Sit Still. Be Quiet.A Wiggle-Friendly™ bookPredictable text, strong refrains, and a built-in reset for the wandering reader.
You already know that the kid who can't sit still in your reading group isn't being defiant — they're running out of regulation. Sit Still. Be Quiet. is a read-aloud built for fluency and engagement, with a body-based break tucked inside that buys you the next ten minutes of focus.
Built for the way kids actually attend.
- Predictable, repetitive structure. The "Sit still. Be quiet." refrain repeats across settings. Kids start chiming in by the second occurrence — supports prosodic reading and oral fluency.
- Bold typography for expressive read-aloud. Big, varied type sizes signal volume and emphasis cues, modeling expressive prosody.
- Strong onomatopoeia and action words. WIGGLE. TAP. STOMP. ROAR. — high-utility words for emergent readers.
- One line per spread (mostly). Low text density supports comprehension for emergent readers and English learners.
- The activity is a regulation reset. A 60-second Dinosaur Stomp mid-block can salvage a small group that's losing focus.
Six ways to use it in your reading work this week.
Shared reading / fluency modeling
Read with exaggerated expression. Pause on the bold typography. Invite kids to echo-read the refrains.
Repeated reading
A second read on a different day. The predictable structure makes this low-risk and high-success.
Vocabulary launch
"Wiggle." "Tap." "Stomp." "Roar." High-utility action words; pair with kids' own bodies.
Mid-block reset
When the small group is losing it, run the Dinosaur Stomp. 90 seconds. Then back to the text.
Read-aloud + writing prompt
"Where do you feel like a Ronald?" — invites personal narrative writing.
Family-engagement / take-home
Send a one-page Dinosaur Stomp guide home with reading logs.
It's often regulation, not motivation.
Reading specialists are often the first adults to notice that a kid's reading struggle is actually a regulation struggle. This book gives you a way to talk about it without labeling — and a tool to offer the classroom teacher who sent them.
For students with attention or sensory profiles (formally identified or not), the activate-then-settle arc inside the book mirrors what an OT or counselor would recommend: get the body what it needs before asking the brain to work harder.
For your alignment notes.
Science of Reading-friendly
Predictable structure supports fluency development without becoming "guess from picture cues" — text is short, decodable-friendly, supports prosody work.
CASEL self-management
The activity directly teaches a self-regulation strategy kids can name and use during independent reading.
UDL
Multiple means of engagement (story + movement) and representation (text + bold type + illustration). Accessible to ELs and kids with attention differences.
MTSS — Tier 1
A universal classroom resource that lowers the barrier for kids who need extra regulation support.
The one-page lesson guide
The lesson, talk-about-it questions, words to notice and the Dinosaur Stomp steps on one printable page. Ready for circle time, a K–3 morning meeting, or library storytime.
⬇ Download the free guide (PDF)Read-aloud permission: Teachers, librarians and caregivers are welcome to read Sit Still. Be Quiet. aloud in classrooms, storytimes and live or virtual library programs. Please don't post full recordings online.
Who wrote itMeet Mr. Twisty
Chad Currin, better known as Mr. Twisty, is the son of an elementary school librarian and grew up in libraries. Today he's a storyteller and comedy magician who performs for kids at schools, libraries and festivals. He has watched thousands of wiggly kids up close, and he wrote this book for them.
🎩 Book Mr. Twisty for a visit
Raised in a library
Mr. Twisty (Chad Currin) is the son of an elementary school librarian. He grew up in libraries: reading stories, writing stories, reshelving books, and taking in everything a library had to offer. He has loved telling stories ever since.
On stage, his magic illustrates the stories he tells. His books are the stories that come from the rest of his life: the morning walks, the dogs, and the kids he meets along the way.
Magic on the stage. Stories on the page.