El Dia de los Muertos / Day of the Dead

The sugar skulls and frosting have been prepared...







The papel picado has been strung...










It's time for Children's Services annual celebration of El Dia de los Muertos / Day of the Dead!!  Join us and learn about this joyful Mexican holiday that celebrates the lives of the departed. 

Decorate your own sugar skull to take home, add your memories to the community memory board, taste bread of the dead, make marigolds and masks, and bring your camera along to have your picture taken in our holiday photo booth.   To learn more about Day of the Dead, check out this booklist!

Saturday, November 5th, 2:00 - 4:00 p.m.
Sunday, November 6th, 2:00 - 4:00 p.m.

Read for the Record!

On Thursday, October 6, 2011, we'll be joining with millions of others around the country who will be reading Llama Llama Red Pajama by Anna Dewdney.  Help us set a reading world record AND call for an end to America's early education achievement gap.

We'll all have fun -- and we'll be standing up for kids!  Join us for our special storytimes at any of the following locations this Thursday, October 6, as we participate in Jumpstart: Read for the Record.

• Children's Services, Main Library, 10:00 a.m.
• Aboite Branch, 10:30 a.m.
• Dupont Branch, 10:30 a.m.
• New Haven Branch, 10:30 a.m.
• Shawnee Branch, 11:00 a.m.
• Woodburn Branch, 1:00 p.m.
• Little Turtle Branch, 1:30 p.m.
• Grabill Branch, 7:00 p.m.
• Hessen Cassel Branch, 6:30 p.m.
• Waynedale Branch, 7:00 p.m.

Sign up for Storytellers on the Move

Did you know that several times a year, children's librarians visit local daycares and preschools

to deliver boxes of great age-appropriate books and provide storytimes?  Well, they do!  

Call Children's Services at the Main Library -- 421-1220 -- and sign up for

Storytellers on the Move.  

Our next deliveries are being scheduled from September 19 - 30.  Call today!

Here comes...Olivia!!

Yes, Olivia has been gracing Allen County Public Library locations with her wonderful presence. She will be  in Children's Services, at the Main Library, on Thursday, July 28 at 10:30 a.m. and again on Saturday, July 30 at 2:00 p.m.  Be sure to bring your cameras for pictures!

To see other locations, dates and times where you can meet this world-famous pig in person, click here.

Would YOU like a librarian to visit YOUR daycare/preschool?

Now is the time for daycare and preschool teachers to schedule a day and time for...

Storytellers on the Move!


Between April 25 and May 6, 2011, Children's Librarians will be visiting local preschools and daycares, sharing special storytimes with the children and delivering boxes of books for teachers and children to use until our next visit.

Call today -- 421-1220 -- and schedule a time for us to visit YOU!

Stuffed Animal Sleepover TONIGHT!

Tonight is our Stuffed Animal Sleepover!
Friday, February 4th @ 5:00 pm

Wear your pajamas, bring your stuffed friend and listen to a bedtime story at 5:00 pm tonight.
After our story time, you will tuck your stuffed animal into "bed" and wish her sweet dreams. While you return home to your own snuggly beds, your stuffed pal will get to have fun in the library overnight! Who knows what they will do ~ where they will go...
Come back on Saturday morning at 9:00 am to pick up your friend and "hear" about all the mischief they got into after hours at the library!
All stuffed participants will take home a photo memory book of their overnight adventures in the library.

Storytellers on the Move!

From January 17th to January 27th ACPL librarians will be visiting area daycares and preschools to deliver book collections and provide storytime programs. If you know a daycare or preschool that could benefit from this awesome service, please call the Children's Services department to sign up. Our next delivery will be in late April.

There will be no storytimes at the library during the Storytellers on the Move program.

Special Storytime Guests!

Please join us tomorrow for a special storytime with the Fort Wayne Youtheatre!

9:30am storytime for groups (please register by calling 421-1220)

10:30am storytime for families

After storytime, be sure to visit the Early Learning Center, where we will be celebrating Letter T Day!

Ballet Dreams

Today we were excited to welcome a special guest to storytime!

Miss Lucia Rogers of the Fort Wayne Ballet joined us for a story, she taught us some dance steps, answered our questions about dance, and then some of us had our picture taken with her!

