week 1: shot through the heart

I apologize if this entry doesn't make much sense; I just got back from getting a flu shot. I realized that I have already been terribly sick once this fall/winter season and am not particularly interested in an encore performance. And so.

But that's not what's on the docket for today. We're here for storytime! Yes indeed. So you are probably familiar with Herve Tullet's Press Here. It is THE BEST. Why have I waited so long to use it in storytime? I DO NOT KNOW. But it was a big part of storytime this week, boy howdy.

Spoiler alert and all that, but I feel pretty confident most of you are familiar with the above two-page spread from Press Here.

I will tell you who was not familiar with the above two-page spread: Class 1 and 2 and Class 3 and 4. At all. Their minds were especially blown when I pressed the yellow dots, turned the page, and *flip* out went the lights. And when I say their minds were blown, I mean (among other things) I got the single best storytime reaction ever when I flipped to the above two-page spread. A young man, who shall remain nameless even though he is seriously the best, was sitting right up front. When I turned the page and *flip* out went the light, this young man blurted out, "what the hell?!"

I know it's not supposed to be funny when a five year out says a bad word (though I will argue "h-e-double hockey sticks" is not a bad word in a per se vulgar sense). I know that, in my head. But my heart, frankly, it was something else. So funny, so honest, so "oh no *insert name of kid* keep it down the teacher will hear you," and a lot more besides. The rest of storytime was a lot of "don't laugh, don't laugh, oh no don't think about not laughing that's just making it worse," from my perspective.

But in the bigger picture perspective, it was a great storytime! Clearly, Press Here was well-loved. For Class 1 and 2 specifically, we were reaching GABGM! levels of participatory pandemonium. I can't think of much higher praise.  Everyone loved Duck! Rabbit!; both groups seemed to relate to it really well and someone in Class 3 and 4 yelled out, "this is my favorite story!" Most other weeks that would have gotten them quote of the day.

Oh yeah, my board book singalong version of Row, Row, Row Your Boat fell mildly flat. I think the fact that three kids figured out *very quickly* it had that little speaker component and kept swarming to press it (it only gives a weird dying MIDI squawk at this point) distracted a bit.