I'm Not Scared!

"I'm an owl, and owls stay up all night!" declares Baby Owl. He insists he is NOT afraid of the dark...but is he? Read "I'm Not Scared!" by Jonathan Allen, and find out!

For more books about being afraid of the dark or nightmares, see our Fear of the Dark Booklist.

Hispanic Heritage Month Continues Through October 15th!

Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month by visiting the Library and reading some great books about Hispanic culture. Why not try some of the titles from our Spanish Language Words in English Language Books list, or some of the books from our Spanish/English Bilingual Booklist?

In addition, you may want to take a Hispanic Heritage Cultural Tour, a virtual tour provided by the Smithsonian. You can see artwork, tools, clothing, and lots of other cool stuff. Be sure to turn on your computer's speakers!

For more ideas, visit us at the Library. See you soon!

Environmental Games Online

There are a variety of fun games about the environment for kids online. In this game, "The Great Garbage Caper" you have to solve a mystery of trash and help to reduce waste. For more games on this topic click here.

Newbery Books Ranked!

Since 1922, the single "most distinguished contribution to children's literature" has been given the annual John Newbery Medal by the Association of Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association. Every list you've probably ever seen arranges these award winners by year of award, or perhaps by author. Not this one.

Finally, the list everyone really wants... the awards, arranged--not by year--but by how much a totally biased group of readers enjoyed them. Which Newbery winner, in this group's opinion, is the most fun to read? Well, read on...

For nearly five years, the completely biased, non-scientific, Newbery Book Discussion Group met monthly to digest a randomly selected past Newbery book and an equally random pot luck dinner. Group members were primarily teachers and librarians. All liked to read children's and young adults' books. None could pass up a Dove Bar while arguing the merits of the book under discussion. This Group read, debated, and ate its way to creating a list of Newbery winners in rank order of what we liked best.

In November 2000, the Group "reordered" the list and decided to discuss and add the latest Newbery winner each year. The annotations, like the ranking itself, reflect the flavor of the Group's discussion. In June 2009, we added the most recent winner, The Graveyard Book, by Neil Gaiman, to our ranked list. See the list here.

Come See Our Caterpillars!

Our Painted Lady caterpillars have arrived, and they are growing FAST! Come to Children's Services often during the month of June and watch our caterpillars as they grow and change. At the end of the month, Tuesday evening, June 30 at 6:00 p.m., we'll be releasing them at an extra-special Butterfly Release Storytime.

To find some great books about caterpillars and butterflies, try our Butterfly Booklist!

Fairy Tales!

Goldilocks and the Three Bears...









The Gingerbread Man...











Rumpelstiltskin...










...these are just a few of the fairy tales that you may have heard or read. But did you know there are LOTS of different versions of these old, old stories? Take a look at our Fairy Tale Booklists, and check out some of the books - you may find some new favorites!

Birth to Baby Fair

Visit the Main Library this Saturday, May 2nd between 10:00 a.m. and 4:00p.m. for the third annual "Birth to Baby Fair"!

Birth to Baby is a FREE event featuring seminars, workshops and exhibitors that support the needs of growing families in our community.




Check out our Birth and Babies Booklist to find great titles in Children's Services about breastfeeding, siblings, new babies, and other baby related books for kids.

Cut Paper Illustrations "All in a Day"

Who could resist the sweet sounding text of Cynthia Rylant
paired with the mesmerizing paper-cut illustrations of Nikki
McClure?

“All in a Day” is the perfect way to welcome a new
day or wish it a dreamy goodnight.

Find more books with Cut Paper Illustrations here!

Trash to Treasure Art Contest

Here's a fun activity to motivate you to recycle... The Trash to Treasure Art Contest!

Use your imagination to create a piece of art made ENTIRELY out of discarded material. Your art piece must fit on a 3 foot table, and one person must be able to lift it, so don't make it TOO big.

The contest is open to all ages -- from preschool through adult -- and will take place at Science Central on April 18th.

Sound like fun? Click here for more details.

If you want to read more about Recycling and Environmental Issues, check out this booklist of materials available at our Library.

Welcome Baby Carlo!

Heather, our department's Assistant Manager, has welcomed a beautiful new baby into her family! Yesterday at 8:11 am, Carlo Manuel was born. He weighed in at 8lbs 9.5 oz. and 21 inches long. He is healthy and loved and excitedly welcomed by mom, dad, and big sisters Helena and Ada.

