As we have been planning for summer reading, we’ve found that there is not much out there on gnomes and fairies to use for storytime. So here are some ideas to get you started. (The first three are short rhymes that I wrote.)
FINGERPLAY: Two Little Garden Gnomes
This is a variation on “Two Little Blackbirds”
Two little garden gnomes
Sitting on a leaf.
One named Kurt
And one named Keith.
Run away Kurt,
Run away Keith.
Come back Kurt.
Come back Keith!
FINGERPLAY: Two Little Fairies
This is a variation on “Two Little Blackbirds”
Two little fairies
Dancing on the lawn.
One named Faye,
And one named Fawn.
Fly away Faye.
Fly away Fawn.
Come back Faye,
Come back Fawn!
FLANNELBOARD RHYME: 5 Tiny Gnomes
Mollie and I made a flannel board to go with this rhyme I wrote – complete with templates! 
Five tiny gnomes in little cloth suits,
Wearing funny hats and pointy boots.
When the sun has gone to sleep,
The gnomes come out to play hide-and-seek.
The first gnome ducked behind an old wooden door.
The second one nestled into grass growing on the forest floor.
The third one climbed a tall, tall tree.
The fourth one crawled in a log where no one could see.
The fifth gnome hid under a mushroom cap,
Where he decided to take a nap.
Five tiny gnomes in little cloth suits,
Wearing funny hats and pointy boots.
Once the sun rises up in the sky,
The gnomes head home and they all say “Goodbye.”
Credit: Sunflower Storytime
Gnome Template
Gnome Hiding Places Template
SONG AND MOVEMENT ACTIVITY: Fairy Ring by Maria Sangiolo
from the album Fairy Moon-Songs of the Ring
Have children hold hands in a circle (or skip with scarves) and dance to this song.
SONG: White Coral Bells by Laurie Berkner
from the album Victor Vito
Teach children the song “White Coral Bells.” If the group is old enough, this is a perfect song to sing in a round.
White Coral Bells
Upon a slender stalk
Lilies of the valley deck my garden walk
Oh, don’t you wish that you could hear them ring?
That will happen only when the fairies sing.
FIND YOUR FAIRY NAME
And just for fun, here’s a fairy name generator!
It will provide both male and female names. I found out that my fairy name is “Oak Starsprite – She grants wishes. She lives in forests of oak and ash trees. She can only be seen in the light of a shooting star. She wears pretty autumnal leaf colours and has handsome pink butterfly wings.”
BOOKS
The Little Gnome by Sheri Fink
This book is a little bit longer, but will be a nice read-aloud to use in storytime for preschoolers and up. It’s about a garden gnome who has to learn to deal with change as the seasons progress.
The Mole Sisters and the Fairy Ring by Roslyn Schwartz
The actual size of this book is quite small – it’s not really big enough to read aloud in storytime. However, the story is simple and cute! Two mole sisters stumble across a fairy ring in the forest one day. No fairies are in sight, but all the sisters need is a little fairy dust to turn themselves into fairies. A story about pretend play and loving oneself. Mollie is planning on turning it into a flannelboard.
We purchased these adorable little mole sisters finger puppets available from Amazon, and then made them fairy outfits just like the mole sisters in the book. We cut a leaf skirts out of green felt and used Velcro to attach them. We also used artificial flowers for their hats! (Note that they are not sold as a set on Amazon. You have to order a quantity of two.)
A Little Fairy Magic by Julie Huberry
Another good read-aloud with adorable, full-color illustrations. This one has sparkling glitter on the pages that kids will love.
The Hidden Folk by Lisa Lunge-Larsen
While this is not your typical storytime book, it is worth picking up for all of its fun facts about gnomes, dwarves, elves and fairies. Before each story is a page filled with “factual” information about each magical being; I think it would be fun to share some of these “facts” with a storytime crowd. The stories themselves are geared toward an older group. (We are planning on sharing them with our 3rd-5th graders.)
❤ Leah
