More Storytime Magic. By Kathy MacMillan and Christine Kirker; illustrations by Melanie Fitz. Chicago: ALA, 2016. 200 p. Paper $52.00 (ISBN: 978-0-8389-1368-0.)

This book offers a bounty of fresh materials for both storytime novices and veterans, including songs, flannel boards, rhymes, stories, and recommended book lists to engage the audience. Updating their 2009 Storytime Magic, authors MacMillan and Kirker use the same format for this volume, but with new materials. As with the earlier title, chapters have themes, such as “All About Me,” “Fairy Tales and Castles,” and “The Natural World.” The new materials in these chapters are useful when planning storytimes. Some activities and flannel boards are tied to specific books. For example, Toni Yuly’s Early Bird (2009, 19) is the focus of a flannel board, and an ALA web link is provided for flannel board patterns, which makes it easy to use. Song lyrics listed in the book can be sung to familiar tunes, including childhood favorites. As in the previous book, some American Sign Language is also included.

The opening chapter has been revamped from the previous book. Instead of focusing on programming for different age groups, this updated title opens with general tips for capturing and maintaining the attention of the audience and also focuses on early literacy. Although the authors acknowledge that Common Core State Standards are controversial, they explain why they include them: “The fact is that teachers, students, and parents all over the country are being affected by the implementation of these standards” (3). Songs, flannel boards, and other activities are labeled with an abbreviation for the standard they meet, which is further explained in appendix B, “Common Core State Standards for Kindergarten.” These are helpful tools for identifying and communicating the educational components of a storytime. If briefly explained in a storytime, this can also help parents and caregivers know how to model these activities at home.

On page 3, this book also emphasizes “making storytimes accessible to all.” Chapter 1 offers an introductory overview of some ways to make storytimes more inclusive to children with disabilities. However, it does not provide an outline for creating a specific program like a sensory storytime. The book also includes an appendix with further resources for storytime planning. This resource is highly recommended to promote early literacy and fun in storytimes.—Robin Sofge, Alexandria Library, Duncan Branch, Alexandria, Virginia