Most preschoolers seem to be interested in basic astronomy, and want to learn about planets and stars. Bay area kids may have visited the Chabot Science Center, so having a storytime on the sun and moon can offer some simple science lessons. Make a wall-hanging that resembles the rays of the sun, or make these simple Moon Dust paintings.
Asch, Frank. MOONBEAR’S SUNRISE. Little Bird explains the sunrise to Moonbear, who wants to see it for himself.
Graham, Bob. HOW THE SUN GOT TO COCO’S HOUSE. A spare text describes how the sun rotates through 24 hours in a day.
Henkes, Kevin. KITTEN’S FIRST FULL MOON. The kitten thinks the moon is a bowl of milk when it is reflected in a pond.
Matheson, Christie. TOUCH THE BRIGHTEST STAR. In this interactive story, listeners are encouraged to touch the various night sky stars and moon.
Various. TWINKLE, TWINKLE LITTLE STAR. There are several picture book versions of this popular nursery song.
Tafuri, Nancy. WHAT THE SUN SEES. Half the story describes the sun’s view of things, the other half shows the moon’s view in this beautifully illustrated story.
Yankey, Lindsey. SUN AND MOON. The moon is lonely, and asks the sun to trade places for one day so moon can see everything on earth.
Zolotow, Charlotte. SAY IT! A mother and daughter take a walk and enjoy the sunset.
Also see the previous Sun and Moon storytime ideas page from August 2005.