James Coffey LIVE in Concert!

James Coffey -- Live in Concert
We're Travelin' the World!

July 14, 2011

10:30 a.m.

2:00 p.m.

7:00p.m.

Bring your family, a blanket, and sunscreen, and enjoy this great concert
outside on the Library Plaza
at the Main Library.

The James Coffey Concert is part of this year's

 Summer Reading Program: One World, Many Stories
and
is affiliated with the Three Rivers Festival.

 

Carnival of the Animals!

Families: Don't miss this special performance

presented by the
Fort Wayne Ballet Youth Company!

Carnival of the AnimalsSaturday, March 5, 2011
11:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m.
Main Library Theater
Doors will open 15 minutes before each performance.

Music Fun for Everyone!

Join us tomorrow, Saturday, October 16, to make MUSIC at the library!

The whole family is invited to a toe-tapping, hand-clapping, good time at 11:00 AM in the Globe Room.

A Soup Opera

Jim Gill was at the ACPL last weekend to present 4 concerts to children & their families. It was SO MUCH FUN!

At the concerts, Jim shared his new book A Soup Opera. In this photo, Jim is showing us how to sing the line "I can't eat the soup!" with feeling.

There are many more photos of the concerts, you can see them here.

Jim Gill in the Theater

It is just TOO HOT outside, so all of the Jim Gill concerts will now be held in the wonderfully air conditioned Main Library theater.

Tickets for Friday's 7pm performance will be distributed at 6pm at the Plaza (or east) entrance of the building.

Tickets will be available for Saturday's shows at 10am for the 11am performance and Noon for the 1pm performance in Children's Services.

Check this out! Jim Gill HERE Tomorrow!

Jim Gill will be at the main library, performing on the plaza for four shows:
Friday July 23 2:00pm AND 7:00pm
Saturday July 24 11:00am AND 1:00 pm

We Repeat: Jim Gill Will Perform Live on the Plaza

If you haven't marked your calendar yet, do it NOW!

Friday July 23 2:00pm AND 7:00pm
Saturday July 24 11:00am AND 1:00 pm

Music at the Library

"I worked hard. Anyone who works as hard as I did can achieve the same results." ~ Johann Sebastian Bach

Hey, Look At This!

Scream and Run Away!

I am extremely disturbed by everything produced by the repellent Lemony Snicket. This hideous video filled me with hopelessness and despair. Please don't watch it. It includes rare footage of the awful author, so you know that you really don't want to see it; his image is worrisome. And don't visit this website to find more ominous content. Don't. Please.

If you heard it reviewed on NPR...

then we probably have the book available to check out.
This lovely collection of poems, songs and lullabies
compiled by Julie Andrews was a recent segment
on Morning Edition.

Musical fun at the Library

As part of our Summer Reading Program, the Children's Services department hosted a Musical Fun program this afternoon. Nearly 100 kids enjoyed the interactive musical program which featured Larry Ford using a variety of found objects to make music. Check out some of the fun:



If you missed it, don't despair! We're offering it again throughout the summer. Click for the complete schedule for all of our agencies. (Larry Ford will be bringing his fun back to the Main Library tonight. Bring your family!)

Japanese Cherry Blossom Festival

Cherry Blossom Festivals are held all over Japan in spring every year. Hanami is the Japanese word for cherry blossom viewing parties. At hanami parties, people have fun, drinking, eating, and singing during the day or night. It is like a picnic under the trees. Usually, people bring food, do BBQ, or buy food from vendors for hanami parties.

People of all ages are warmly invited to attend a Japanese Cherry Blossom Festival right here at the Main Library, May 31st from 12:00 - 6:00 PM.
There will be Japanese food, traditional dance, a bonsai exhibit and a karaoke competition among other activities.

A Child's Book Review: Howdi Do

Howdi Do by Woody Guthrie was reviewed by 1-year-old Ada:

Good. How-do.

Submit your child's book review to me via email and you may see it in a future "A Child's Book Review" blog post.

