As a storytime person I am always looking at picture books and trying to pair them with other titles to make an interesting program.  It’s sort of like arranging several dinner parties every week.  What flavors will work well together?  What’s in season?  What juxtaposition will stimulate good conversation?

Now, I am well aware that some of my ideas will never fly.  They’re just a little too wacked.  And I can deal with this, but if I could…

I’ve got some great stories for a Political and Economic Issues storytime.  We’d start with one of my all-time favorites—

Farmer Duck, by Martin Waddell and Helen Oxenbury where the Workers of the World (well, ok, the Animals of the Farm) unite to overthrow the lazy old farmer and take over the means of production.

Then we’d move on to Doreen Cronin’s Click, Clack, Moo:  Cows that Type where the cows and chickens learn the power of collective bargaining and strike for better working conditions.

After singing a stirring American Labor tune (Woody Guthrie?  no—it should be “Maggie’s Farm”), we’d finish up with the classic picture book  A Bargain for Frances by Russell Hoban,  in which a young badger learns “caveat emptor” and we explore issues of trust, betrayal, and friendship in business (Perhaps this would also be a good candidate for a Faculty Academy Keynote storytime?).

There’s a lot to talk about when you pick up a really good picture book.  Maybe if I change the title of this storytime, I can still pull it off.  Now, if I can just come up with an appropriate fingerplay….

“This little pig went to market…”