The Last Word: A Celebration of Storytimes

Abstract

Got a great, lighthearted essay? A funny story about children and libraries? Books and babies? Pets and picture books? A not-so-serious look at the world of children' s librarianship? Send your Last Word to Sharon Verbeten at CALeditor@yahoo.com.Our new book, Supercharged Storytimes: An Early Literacy Planning and Assessment Guide, translates the research findings of Project VIEWS2 1 into easy-to-follow tips and explanations on how to enhance storytimes and contribute to the early learning development of the children who attend. Enjoy this excerpt and celebrate the magic and fun of storytimes.We've seen many kinds of storytimes in big, medium, and small libraries all over Washington State. We've learned from all of these incredible storytime providers, whose patience, inspiration, and dedication show through in the children they serve and the programs they deliver. Each provider had his or her own style, personality, and approach, but they all had the common goal of helping children be better citizens of the world and lifelong learners.We wanted to share . . . the magic that makes up the incredible variety, creativity, and sheer fun of early literacy storytimes for young children.You brought stories to life and led kids in lively dancing, and engaging conversations. Singing at the top of their lungs, kids wriggled and chatted and played. Parents and caregivers guided and learned along with their children in storytime after storytime after storytime. There were so many different and distinct styles and personalities in the storytimes we observed-all with the common goal of helping children and their families be better citizens of the world and become lifelong learners.

What is storytime good for and what makes storytime good? A survey of public library directors

“…Initially, storytimes were developed to support young children’s socialization and love of reading (Albright et al, 2009), but storytimes have evolved into programs designed to support early literacy and language development (Campana et al, 2016a; Goulding et al, 2017; Peng and Chuang, 2017; Stewart et al, 2014), as well as a panoply of other skills and experiences related to school readiness such as emergent mathematics skills, attention skills, and social skills (Bamkin et al, 2013; Cahill et al, 2018; Campana, 2018a, 2018b). Further, while traditional story hours were designed exclusively for children, most storytimes are intended to serve both young children and their caregivers, with the intention of providing opportunities to model and share learning strategies (Cahill, 2004; Campana et al, 2016b; Ghoting and Martin-Diaz, 2006).…”