The end of another year and everyone's asking: What was your favorite book of 2016? I've expanded that to my favorite storytime books; titles that we loved so much that I MUST share them with others so more kids can enjoy them with their awesome librarians!
Below are my top 10 storytime books I read to my groups in 2016 (not just those published in 2016). I stuck with books selected for my preschool group ages 2-5 as I was already having enough trouble narrowing it down. Of the, literally, hundreds of books I read aloud this past year, my favorites included:
Are you a Horse? by Andy Rash
Letter H storytimeA cowboy gets a saddle for his Birthday and needs to find a horse. The only problem is... he's never seen one! This leads our cowboy on a silly quest asking, "Are you a horse?" to many different creatures. A great picture book to get kids involved in callbacks with the repeated question and an ending that they won't see coming!
Where's My Mom? by Julia Donaldson
Letter J storytime
A monkey loses their mother and asks a butterfly to help on their search. The butterfly finds many different animals, but none of them are right! The monkey finally explains she, "looks like me, but bigger!" and the butterfly understands. The reunion is a happy one and we also meet the source of the butterfly's confusion: all of her children look nothing like her because they're caterpillars! Fantastic to share in a jungle storytime and a good opener to discuss a butterfly's life cycle.
Moo! by David LaRochelle
Letter M storytime 
This book features one word: Moo! A cow gets into a little mischief and has some misadventures with a car (and a run-in with the police). By using different inflections with your Moos, you can show quite a variety of emotions and get your kids really laughing. The book not only helps teach inference, but gives you a big opportunity to rest your voice (because the kids will be laughing so much after each page!).
The Napping House by Audrey Wood
Pajama storytime
This was actually the very first time I've ever used Wood's classic in a storytime and it was a hit! We practiced memory and retelling on each page as kids recalled what order the animals were presented in. And, of course, many of them had fun making sounds with me at the end for the animals waking up!
The Thingamabob by Il Sung Na
Letter U storytime
An elephant finds a weird, red thing. But what does it do? Some creative experiments eventually lead her to the answer and some very happy friends! The kids loved knowing what the "thingamabob" really was when the characters were confused and had a great time figuring out what she was trying to use the umbrella for.
The Black and White Factory by Eric Telchin
Colors storytime 
A zebra, a panda, and a penguin lead kids on a tour of their Black and White Factory in this interactive picture book. As you can see, all things here are black and white: dominoes, dice, tuxedoes... WHAT'S THAT? Color?! Quick shake it off! As you and your storytime crowd frantically try to get ride of the colors seeping onto the pages, the problem gets worse and worse! What will we do?! A fun book to share with a group or one-on-one and a great way to wrap up a color series.
Bug Zoo by Andy Harkness
Bugs storytime
A little boy loves bugs so much that he catches them in jars to display in his own Bug Zoo! But the bugs don't seem to be very happy. What do they need? The importance of being free was a message my kids really got; they were so happy to see the bugs released! The illustrations are also beautiful in this large book!
Pete the Cat and the Missing Cupcakes
Cupcakes storytime
Counting and forgiveness are big themes in this cute addition to Pete the Cat's wide world of wonderful stories (previously, we've had great success with Four Groovy Buttons, Rockin' in My School Shoes, and I Love My White Shoes). This is a bit different from our normal Pete routine however and there is no song! No one seemed to mind as we followed the clues to discover who ate the missing cupcakes. I added in extra clues throughout each page as the book itself doesn't give many hints. The kids were able to guess and were very proud of themselves.
Little Elliot Big Fun by Mike Curato
Elephants storytime 
Elliot and Mouse are off to the pier, but Elliot is afraid of a lot of things... what can they do together? The illustrations are absolutely beautiful, especially on the fold-out feature, making this a great book to linger on pages and discuss what is happening, especially the emotions of Elliot. The kids were entranced!
Monster Trouble by Lane Fredrickson
Spooky storytime (and every Halloween/October community visit)
What I loved most about this story was how versatile it was when it came to age groups. My preschool groups loved this as much as my 1st-3rd graders! An opening discussion about how to deal with monsters got the kids thinking and they just got more creative as the story continued and our hero tried to rid herself of her monsters!
So there you have it! My favorite books I read in 2016 to my storytime kids! Did you try any of these? Will you now? What was a big success in your library?
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