• Lists

    16 Activity Books for Summer Vacation

    colored pencils

    There’s still at least a month of summer vacation left and your kiddos might be getting to the point where they are complaining they’re bored or you’ve got a long car ride coming up and need something to distract everyone! Check out these great activity books for all ages! There’s…

  • Activities

    Tangram Puzzles Program

    tangrams

    Programming in the library has been difficult since COVID started over a year and a half ago. We were able to jump into virtual programs really quickly, but it was very basic at the beginning. We focused solely on booktalking/read-aloud and storytimes. Since then, we’ve definitely expanded our repertoire with…

  • Reviews

    The Great Whipplethorp Bug Collection

    beetle

    Synopsis: “Enjoy this witty, heartwarming exploration of father-son relationships and growing up male in today’s culture through the lens of a boy yearning to forge his own identity.  Chuck Whipplethorp has a lot to live up to. He is Charles Whipplethorp the Fifth after all, named after his seriously cool ancestors who…

  • Reviews

    #blogbookaday: What If…

    “Creativity, the power of imagination, and the importance of self-expression are celebrated in this inspiring picture book written and illustrated by real-life best friends.” Summary:  “This girl is determined to express herself! If she can’t draw her dreams, she’ll sculpt or build, carve or collage. If she can’t do that, she’ll…

  • Activities

    AtoZ Blogging Challenge – Unique Crafting

    Program Name: Crafternoon What: This has been a hugely successful craft for kids and library staff alike – we called it Crafternoon! We pulled out all our craft materials – things that have a few pieces, extra leftovers from other crafts, pieces that we don’t have enough to use for another program…

  • Activities

    AtoZ Blogging Challenge – Passive Programming

    Program Name: DIY Programs What: Passive programs are a librarians best friend when you’re short on staff, space and money. These programs can be super simple and easy to create and allow patrons the chance to participate any time they stop in the library, rather than attending a program on a specific…

  • Activities

    AtoZ Blogging Challenge – Origami

    Program Name: Origami Folding What: We’ve offered this program a few times for our kids and it’s always met with a lot of interest – but, I’d love to try a program with adults as well. Origami is so much fun because of the hands-on nature of creating something beautiful with…

  • Activities

    AtoZ Blogging Challenge – Bullet Journaling

    Program Name: Not Your 13-year-old Self’s Journal What: I tried to bullet journal a little bit last year and unfortunately I just didn’t keep up with it, but I’ve been wanting to offer a how-to bullet journal program at the library for a couple of months now. I think this would be…

  • Reviews

    #blogbookaday: The Wolf, The Duck & The Mouse

    Summary:  “This is a story about a mouse and a duck who get swallowed by a wolf. Early one morning a mouse met a wolf and was quickly gobbled up. When a woeful mouse is swallowed by a wolf, he quickly learns he is not alone: a duck has already set…