A few times each year the HRLS Youth Services takes a "Storytime Break" so your storytime presenters can take time to plan for the next season. During this time we sometimes offer something different, like play-times. Because we need to meet virtually at the moment, we're going to instead give a weekly opportunity for staff to share their personal favorites, including some of Ms. Donna's all-time favorite books!

In honor of World Penguin Day on April 25th, she'll celebrate penguins this week! Although it may seem counter-intuitive to celebrate these cold-loving birds, they are currently heading into their southern hemisphere cold season, so what a better time to enjoy some penguin books?

Wednesday, April 29th at 11:00 AM, Ms. Donna and your Bowman Library staff will bring you a LIVE Storytime and Puppets on our Facebook page. She'll read her favorite books, including Waddle, Waddle, by James Proimos and Tacky the Penguin by Helen Lester. The puppets will be joining in, so we hope you will too! 

Speaking of Storytimes, you can now see many of our most recent virtual ones on our YouTube playlist! We'll be adding more soon, including the one on Wednesday. 

Additionally, we have some great digital resources picked out for you to enjoy all week as we celebrate all things penguin. Hoopla has several great options, including Penguins, Penguins, Everywhere by Bob Barner and the read-along title, Penguins! by Gail Gibbons. If you're looking to have some musical fun, you can borrow Club Penguin: The Party Starts Now!, or check out the movie, The Pebble and the Penguin. 

You can also check out your own copy of Tacky the Penguin! When you've reached your check-out limit, no worries, because Hoopla is offering a wide selection of Bonus Borrows, and you can find Five Flying Penguins by Barbara Barbieri McGrath, which will not count against your monthly limit. 

A Penguin Story by Antoinette Portis can be found on both Hoopla, as well as another free digital resource, Tumble Book Library, where you can find Crittercam: Emperor Penguins too. 

Libby by Overdrive has a few titles worth checking, including How Do Penguins Play? by Diane Muldrow, Turtle's Penguin Day by Valeri Gorbachev, and Penguin on Vacation by Selina Yoon. 

Of course, no penguin play would be complete without some songs and finger plays! Here are a few to try out this week:

If You're a Penguin and You Know It (Tune: "If You're Happy and You Know It")
If you're a penguin and you know it flap your wings (flap, flap)
If you're a penguin and you know it flap your wings (flap, flap)
If you're a penguin and you know it and you really want to show it,
If you're a penguin and you know it flap your wings (flap, flap)

If you're a penguin and you know it waddle your feet (waddle, waddle)...
If you're a penguin and you know it eat a fish (yum, yum)...
If you're a penguin and you know it go for a swim (swim, swim)...

Five Little Penguins 
Five little penguins went out to play, 
Over the ice cap far away. 
Mother Penguins said, Eep, eep, eep, eep!” 
Four Little Penguins came back to sleep. 
(count down three, two, one) 
No little penguins went out to play, 
Over the ice cap far away. 
Mother Penguins said, Eep, eep, eep, eep!” 
All the little penguins came back to sleep!

I’m a Little Penguin (Tune: “I’m a Little Teapot”) 
I’m a little penguin short and stout. 
I flap my wings and waddle about. 
I wear a coat that’s black as night. 
But my big tummy is soft and white.

I’m a little penguin black and white. 
I like to slide across the ice. 
When I reach the water, I dive right in. 
I hunt for fish, and swim, swim, swim.

Have You Ever Seen a Penguin? (Tune: “Have You Ever Seen a Lassie?” 
Have you ever seen a penguin? 
A penguin, a penguin, a penguin! 
Have you ever seen a penguin swim this way and that way? 
Swim this way and that way, and this way and that way? 
Have you ever seen a penguin swim this way and that? 

Have you ever seen a penguin? A penguin, a penguin, a penguin! 
Verses: slide . . . waddle . . . etc.