Animal Shenanigans: Twenty-four Creative, Interactive Story Programs for Preschoolers

Reid offers 24 themed storytimes, all tied together by the theme of animals. Subcategories include colors, transportation, prehistoric friends, water, etc. Reid includes book annotation, followed by storytelling tips that will be familiar, even redundant, to veteran storytellers, such as alternating one's voice to represent the different characters in the story, asking audiences to participate by calling back a certain phrase or making animals sounds, and making facial expressions to help convey the story. While most of these activities are movement based, also suggested are fingerplays, sound effects, and songs. Many of the songs offered are traditional storytime songs that Reid has adapted; a few are songs that he has written himself. The storytimes are geared to an older preschool audience or even early elementary school, as most of the titles included have sophisticated plots and many of the songs and movement activities require children of a certain age and skill level to achieve their desired effect. Some children may know the melody of a traditional song but could find Reid's lengthy translations daunting unless the lyrics were on display.