Storytime with Amy Godfrey

Illustration by Margarita Babina

In addition to being fun, the benefits of reading are numerous, including increased listening and reasoning skills. While overall sharpening mental acuity, reading allows adults and children to practice the comprehension of complex ideas explored through imaginative scenarios. Perhaps the most important function of reading for children is unlocking their unguided learning ability.

Children’s book champion and librarian extraordinaire Amy Godfrey, or Storytime Amy, loves sharing a story and bringing the joy of books and learning to all. Amy’s special brand of storytelling, Little People, Big Questions, is an aptly named entertaining and educational shared learning experience for child learners, also enjoyed by adults, with the aim of creating a generation of emotionally intelligent critical thinkers.

We listened to Amy’s story.

You are known as a toddler whisperer, what’s your secret?

Oh, I never knew I was known as a toddler whisperer. I see children as my equals. Not as unformed clay that needs to be molded and shaped, but as full and complete humans who have just as much to offer me as I do them. I am not there to simply impart knowledge to them while we sit quietly and “learn.” I think children are deeply misunderstood by us as a society, and adults may not treat them with genuine respect. Even at a young age, kids can see and understand this. It’s the reason I start every storytime, even when there are 30 kids, by greeting each child by name, looking them in the eye, and saying hello. It is my goal that children see that we are in this together. We are creating an experience together, and what they bring to storytime is just as important as what I bring. When the job is done right, each of the children there will feel seen and understood. They’ll know know that their whole self is welcome, even when they are having a rough day and are not at the top of their game. If I am a toddler whisperer, I would say that this is my secret.

What led you to become a buyer of children’s books?

I had been doing storytime at The Regulator Bookshop for about a year when asked if I would like to be their kids’ book buyer. It’s an extension of my training as a librarian and a way to do the things I love, but with flexibility to be with my own children. I had decided to become a librarian because of my love of working with teens & children, and wanted to do so in an environment that would give me more freedom than a school setting; but, along the way, I fell in love with children’s and teen’s literature. I was a teen librarian and then a children’s librarian for 8 years, and after my son was born, I started doing storytime on my own. I read very few fiction books marketed for adults. 

What’s your main focus in choosing books for your Little People, Big Questions audience?

I look for books that show a diverse representation in the characters, and are written with a deep respect for their audience. I mean the children - not catering to their parents or teachers or the other adults in the room. The books should support children in understanding themselves and the world around them. This is always the rule, but I have other qualifiers depending on whether or not it is for storytime, or to carry in the bookstore or family use.

Your storytimes are sometimes musical and always an interactive experience. How can we more simply engage with our children while reading to them?

We can engage with them by asking open-ended questions with no expectation of what their response should be. 

Which are your favorite baby books?

Jane Cabrera’s Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. She rewrites and expands classic nursery songs and pairs them with beautiful, bold and colorful illustrations. Between the eye-catching images and song text, they are great for littles who are drawn to melody and whose eyes cannot yet focus on fine, detailed pictures. Sometimes I Like to Curl Up in a Ball by Vicki Churchill, and Whose Knees Are These? By Jabari Asim are great, too.

Storytime Amy displays a picture book for her audience.

What about your top 3 toddler books?

Those are: Mad Mad Bear by Kimberly Gee, Tough Guys Have Feelings Too by Keith Negley, and Don’t Touch My Hair by Sharee Miller.

Learning is a process, and some become discouraged along the way. How can we cultivate a lasting interest in literature in our children?

Read to your children, and remember not to pressure them to learn to read before they are ready. Most literacy experts will tell you that most children aren’t developmentally ready to learn to read until they are about seven. Expecting children to read before they are ready can set up a narrative for a child that they can’t read, or that reading isn’t something they are good at. They may feel shame if we expect something of them that they are not developmentally ready for. All reading is reading, so let children read what brings them joy! Reading comic books is reading, reading nonfiction is reading, and even reading the same Magic Tree House book over and over until you can no longer differentiate your own life from Jack and Annie’s is still reading. Trust your child to know when they are ready to move on. There are reasons some children will struggle more with reading, such as dyslexia, but if you make reading a fun, joyful, low-pressure activity, and you will have a child who loves reading.

What is the secret to helping inspire our children to love learning and become strong readers?

By loving to read yourself and loving reading to your child. That is the secret. Create an atmosphere where reading is a joyful activity and not an achievement to be unlocked, and you will raise a child who loves reading. People who love reading become strong readers. 

You are an appreciator as well as an illustrator. When can we expect a Storytime Amy children’s book?

If the right book comes to me. There are already a lot of books in the world, and I don’t want to throw my voice out there just for the sake of doing it. If the right idea comes to me at the right time, we’ll see. 

Are there any adult book recommendations you have?

Adult books? I am a strong believer in reading what brings you joy with no shame. So, if adult books are your jam, that’s ok too.

For now, you can click here to stay up to date with Storytime and Little People, Big Questions.