Toddle on over: Developing Infant & Toddler Literature Programs (Alleyside Press Reading Activities Series) - Softcover

After presenting introductory material on program rationale and charts detailing child development and related reading behaviors, Davis offers planning tips and 10 different program "formulas," culled from current practitioners. The remaining pages are devoted to 53 thematic programs on topics such as "Bears" and "Hands and Feet." Presumably, such handy outlines would cut down considerably on preparation time. Unfortunately, each session contains only three to four songs or fingerplays. Generally, the patterns for the "Story Souvenirs" are reproducible coloring sheets. While the accompanying lists of annotated book titles include some classics, only a few are designated as appropriate for infants; the activities are not coded by age. What's really lacking, however, are the pop-ups, flannel boards, large motor-movement activities, props, and a variety of folk and original music that create joy and excitement in storytime. Linda Ernst's Lapsit Services for the Very Young (Neal-Schuman, 1995) and Judy Nichols's new edition of Storytimes for Two-Year Olds (ALA, 1998) are better choices. Our youngest audiences deserve more than Barney and "Wee Sing" tapes, mundane poetry, and photocopied patterns.-Wendy Lukehart, Dauphin County Library, Harrisburg, PA

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