Cat Tales

Join us for Smart Start Preschool Storytime today at 10:30 a.m. to listen to a few Cat Tales. If you can't make it today, you can always pick up some cat books the next time you visit. Check out Drat That Fat Cat! by Pat Thomson, Kitten's First Full Moon by Kevin Henkes, A Kitten Tale by Eric Rohmann or If You Give a Cat a Cupcake by Laura Numeroff.

If you like to sing about cats, check out "Three Little Kittens" on Wee Sing Nursery Rhymes and Lullabies by Pamela Beall, "I Bought Me a Cat" on 100 Sing-Along-Songs for Kids, V. 2 or Classic Animal Songs.

Get Moving!

Tired of sitting around in the house on these COLD winter days? Here are some fun titles to get you and your children a-movin' and a-shakin'!

Sock Monkeys Do the Monkey Monkey
by William B. Winburn









Bearobics: A Hip-Hop Counting Story
by Vic Parker










Or, check out some children's music CDs...Jim Gill and Greg and Steve are popular children's musicians who sing fun action songs.

Free Children's Concert Sunday

Join us at 2 p.m. in the art gallery across from Children's Services at the Main Library Sunday (January 11) for a special concert featuring the Meadowlark String Quartet. All ages are welcome.

Parents, bring your cameras -- "Tchaikovsky" will be at ACPL and willing to pose with your kids!

Also, you will have a chance to win a family pack of tickets to the Fort Wayne Philharmonic's family concert, Tchaikovsky Discovers America, the following Sunday (January 18) at IPFW.

Fort Wayne Philharmonic Trading Cards are still available -- click here for details and see you Sunday afternoon!

Time 2 Chime Live

On Tuesday, December 16, an audience of over 100 people enjoyed a concert given by Time 2 Chime, the library's homeschool handchime choir. Both beginning and advanced groups (pictured below) performed several songs and did a magnificent job. Way to go chimers!

Click here to see more pictures of the concert on the library's flickr site.

2008 - The Year in Review

2008 was a busy year in Children's Services! Here are some highlights:


In January 2008 musicians from the Fort Wayne Philharmonic performed pieces from Beethoven Lives Upstairs in the Jeffrey R. Krull Gallery.


In February 2008, the winners of the Your Reading Pet Photo Contest were announced.


In March 2008 over 300 children & adults attended the Homeschool Sneak Preview.


In April 2008 the kids in the Early Reader Roundup group practiced their emotions with Mo Willem's Elephant & Piggie characters.


In May 2008 Time 2 Chime, the homeschool handchime choir, finished off their year of practice with a live performance.


In June 2008, Fritz the GermanFest dog stopped by Children's Services to sign up for the Catch the Reading Bug Summer Reading Program.


In July 2008 kids had the opportunity to meet a ballet dancer from the Fort Wayne Ballet as part of a special SmartStart Preschool Storytime.


In August 2008 kids displayed their good sportsmanship and concentration skills at the Children's Services Chess Tournament.


In September 2008 things got very fancy at the Fancy Nancy Tea Party.


In October 2008 the Art Out of the Box kids painted two cars on the Library Plaza.



In November 2008 hundreds of children and grown ups enjoyed performances by Justin Roberts and the Not Ready for Naptime Players.

On December 31, 2008 we prepared for another wonderful year!

Please remember: The Main Library and all branches of the ACPL will close at 5pm today & will be closed all day tomorrow. Please visit early to pick up your books and other materials. The Main Library will re-open on Friday, January 2nd at 9am. Branch libraries will re-open at 10am.

Fort Wayne Philharmonic Trading Cards

Beginning today you can start your collection of Fort Wayne Philharmonic Trading Cards!

We’ll give you a pack of five cards the first week, and then two additional new cards each of the following five weeks, as you complete online games and activities.

Enjoy the six weeks of activities and then plan to attend a special concert featuring members of the orchestra in the art gallery at Main Library at 2 p.m., Sunday, January 11, 2009. You can ask the musicians to sign their trading cards AND you can enter your name in a drawing for a family pack of tickets to a special Philharmonic concert !

To get started click here. Collect all fifteen cards and trade with your friends!