Before leaving the library today, I set up the story room for Monday morning’s toddler storytime – and realized that I actually had my camera with me (for a change).  So here is a photo of the feltboard pieces I made for Robert Kalan’s Moving Day, the story of a hermit crab who has outgrown his beloved shell home and wanders the ocean floor searching for a suitable shell home upgrade.  Click the image to enlarge:

I love doing this story in feltboard form, because there is so much repetition (“too big, too small, too long, too short, too smooth, too rough…”) and the feltboard pieces really encourage the kids and parents to echo along with the repeated words.  It makes for a fun communal storytime experience.

Note that when I took the photo, one shell had hidden itself away behind another, so the “too plain” shell is missing from the photo. But it does exist!

I’m hoping that by posting these feltboard pieces I can give a little inspiration to children’s librarians and teachers who are just beginning to use and make feltboard stories.  Please let me know if you find these photos to be useful!