Anime Review - Xenosaga

I watched the first episode of this anime series several months ago while substituting in the Teen Anime Club. My first reaction was, "That was weird... I wonder what happens next." When I learned it was part of a Japanese console system role playing game chain, the weirdness then made sense. I finally got around to watching the whole series. The storyline is very typical of a Japanese role playing game story. Weird. Way out there. Does not make sense. Doesn't quite end. But I enjoyed watching it. It was a good futuristic, space adventure.

I'm not sure what is up with the box set cover art. It is very provocative in a way that has nothing to do what-so-ever with the story.

Reader's Advisory - Jane Porter

• Single mothers
• Happiness in women
• Divorced women
• Women -- Friendship
• Middle-aged women
• Women -- Aging
• Men/women relations
• Sexuality
• Motherhood
• Love stories

READALIKES:
Hot Flash Club Chills Out by Nancy Thayer
The Botox Diaries by Janice Kaplan & Lynn Schnurnberger
The Starter Wife by Gigi Levangie Grazer
Would I Lie to You? by Sheila Norton
Flying Changes by Sara Gruen

Reader's Advisory - Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess

• Social control
• Aversion therapy
• Dystopias
• Crime
• Criminals, Men
• Futurism
• Science fiction, English

READALIKES:
Perdido Street Station by China Mieville
Children of Men by P.D. James
Against Gravity by Gary Gibson
Slaughtermatic by Steve Aylett
Neuromancer by William Gibson

Dinosaurs Storytime

Storytime for 1-1/2 to 3 year olds:

• Opening - Skinnamarink, Sticky Sticky Bubblegum
• Book #1 – How Do Dinosaurs Say Good Night? by Jane Yolen and Mark Teague
• Activity – We Are The Dinosaurs (action song from Whaddaya Think of That? by Laurie Berkner)
• Flannelboard – 10 Little Dinosaurs
• Book #2 – Dinosaur Stomp by Paul Stickland (pop-up)
• Activity – Dinosaur, Dinosaur (action rhyme that Dawn, a former co-worker, and I wrote for use at storytime)

Dinosaur, dinosaur turn around.
Dinosaur, dinosaur touch the ground.
Dinosaur, dinosaur dance on your toes.
Dinosaur, dinosaur touch your nose.
Dinosaur, dinosaur reach up high.
Dinosaur, dinosaur jump to the sky.
Dinosaur, dinosaur stomp your feet.
Dinosaur, dinosaur show your teeth.
Dinosaur, dinosaur give a roar.
Dinosaur, dinosaur find the floor.

• Closing - Eggshakers using "I Know A Chicken" from Whaddaya Think of That by Laurie Berkner
• Craft - Glue sewing trim and fabric scraps onto a dinosaur picture or shape

Colors Storytime

Storytime for 1-1/2 to 3 year olds:

• Opening - Skinnamarink, Sticky Sticky Bubblegum
• Book #1 – Mouse Paint by Ellen Stoll Walsh (big book)
• Activity – Colorful World (action rhyme from Let's Read! Storytime Crafts by Kathryn Totten)
• Flannelboard – Five Little Crayons (The Mailbox Preschool, August/September 2003, page 6)
• Book #2 – Who Said Red? by Mary Serfozo, illustrated by Keido Narahashi
• Activity – Ladybug (fingerplay, I don't remember where I got this one)

Ladybug, ladybug fly out of the farm
And land right on my little arm.
Ladybug, ladybug fly out of the tree
And land right on my little knee.
Ladybug, ladybug fly out of the rose
And land right on my little nose.
Ladybug, ladybug fly out of the chair
And fly right on my own sweet hair.
Ladybug, ladybug fly all around
And quietly fly down to the ground.

• Closing - Eggshakers using "I Know A Chicken" from Whaddaya Think of That by Laurie Berkner
• Craft - Coloring sheet

Spring Storytime

Storytime for 1-1/2 to 3 year olds:

• Opening - Skinnamarink, Sticky Sticky Bubblegum
• Book #1 – Rabbit's Good News by Ruth Lercher Bornstein
• Activity – If You're Happy and You Know It (action song from Songs for Wiggleworms)
• Flannelboard – Five Little Ducks
• Book #2 – In the Spring by Craig Brown
• Activity – 10 Spring Flowers (fingerplay adapted from a rhyme found at http://stepbystepcc.com/spring.html)

Flowers tall,
Flowers small,
Count the flowers as the sway in the springtime breeze.
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10!

• Closing - Eggshakers using "I Know A Chicken" from Whaddaya Think of That by Laurie Berkner
• Craft - Toilet paper tube windsocks using crepe paper as streamers on the toilet paper tube

Spring Preschool Storytime

Storytime for 3-1/2 to 5 year olds:

• Opening - "Row, Row, Row Your Boat" from Songs for Wiggleworms, Sticky Sticky Bubblegum
• Book #1 – Bear Wants More by Karma Wilson, illustrated by Jane Chapman
• Flannelboard – Five Little Ducks
• Activity - If You're Happy And You Know It (action song from Songs for Wiggleworms)
• Book #2 – It Looked Like Spilt Milk by Charles G. Shaw
• Book #3 - In the Spring by Craig Brown
• Activity – 10 Spring Flowers (fingerplay adapted from a rhyme found at http://stepbystepcc.com/spring.html)

Flowers tall,
Flowers small,
Count the flowers as the sway in the springtime breeze.
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10!

• Closing - Round of Applause (action rhyme adapted from Rob Reid)

You're so great!
Now please stand
Give yourself a great big hand.
Clap the floor,
Clap your face,
And clap the air.
Clap your elbows,
Clap your feet,
Clap your pinkies,
And clap your seat.
Clap with flippers,
Clap with claws,
Now a bigRound of applause!

• Craft - Make a toilet paper tube windsock by glueing crepe paper streamers to a TP tube and decorating with stickers.