Mother Goose...ON THE LOOSE!

What do Humpty Dumpty, the Man in the Moon, and Jack Sprat all have in common? They are the stars of some of our favorite nursery rhymes! Those silly songs and rhymes never go out of style, and are essential to a young child’s understanding of language and literacy.

Need to brush up on your nursery rhymes? Bring your little one to a session of Mother Goose Rhyme Time, a half hour filled with songs, rhymes and finger plays for babies up to 35 months old with their parent or caregiver.

Some of our favorite children’s book authors and illustrators have worked on collections of Mother Goose Rhymes, check out some of these collections of classic rhymes with a modern twist!

Dan Yaccarino’s Mother Goose– Dan Yaccarino

Here Comes Mother Goose –Rosemary Wells

Mary Engelbreit’s Mother Goose: One Hundred Best-Loved Verses – Mary Engelbreit

Mother Goose Remembers –Clare Beaton

Nursery Rhyme Comics: 50 TimelessRhymes from 50 Celebrated Cartoonists

Tomie dePaola’s Mother Goose– Tome dePaola

Truckery Rhymes – Jon Scieszka

Check out www.bussongs.com for more rhymes, songs and lullabies!

The ABC's of Early Literacy

It is never too early to start developing a healthy reading habit.

For the youngest of infants and toddlers select board books, books with sturdy cardboard pages, they may feature “lift the flap” and tactile elements. Sharing these books with a loved one or caregiver allows children to bond with those individuals who are special in their lives, and also books.

Some of our favorite board books are:

Baby Happy, Baby Sad

Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See

Good Night Moon

Where's My Sweetie Pie

Moreover, it is important for parents and caregivers to be positive reading role models. As a grown up in your child’s life, you are the equivalent of a rock star, super athlete and movie star all rolled into one! Children want to imitate the adults they are surrounded by, create an environment with plenty of reading material not only for children, but yourself. When children see thier parents and caregivers reading, this will encourage them to be readers for life at an early age.

Early literacy programs at your library also aid in the development of emergent reading and language skills. Programs such as Book Babies, Mother Goose, One is Fun and Wonderful Ones introduce children to stories, songs, finger plays and rhythmic activities that are the building blocks of literacy. Moreover, these programs allow children to develop socialization skills. Check out our children's program schedule, remember you can even register for programs online, with your library card!