Belly Button Storytime
Belly Button Books
The Belly Button Book by Sandra Boynton (Babies-age 3)
“This tiny hippopotamus has something to say/and if you’re very quiet now, she’ll say it right away/ ‘Beebo!’/”Maybe you don’t know what ‘beebo’ means, or maybe you’ve forgotten/It’s the tiny hippo way of saying/ BELLY BUTTON!”
Look At You!: A Baby Body Book by Kathy Henderson, Illustrated by Paul Howard (Babies)
Just read first three pages: “Fingers and toes wiggle./ Eyes, nose and mouth giggle. Arms wave, legs kick.../ bottoms squirm...and tummies tickle.” Ask babies: “Are your tummies ticklish? Let’s find out.” Encourage belly tickling.
Where Is Baby’s Belly Button? by Karen Katz (Babies-Toddlers)
“Where are baby’s eyes?/ Where is baby’s mouth?/ Where is baby’s belly button?” Lift the flap on each board book page to find out..
We’ve All Got Bellybuttons! by David Martin, Illustrated by Randy Cecil (Babies- age 3)
“We’ve got ears, and you do too. We can pull them. Can you?” Purple elephants, gold and hot pink giraffes and other brightly colored wild animals dance across the pages. “And we’ve all got bellybuttons,/and you do too./And when they’re tickle, tickle,/tickled…/we GIGGLE!/Do you?” Will work with babies especially if you skip pages.
“More More More,” Said The Baby by Vera Williams (Babies- age 3)
Little Guy, Little Pumpkin and Little Bird are babies about one year old. “Little Guy runs away so fast / Little Guy’s daddy has to run like anything just to catch that baby up. / But Little Guy’s daddy catches that baby up all right. He throws that baby high / and swings that baby all around. ‘Oh, you’re a great little guy,’ Little Guy’s daddy sings to Little Guy. / Just look at you with your perfect belly button right in the middle right in the middle right in the middle of your fat little belly. / Then Little Guy’s daddy brings that baby right up close / and gives that little guy’s belly a kiss right in the middle of the belly button. / ‘More,’ laughs Little Guy. ‘More. More. More.’” The stories about Little Pumpkin and Little Bird are similar, with Little Pumpkin’s grandma catching him and catching each of his ten toes, and Little Bird’s mother kisses her sleepy daughter on each of her little eyes. Read just one story for a group of babies.
Belly Button Rhymes
THESE ARE BABY’S FINGERS
These are baby’s fingers
(touch baby’s fingers)
These are baby’s toes
(touch baby’s toes)
This is baby’s belly button
(point to baby’s belly button)
Round and round it goes
(draw circle around baby’s belly button)
N.B.: for toddlers/ older children, substitute the word “my” for “baby’s.”
Belly Button Songs
“Belly Button (Round)” Sung by the Heath Sisters Track 12 on
Boynton, Sandra et al. Philadelphia Chickens. Book/CD set. Workman Publishing Company, Inc., 2002.
This is a great song, but it takes a while to start; you may want to hand out shaker eggs while music is playing. Also good as a call & response song to learn together.
Om… So round… So profound…
Oooh, Belly, belly button, you’re oh, so fine
Ooh, belly button, I’m so happy you’re mine.
A belly without you just wouldn’t be right,
Ooh, belly button, you’re a beautiful sight.
Belly…Belly button! Belly…Belly button (yeah!)
Pitty-pat-pat, baby fat.
Pitty-pat-pat, baby fat.
Little Round button in the middle of that!
“Belly Button” Kaldor, Connie. A Duck In New York City
Not my favorite, but it’s a quick, snappy and simple very bellybutton-focused song.
“Belly Button Song” by Music for Aardvaarks and Other Mammals (1:58) Track 9 on
Sing Along With Putumayo. CD. Putumayo Kids-Putumayo World Music, 2004.
Ever wondered what a Delta Bluesman singing about his belly button would sound like? Well, wonder no more. I think this is a great song, but some younger kids may be a little put off by the gravelly bluesman voice. It’s also good as a song to learn & sing together.
Now here’s a little ditty that I done wrote,
It’s not about my fingers and it’s not about my toes
It’s called that Belly Button song.
Now, won’t you kindly sing along?
Chorus:It’s my itty-bitty, kinda gritty awful cute and even pretty right there on my tummy,
And I don’t know why I love them so, but I just think they’re funny.
Now some go in, and some pop out,
and I don’t know what that’s all about;
Either way, you can’t go wrong.
Now, sing that belly button song!
Chorus [Mmmm, hmmm! Sometimes, there’s some lint in there!
Once, I found a penny in there! Can’t buy much for a penny any more.]
Chorus (x2)
Belly Button Bibliography
Boynton, Sandra. The Belly Button Book! New York: Workman Publishers, 2005.
Henderson, Kathy. Look At You!: A Baby Body Book. Cambridge, Mass.: Candlewick Press, 2006.
Katz, Karen. Where Is Baby’s Bellybutton? New York: Little Simon-Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing Division, 2000.
Martin, David. We’ve All Got Bellybuttons! Illustrated by Randy Cecil. Cambridge, Mass.: Candlewick Press, 2005.
Williams, Vera B. “More More More,” Said the Baby : 3 Love Stoeies. New York: Greenwillow Books, 1990.
