Storytime: Berries

Books

Blueberry Mouse by Alice Low

The Very Berry Counting Book by Jerry Pallotta

The Little Mouse, the Red Ripe Strawberry, and The Big Hungry Bear by Don and Audrey Wood

Jamberry by Jerry Pallotta

The Berry Book by Gail Gibbons

Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush by Iza Trapani

Did you know most of the fruit that we know as berries aren't actually berries by the botanical definition? I didn't either! It's true though. Strawberries, blackberries, and raspberries are aggregate fruit, not berries. Do you know what are berries? Oranges, bananas, watermelons, and avocados, among many other various fruits that I never would have thought were berries. Preparing for this storytime made me feel like everything I know is a lie. Bananas are berries and strawberries are not?! What other "truths" that I know are completely false? I decided that for this storytime we could forego the botanical definition and still talk about the berries everyone knows and loves. I did mention this interesting fact at the start of the storytime though. Hopefully it didn't give any of the children an existential crisis the way it did for me.

Jamberry and The Little Mouse, the Red Ripe Strawberry, and The Big Hungry Bear were my favorite books for this storytime!

For extension activities click read more.

Songs and Rhymes

Ukulele Song: “Pop! Goes the Berry”

(Tune: Pop! Goes the Weasel)

All around the strawberry fields,
We picked some juicy berries
We brought them home and washed them off,
Pop! Go the berries!


Verses: blueberry, blackberry, raspberry

Source: Jbrary

Ukulele Song: “Picked a Berry”

(Tune: Oh My Darling Clementine)

Picked a strawberry, picked a strawberry

That was growing in the sun.

Then I washed it, and I ate it,

And I picked another one.

Verses: blueberry, blackberry, raspberry

Source: Jbrary

I've posted these chord charts previously in this blog, but here they are again if you want them! 

Action/Transition Rhyme: “Picking Berries”

Pick berries high (reach up high)
Pick berries low (reach down low)
Pick berries on the bush, five in a row (clap 5 times)
Some like them red (raise one hand to side palm up)
Some like them blue (raise other hand palm up)
Here’s one for me- yum! (pretend to eat berry)
And here’s one for you (hold out hand)

Source: I can't find where I got this originally. If anyone knows the source, please share!

Flannelboards and Fingerplays

Flannelboard: “Down in the Market”

(Tune: Down Around the Corner)

Down in the market at the end of the street,

There are five ripe berries, so juicy and sweet.

Along comes a shopper with a nickel to pay.

She buys the cherry and takes it away!

Down in the market at the end of the street,

There are four ripe berries, so juicy and sweet.

Along comes a shopper with a nickel to pay.

He buys the raspberry and takes it away!

Down in the market at the end of the street,

There are three ripe berries, so juicy and sweet.

Along comes a shopper with a nickel to pay.

She buys the strawberry and takes it away!

Down in the market at the end of the street,

There are two ripe berries, so juicy and sweet.

Along comes a shopper with a nickel to pay.

He buys the blueberry and takes it away!

Down in the market at the end of the street,

There is one ripe berry, so juicy and sweet.

Along comes a shopper with a nickel to pay.

She buys the blackberry and takes it away!

Source: Wrote this myself!