January Story Hour
January 24th
1:00 – 2:00
Join us for a few stories, some tasty treats and a take-away craft!
Ages 4 – 8
January Newsletter 2026
Happy New Year!
Story Sequencing and Story Stretching
As young writers begin to gather thoughts, imagine scenery and create characters, there is another important detail (or two) to keep in mind. One is story sequencing.
How will my story begin? What will happen in the middle, and what about the ending? This strategizing is similar to making a sandwich. The slices of bread hold together the contents inside. The contents vary depending on your taste!
Story stretching isn’t necessarily making it long and drawn out. What it means is taking a basic sentence and making it more interesting. EX: ‘The dog jumped’ changes to ‘The frisky spotted dog leaped over the garden fence.’ This revision lends itself to conversations about action words, synonyms and adjectives. It’s coaxing out the more finite details that can make basic sentences more nuanced.
The link below is an excellent read which clarifies how we differentiate taking in information.
Book Suggestions for January – Fabulous Five*
Tree of Birds – Harry wants nothing more than to keep Sally, a Green Tufted Tropical, until her flock has a say in it! Susan Meddaugh is a genius at pulling at your heartstrings in this heartwarming story about love and courage.
Bridges – Taking his reader through an amazing travel experience, Berlin based writer and illustrator, Marc Majewski, enlightens his readers about many interesting bridges around the world, emphasizing their differences but also noting how they bring people together.
Harriet Gets Carried Away – Harriet is a young girl who gets carried away both literally and figuratively. She loves to dress up, which ultimately finds her caught up with a group of penguins. Jessie Sim integrates whimsy and diversity in this charming story.
Over and Under the Snow – Did you ever wonder what happens “behind the scenes” when snow blankets the earth? Kate Messner is praised for this educational and enchanting book about winter wildlife, earning awards including the E.B.White honor.
Owl Moon – This classic, by Jane Yolen, is a Caldecott Award winner. It is poetic and poignant, depicting the relationship between a young child and her father melding their relationship within the natural world.
*The Fabulous Five will be featured each month with some of our favorite book recommendations.
