Storytime Action!: 2000+ Ideas for Making 500 Picture Books Interactive

School Library Journal

Bromann believes in taking elements from a story and turning them into activities, and she provides readers with ideas and tools to add interactivity to their programs. Tips include incorporating props, questions, movement, etc.; selecting the right books for your style; and adding simple crafts. Most of the book consists of an alphabetical listing (by author) of 500 recommended titles. Each entry includes publication information, a plot summary, and one or more activities. Examples include having children pass around a yellow ball while reading Molly Bang's The Yellow Ball, having them make each animal's noise while reading Deborah Bruss's Book! Book! Book!, or giving each child a picture of a vegetable to put in the "pot" while reading Tony Bonning's Fox Tale Soup. While several of the suggestions are obvious, mundane, or not very creative, and some are more time intensive than others, there are enough ideas here to make this a worthwhile purchase for those looking to energize their programs.-Shauna Yusko, King County Library System, Bellevue, WA Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.