler programming.