The More We Get Together….The Happier We’ll Be!

The more we get together
Together, together
The more we get together
The happier we'll be

'Cause your friends are my friends
And my friends are your friends
The more we get together
The happier we'll be

This song is a traditional American children’s song. The tune is from a 1679 Viennese song by Marx Augustin. It is a story time favorite and a sad reminder of exactly what we have been missing this last year…being together!

I don’t think that you would be surprised to know that, as a youth services librarian, the best part of my job is spending time with young families. Up until a year ago, Miss Briana and I would spend our days in the activity room with children and their caregivers; baby times, story times, craft times, book clubs, just to name a few. We were either in the room or planning for activities in the room. But as with all gathering, it came to a screeching halt last March. The library quickly adapted with virtual programming on our YouTube channel as well as live programs via our virtual meeting platform, GoToMeeting.

It has been challenging and fun to create online programming for our young patrons, but it is not the same. Since the fall, we have progressed from curbside and virtual to include being open to the public for browsing on some days. (See our website for the current schedule.) We have made a lot of progress but still cannot gather in the library.

One of things I miss most is sharing funny stories with kids and seeing their reactions. When I was a mom with young kids, walking into the library was a little intimidating. I didn’t know which books were worth taking out. Some of that is trial and error; some of that is just personal preference.

The silver lining to being unable to gather is that there is the potential for more family time. I was talking to a mom the other day and we laughed about the old saying that with little kids the days are long but the years are short. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to spend this quality time with the family. Before we know it we will be back to our over-scheduled and fast paced lives.

In case you feel like you have gone through every family activity you can think of, I would like to share my favorite funny family books to read together.

One thing is different about this spring than last. Last year we were entering uncharted territory. We didn’t know what was safe or what was going to happen next. This year, with spring comes the hope of some normalcy returning to our lives. With the vaccine comes the hope that soon we can gather! Remember, the more we get together, the happier we’ll be!

Oh No! A Fox! By Janet Morgan Stoeke
Rooster Sam unwittingly saves the hens of Loopy Coop Farm.

Chicken Story Time by Sandy Asher
Storytime in the library becomes increasingly chaotic as first one chicken then a whole flock joins in and the librarian must come up with a creative solution so that everyone can enjoy the story.

I’m the Biggest Thing in the Ocean by Kevin Sherry
A giant squid brags about being bigger than everything else in the ocean--almost.

This Is Not My Hat by Jon Klassen
A tiny minnow wearing a pale blue bowler hat has a thing or two up his fins in this underwater light-on-dark chase scene.

Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type by Doreen Cronin
When Farmer Brown's cows finds a typewriter in the barn they start making demands, and go on strike when the farmer refuses to give them what they want.

Little Owl Lost by Chris Haughton
While his mother is away finding food, a newborn owl falls out of his nest and anxiously tries to find her, receiving help from various forest animals.

Oh No, George! by Chris Haughton
Trusted by his owner to be a well-behaved dog while alone during the day, George finds it hard to resist the many temptations about the house, including the cake on the table, the cat, and the flower pot dirt.

Goldilocks and the Three Dinosaurs by Mo Willems
Once upon a time, there were three hungry Dinosaurs: Papa Dinosaur, Mama Dinosaur . . . and a Dinosaur who happened to be visiting from Norway. One day--for no particular reason--they decided to tidy up their house, make the beds, and prepare pudding of varying temperatures. And then--for no particular reason--they decided to go . . . someplace else. They were definitely not setting a trap for some succulent, unsupervised little girl. Definitely not!

The Doghouse by Jan Thomas
"Mouse, Pig, Cow, and Duck are playing a carefree game of ball when (horror of horrors!) their ball gets kicked into . . . the doghouse. Who will risk a run-in with scary Dog to get it back? Hysterical high anxiety ensues as Mouse volunteers each animal to do the dirty work--but you'll never believe what's really going on in the doghouse!" -- provided by publisher.

Shark in the Park by Nick Sharratt
Through his telescope, a little boy keeps seeing what seems to be a shark in the park, but by turning the page the reader can see and identify the whole object.

Fall Is Not Easy by Marty Kelley
A tree tells why, out of all four seasons, autumn is the hardest.

Penguins by Liz Pichon
Penguins at the zoo have an exciting afternoon when one finds a camera left behind by a visitor.

Junie B. Jones and the Yucky Blucky Fruitcake by Barbara Park
Junie, a spunky, sometimes exasperating, kindergartener, looks forward to winning lots of prizes at the school carnival, but a fruit cake was not exactly what she had in mind.

Knucklehead: Tall Tales and Mostly True Stories of Growing Up Scieszka by John Scieszka
How did Jon Scieszka get so funny? He grew up as one of six brothers with Catholic school, lots of comic books, lazy summers at the lake with time to kill, babysitting misadventures, TV shows, and jokes told at family dinner. Audience Ages 8 up.

How Angel Peterson Got His Name: and Other Outrageous Tales About Extreme Sports by Gary Paulsen
Author Gary Paulsen relates tales from his youth in a small town in northwestern Minnesota in the late 1940s and early 1950s, such as skiing behind a souped-up car and imitating daredevil Evel Knievel. Audience Ages 9+. Available as a book and as a book on CD.

Notes

“The More We Get Together.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Founation, Inc., 17 Feb. 2021, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_More_We_Get_Together.

- Connie R., Hopewell Branch