Frozen Penguins: A Storytime Sensation
Not all kids' songs are created equal; however, they are all equally embedded into the minds of parents and caregivers of the children who attend Build A Reader storytime at the Tulsa City County Library.
After taking a music and movement course lead by Katherine Battenberg, Midtown School of Performing Arts, I had a new song stuck in my head—"Frozen Penguin” by Caspar Babypants. The tune is steady, the lyrics are instructional, and I knew storytime kids and adults would catch on easily from its use of repetition. With all the workings of a perfect children’s song, it had to be introduced into storytime to replace the always popular, and wonderfully repetitive, “Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes.”
Singing is one of five key elements of Build A Reader Storytime at TCCL: Talk, Sing, Read, Write, Play. Songs help littles with phonological awareness, which is the breakdown of language into smaller parts. Songs also create a sense of community and friendship as we sing together.
“Frozen Penguin” was an instant hit with the kids and took my friendship with caregivers to the next level. They were ecstatic for something new to share with their kids! So much so that they did a deep dive into Caspar Babypants, discovering that he is the vocalist and bassist of 90s band The Presidents of the United States of America. After about a month, caregivers reported back that many of his kids' songs are just as entertaining for adults as they are for children! This was music to my ears because as all librarians know, if caregivers are having a good time, then their children are bound to have a blast.
If you are in the market for new songs to get stuck in your head, give Caspar Babypants a try here: https://tccl.bibliocommons.com/v2/search?query=caspar%20babypants&searchType=smart
--Angela Martinez, Children's Associate, Broken Arrow Library