It’s a sad day in library land.  Tomie dePaola has died.  I remember reading The Knight and the Dragon with my son over and over (and over) when he was young.   We never owned any of the Strega Nona books, but we checked them out from the library often enough.  Tomie lived just down the road in New London, NH, but his books spread joy across the world.  In a Tomie dePaola mood?  Watch this incredible storytime with Mary Steenburgen reading Strega Nona (and playing her accordion)!

Looking for more storytimes? 

Maple Sugaring Storytime – Yes, it’s that time of year!  Check out this incredibly sweet storytime from the Joslin Memorial Library in Waitsfield. Oliver Jeffers’ Stuck and maple sugaring – lots of fun on a rainy day!

Save with Stories is a collection of celebrities reading children’s stories on Instagram. These are filmed, often with cell phones, in celebrities’ homes during the pandemic. There’s a lot here, but why not start with Jeff Goldblum reading Horton Hears a Who?

How about The Big List of Children’s Authors Doing Online Read-Alouds & Activities from We Are Teachers?  Oliver Jeffers, Kate Messner, Grace Lin – and many more!

And a storytime for the older crowd?  Patrick Stewart Reads a Daily Shakespearean Sonnet.  A sonnet a day keeps the doctor away. That’s the phrase, right?

Other Resources

There’s also another repository of children’s ebooks that has been made free: ABDO Books – ABDO has three different online digital accounts: one each for PreK–6 readers and 5–12 grade readers, and a third account for their four Abdo Zoom online databases that include Biographies, STEAM, Animals, and Animales (Animals in Spanish).

Here’s a fun one for older kids: The Learning Network by The New York Times publishes about 1,000 teaching resources each school year, all based on Times content — articles, essays, images, videos, graphics and podcasts. Most of the resources are free (only the lesson plans are limited to five per month for nonsubscribers).

And finally, Amazon has unlocked dozens of shows and movies for kids, including all their PBS Kids shows (Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood, anyone?).

Stay safe, stay well, and stay kind,
Shana