Stories, Songs, and Stretches!: Creating Playful Storytimes with Yoga and Movement

An overview of how to conduct a storytime yoga program for three- to six-year-olds and their parents or caregivers. Scherrer covers the basics of yoga, discusses how yoga and movement impact early learning, and offers 13 basic yoga poses with 35 variations, accompanied by simple line drawings. She provides "movement extensions" for the poses (for instance, ask kids to moo and meow as they move through cow and cat pose) and relevant early learning tie-ins (books, rhymes, etc.). There are 12 themed yoga storytimes, each of which is designed to last roughly 45 minutes, with suggestions for books, songs, movements, and yoga poses. The final chapter includes a list of recommended resources and a bibliography of the materials used in the storytimes. Though the title clearly presents solid information, readers will benefit from hands-on knowledge of yoga to most effectively carry out the programs; librarians who are unfamiliar with the practice may want to take classes.