READING ADVENTURE TREASURE CHEST KIT #17
ALL ABOUT ME

This Reading Adventure Treasure Chest Kit has been assembled to provide a thematic list of storytime materials for use by enhanced members and their patrons.  The kit is geared toward the preschool age group yet is flexible enough to capture the interest of toddlers and early school age children.  The Activity Ideas are designed to be aids to use the materials listed in the kits.

If you would like more information concerning this project, contact SERLS via e-mail at dirserls@oplin.org..

Material Type	Title	Author
BOOK	A Color Of His Own	LEO LIONNI
BOOK	Eggbert: The Slightly Cracked Egg	TOM ROSS
BOOK	Elmer	DAVID McKEE
BOOK	Fish Faces	NORBERT WU
BOOK	Here Are My Hands	BILL MARTIN, JR.
BOOK	How Many Teeth?	PAUL SHOWERS
BOOK	I Like Me	NANCY CARLSON
BOOK	Leo The Late Bloomer	ROBERT KRAUS
BOOK	Let Me Do It!	JANICE GIBALA-BROXHOLM
BOOK	The Mixed-Up Chameleon	ERIC CARLE
BOOK	My First Book Of The Body	CHUCK MURPHY
BOOK	My Hands	ALIKI
BOOK	Quick As A Cricket	AUDREY WOOD
BOOK	Sloppy Kisses	ELIZABETH WINTHROP
BOOK	Something Special	DAVID McPHAIL
BOOK	Sometimes I Feel Like A Mouse: A Book About Feelings	JEANNE MODESITT
BOOK	Speak Up, Blanche!	EMILY ARNOLD McCULLY
BOOK	Swimmy	LEO LIONNI
BOOK	Tacky The Penguin	HELEN LESTER
BOOK	Williams' Doll	CHARLOTTE ZOLOTOW
BOOK	The Wonder Of Hands	EDITH BAER
BOARD BOOK	Good Morning	DESSIE AND CHEVELLE MOORE
BIG BOOK	More Spaghetti, I Say!	RITA GOLDEN GELMAN
RESOURCE BOOK	Connecting With Myself	SANDRA SIEGEL PLATTNER
BOOK & TAPE	Harriet's Recital	NANCY CARLSON
CASSETTE	A House Is A House For Me
VHS	Preschool Power!
PUPPET	Goldfish Puppet

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ACTIVITY IDEAS AND FINGERPLAYS

Share The Mixed-up Chameleon. Talk about how the Chameleon felt. Ask your children: What if you could change one thing about yourself? What would it be? Or have kids take turns acting out what they would like to be. Have the other children guess what they are.

Invite the children to make "I Am Special Books." On one page suggest children color with their favorite colors. On another page help children fill in the blanks of the following "Me Poem:"
Mirror mirror on the wall,
Look at me when I call.
See my _________ hair (color)
See my _________ eyes (color)
See my _________ skin (color)
And my _________ size (tall/short)
Mirror, mirror, you're the best
Now I'll let you take a rest.

Have children trace their hand and foot prints on colored paper. Each child should have a different color of paper. Cut them out and place on the floor throughout the room. Use these colored hands and feet to play a sort of musical chairs or twister.

Read Fish Faces and then have children draw pictures and assemble a book called "People Faces."

Read the big book More Spaghetti I Say then enjoy spaghetti painting. To prepare this activity, place small amounts of cooked spaghetti in small bowls. Add drops of food coloring to each bowl. Give each child a piece of paper and invite him or her to place one strand of spaghetti at a time on the paper. The spaghetti will stick without glue.

I Am Special
(Sung to the tune of "Are You Sleeping")
I am special! I am special!
If you look, you will see.
Someone very special, someone very special,
Yes, It's me! Yes, it's me!

If I Were
If I were a dog,
I'd have four legs to run and play.
(Down on all four hands and feet)
If I were a fish,
I'd have fins to swim all day.
(Hands at sides making swimming motion)
If I were a bird,
I could spread my wings out wide,
And fly all over the countryside.
(Arms out from sides fluttering like wings)
But I'm just little me,
I have two legs, don't you see?
And I'm just as happy as I can be.

Here Are My Ears
Here are my ears.
Here is my nose.
Here are my fingers.
Here are my toes.
Here are my eyes,
Both open wide.
Here is my mouth
With white teeth inside.
Here is my tongue
That helps me speak.
Here is my chin,
And here are my cheeks.
Here are my hands
That help me play.
Here are my feet
For walking today.

Ask your local children's librarian about more fingerplays, activities and books such as these recommended titles:

• All I Am by Ellen Roe. Paintings illustrate numerous positive qualities of a child that help describe one as a friend, neighbor, listener, thinker. .
• Louanne Pig in the Talent Show by Nancy Carlson. Louanne the Pig, a self-proclaimed "no talent dope" is miserable watching everyone practice for the talent show until a last minute swap changes everything.