Tag Archives: storytime

Vampire? Or Penguin?

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Your leisurely visit to the zoo will be extra special thanks to this snazzy story time stroller. But wait! Is that…a penguin???

We read Vampenguin by Lucy Ruth Cummins (Atheneum, 2021). When the Dracula family visits the zoo, their first stop is the Penguin House. Everything seems fine until readers discover that the youngest member of the Dracula family has swapped places with a penguin! Penguin is soon enjoying the free zoo tour and stroller ride immensely. But back in the Penguin House, toddler Dracula is causing quite a stir. Can the two secretly switch back without the Dracula family finding out?

Unique and quirky with a hilarious double narrative, we highly recommend this book!

You’ll need:

Let’s start with the penguin, which is a small oatmeal container decorated with construction paper. We did dot stickers eyes and a self-adhesive foam beak, but you can just use markers as well.

Now for the stroller! It’s a little bit technical to construct, but worth it. The kids loved it!

We used a 4.5” X 4.5” x 9” white craft box, but a large tissue box works too! First, cut the top or lid off the box and set it aside for later. Next, cut a large notch in the side of the box, as seen below. This notch ultimately becomes the canopy of your stroller:

Set the box upright (notched end up) and use a box cutter to create two slits in both sides of the top. Insert a chopstick about 2″ into each slit, then secure the chopsticks to the inside of the box with hot glue. It might seem easier to attach the chopsticks to the outside of the box, but we found that they ripped off almost immediately during use.

We also recommend hot gluing the cardboard that was once your box’s lid to the inside of the stroller. Not only does it make it look cleaner, it also safely covers the pointy ends of the chopsticks. Decorate the stroller with color masking tape and/or markers.

The stroller handle is a bubble tea straw bent into thirds and attached to the ends of the chopsticks with color masking tape.

Finally…the wheels! It took us a couple prototypes before we finally hit on the winning design. As it turns out, the front of the stroller has to be slightly elevated in order to keep the penguin from tumbling out AND give it that classic stroller tilt. We taped a basic wheel assembly to the back of the stroller box, then used a scotch tape core to act as the front wheel. Here’s what a completed set up looks like from underneath:

Your stroller is finished and you’re ready to go, be you a penguin or a vampire toddler!

Totally Twinning!

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When it comes to stylish pet cats, what can we say? It’s a total match!

We read My Cat Looks Like My Dad by Thao Lam (Owlkids Books, 2019). Dad and the cat both have orange hair and like milk, but the similarities don’t stop there! From afternoon naps to outdoor fun, Dad and the cat are remarkably (and adorably) alike. This is a fun, funny book with a super cute twist at the end, we highly recommend it!

You’ll need:

  • 1 small oatmeal container
  • An assortment of construction paper
  • Scissors, tape, and glue for construction
  • Markers for decorating

This project is basically an oatmeal container cat you can entirely decorate with construction paper. We added a self-adhesive foam nose, twisteez wire whiskers, and wiggle eyes for some texture. But do the cats below look familiar?

Maybe this photo will help…

Cat twins, activate! Yes, the point of the project was to match the cat to YOU! We encouraged the story time kids to take stock of their hair, outfits, and color preferences and design a twin cat. The results were adorable.

We brought out the Bling Bin for some extra crafting materials, and also supplied ribbons, foam beads, and bells in case kids wanted to make matching neck gear!

Baby, You’re a Firework!

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Call it a milestone! In twenty years of story time crafting, we never thought to do a light up hat. This illuminated chapeau was incredibly simple to put together, but judging from the kids’ reactions, it might just win most popular craft for 2026!

We read Fireworks, written by Matthew Burgess, and illustrated by Cátia Chien (Clarion Books, 2025). It’s a special summer night in the city, and from up top of the building, the sun sets and the firework show begins. Artistically written and boldly illustrated, more than one parent told us they wanted to add this picture book to their home library.

Huzzah! Fireworks won the 2026 Caldecott, congrats to Mr. Burgess and Ms. Chien!

You’ll need:

  • 1 plastic fedora hat
  • 1 strand of LED lights
  • Sparkle stems
  • Metallic embossed paper, cellophane, and Mylar for fireworks
  • Star stickers
  • Poster board hatband (preferably gold metallic)
  • Scissors and tape for construction
  • Metallic markers for decorating

We had a bunch of shiny purple fedora hats in the art cabinet, and they turned out to be perfect for this project (I believe they were originally from Oriental Trading Company). We also had a bunch of LED light strands from the discount holiday section at CVS.

For best results, we recommend you use the thin wire LED lights (not the wires covered in thick plastic). First, tape sparkle stems around the crown of the hat, then wrap the wire lights around the stems so they are elevated above the hat – the messier the lights, the better! Tape the LED battery holder to the back of the hat for easy access:

Next, use embossed foil paper, cellophane, and mylar to make bursts of fireworks, and tape them to the wire and sparkle stems. Decorate a poster board hat band with metallic markers, then finish the look with star stickers around the hat brim.

And remember, when it comes to firework hats, it can’t be too tall or too fancy! Go BIG!

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