Congratulations to the whole family!

If you want to read about welcoming a new baby at your house, here's a booklist to get you started.

New Book: Grow: An Environmentally Friendly Book

Check out this great new book for preschoolers about the environment! Grow: An Environmentally Friendly Book takes readers through an environmentally friendly day with simple, thought-provoking illustrations and few words.

Not only is the topic good for the environment, but the package is too. This book was 100% made in Chicago, Illinois using "green" techniques. Check out the book website to see photos of the hand binding process.

To see more books on this topic, check out our booklist.

Happy Spring!

Today is the first day of Spring! Hurray! From now until the Summer Solstice in June the days will be getting longer.

Celebrate the new season by checking out a book from our Spring booklist.

New "Firsts" Booklist

Their first "big bed", first pet, first haircut...children have many "firsts" throughout their childhoods. We now have a list of books for children to help celebrate or prepare for these events.

All titles listed are available through the Allen County Public Library!

New Booklist : Fear of Storms

Did you hear the storm last night? I sure did, I believe that it was centered directly over MY house!

Just in time for the thundery season, we have a new booklist about the fear of storms. The books on this list contain information and stories to help comfort children who are frightened by storms.

This list is part of our Parents' Primer booklist - a helpful list about books on sensitive and important topics.

Meet Abe Lincoln's Friend!

As a celebration of Lincoln’s 200th birthday, storyteller Doyne Carson will present a special storytelling program called “Meet Abe Lincoln’s Friend.”

In this program, students will meet Abigail Gollaher, one of Abraham Lincoln’s childhood friends, who tells them the story of the childhood adventures of young Abe Lincoln.

Seats for the 6:30p.m. performance on Wednesday, February 25th are still available.

Curriculum connections include United States Indiana history, history, and social studies. This program is designed for students fourth grade and up.

Please register by calling 421-1220

Click here to see our Abraham Lincoln booklist!

Make Your Own Pop-Ups!

Looking for something fun to do this winter? Try making your own pop-up cards, or even a pop-up story book with these tips from world-famous pop-up book artist Robert Sabuda:

RobertSabuda.com: Simple Pop-Ups You Can Make

For inspiration, visit us at the Library and take a peek at some of the books on our Pop-Up Books Booklist.

ACPL is Closed Today

The ACPL is closed today and tomorrow. We will re-open at 9am on Friday, December 26th. You can still enjoy a wide variety of ACPL services on our website. Check these out:

• Downloadable Audiobooks - download entire audiobooks to your computer or MP3 Player for free.
• E-Resources - enjoy access to full text magazine & newspaper databases, genealogy databases, business information, art resources and more.
• Children's Services Booklists - search for titles on hot topics for kids or just find some fun books here.
• Mock Election Blogs - read what people are saying about some of the best children's books of 2008.
• Booktalk - search for books by your favorite authors, read reviews, find books that were mentioned on television or public radio and more.
• Great Sites for Kids - find a list of websites for kids on a variety of topics.

A Treasure for Fans of Strega Nona

Tomie dePaola has published a NEW Strega Nona book -- and this may be the best, yet (that's my personal opinion, of course!) Working with Robert Sabuda and Matthew Reinhart of pop-up book fame, he has given us

Brava Strega Nona! A Heartwarming Pop-Up Book

And heartwarming it is, indeed! Those familiar with the Strega Nona stories will recognize some famous scenes...but everyone can appreciate the stunning artwork and, just maybe, will come to love Strega Nona as much as I do.

For more poppin'-up fun, take a peek at our Pop-Up Books Booklist.

Want to read more about Strega Nona? Click here!

New Booklist: At-Home Dads & Working Moms

We have a new booklist all about At-Home Dads & Working Moms. Too Small for Honey Cake is a great book about an at-home dad fox and his little fox as they adjust to having a new baby in the house. Find this list and more on our booklist page.

American Girl Books

American Girl fans -- take notice!!


Kaya, Felicity , Josefina, ...and all the other American Girls can now be found on our new American Girl Booklist! Look for your favorites, or explore something new -- all titles on the list can be found at the Library. Can't find something? Ask the Librarian! We love to help!