This article is sponsored by the Wichita Public Library.
Get in touch with your emotions with your friends at the Wichita Public Library! It’s time for Kansas Reads to Preschoolers, an annual celebration of reading for preschool-aged children. This year, the book is Grumpy Bird by Jeremy Tankard, a fantastic story about emotions.
Here’s what the book is about: Waking up on the wrong side of the nest, Bird is just too grumpy for his own good and sets out for a walk to improve his spirits. With the help of his friends (and some fresh air), Bird is back to his old self and ready to face the day with a smile!
Your Wichita Public Library has a lot of fun in store to keep your preschooler entertained and learning.
Outdoor Storytime in November 2021
Join Librarian Katrina at the Rockwell Branch Saturday, November 6 at 2:30 p.m. for an outdoor storytime featuring Grumpy Bird. You can register here. Be sure to visit the Library’s website for links to online activities and downloadable activity sheets you can complete at home. If you want to get a free copy of the book, visit your neighborhood Library location to see how YOU can get a copy!
And BONUS! Thanks to the State Library of Kansas, the Wichita Public Library is creating Grumpy Bird videos in three languages (English, Spanish and American Sign Language) for everyone to enjoy across the state. Check our YouTube and social media accounts in November to experience Grumpy Bird in another way!
If you like this book, you can check out more of Jeremy Tankard’s books, including Boo Hoo Bird, Hungry Bird, Sleepy Bird and Me Hungry.
Books to Help Little Ones with Big Feelings
Library staff put together a great list of read-alike books that explore feelings and other themes present in Grumpy Bird. You can place your hold (for free) using the online catalog:
- Being Edie Is Hard Today by Ben Brashares and Elizabeth Bergeland
- Ravi’s Roar by Tom Percival
- I Am a Kindness Hero by Jennifer Adams
- Stubby the Fearless Squid by Barbara Davis-Pyles
- The Pros and Cons of Being a Frog by Sue deGennaro
- My Body is a Rainbow: The Color of My Feelings by Mallika Chopra
- When I See Red by Britta Teckentrup
Kansas Reads to Preschoolers
Kansas Reads to Preschoolers is a month-long, statewide initiative of the State Library of Kansas to highlight the importance of reading to children from birth to age five. Each year, a committee of Kansas librarians chooses one book. Across the state, the book is read in libraries, at child care centers and preschool, and in homes by parents, grandparents and caregivers.
Did you know that reading Grumpy Bird with your preschooler can count towards the 1000 Books Before Kindergarten program?
If you haven’t heard about this program, it’s a reading challenge to read 1000 books to your child before they begin kindergarten. Does that seem impossible? Think again. If you read three books each night, you’ll be able to read 1000 books in less than one year. PLUS, you’ll be rewarded for working your way through the challenge.
Participating in activities like Kansas Reads to Preschoolers and 1000 Books Before Kindergarten at your Wichita Public Library fosters creativity and lifelong learning for Wichita’s youngest residents. Building your child’s literacy skills goes beyond simply reading books, though. You can begin to create a young reader by regularly practicing five activities that help build your child’s cognitive abilities and curiosity: playing, talking, singing, reading and writing.
For more information about Library programs, resources and services, visit their website.
The Wichita Public Library provides collections, resources and services that foster lifelong learning, provides entertainment and enrich the quality of life in Wichita.