FotoViewr - Create your 3D photo gallery

Thanks, Miss Lucia! We loved having you visit storytime and tell us about Ballet!

Super Hero Party!

Kids of all ages -- join us tomorrow for our super-duper Super Hero Party! We'll have super-stories, super-games and super-crafts for you to enjoy. And, of course, we'll have plenty of super-books for you to read here at the library, or to check out and take home with you.

Costumes are welcome, but not necessary.

Super Hero Party at the Library
Saturday, October 23
2:00-3:00pm

From the New Book Shelf...

Here's a fun new picture book for your preschooler! Bright and bold illustrations highlight each letter of the alphabet, and fun rhymes describe animals that go along with each letter.

What a fun way to help develop your child's letter knowledge and their vocabulary!

ABC Animal Jamboree
by Giles Andreae
illustrated by David Wojtowycz

Pre-Reading Skills

There are six early literacy skills that your child must master before beginning school in order for them to become proficient readers. Once you know what the skills are, incorporating them into your daily interactions with your child is easy!
Bringing your child to the library for storytime is one easy way to reinforce those pre-reading skills. We explain briefly what the skills are and then we model using them in fun and exciting ways!
Join us every Wednesday morning and Friday morning for storytimes at the downtown library!
Our storytimes are fun and they really will help prepare your child for reading!
Please join us!

Smart Start Storytime for Preschoolers
Wednesdays at 9:30 am for preschools, daycares and other groups
Wednesdays at 10:30 am for children and their adult caregiver
Storytimes for Babies
Fridays at 10:00 am
Storytimes for Toddlers
Fridays at 10:30 am
Fridays at 11:00 am

Dog Loves Books!

Dog loves books SOOOO MUCH that he opens his own bookstore ... and wonderful things happen!

Share this new picture book with the children in your life, and introduce them to the wonder that can be found in books.

Dog Loves Books
by Louise Yates

Smart Start Storytime Fun Fun Fun

Check out the fun that was had at our Smart Start Storytime last Wednesday ~ we sing, we dance, we read, we laugh, we rhyme and we have fun!
Please join us tomorrow or any Wednesday for our Smart Start Storytime!

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Letter D Play Day

Today is Letter D Play Day!
Our storytime will feature books and rhymes about DUCKS and our Early Learning Center will have activities that will feature the letter D.
Please, join us in the Children's Services at the Main Library for some delightful, daring, dynamic, dazzling, divine and ducky fun today!

Storytime for Preschools, Daycares, and other groups is at 9:30 am today
Smart Start Storytime is at

10:30 am today

And again: Jim Gill Will Perform on the Plaza!

We cannot believe we get to host the wonderful, fun, amazing and captivating musician Jim Gill at the library! We keep pinching ourselves!! Honestly, this is a musician we dance to regularly in our story times ~ Silly Dance Contest anyone?
Click on the link above to watch Jim in action!

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

Vroom! Vroom!

Come join us this morning for a story time all about transportation!
We will read stories, say rhymes and do a little marching to music!
Help us celebrate all the ways of "getting there and back" ~ we will also offer a craft after the 10:30 storytime!
What a great way to beat the heat!

Smart Start Story Times Every Wednesday
9:30 am designed for preschools and daycares
10:30 am designed for preschoolers and their adult caregiver

Early Childhood Teachers - Take Note!

Summer is the perfect time to start planning your lessons and activities for the upcoming school year. As you plan, be sure to check out our newly-updated list of Early Childhood Curriculum Resources.

Parents of young children will also find this list useful. It's chock-full of developmentally appropriate crafts, stories, and songs for the young children in YOUR life!

New Picture Book: Sleepover at Gramma's House

Sleepover at Gramma's House
by Barbara Joosse
illustrated by Jan Jutte

Bright, bold illustrations and lively text work together in this fun picture book about a young elephant who goes to visit her Gramma.

This is one your child may want to read again and again -- and repetition is GREAT for early literacy development. Before you know it, your child may be telling the story to YOU!

New Picture Book - I Can Be Anything!

I Can Be Anything!
written by Jerry Spinelli
illustrated by Jimmy Liao

At this time of year, when many folks are looking forward to the end of the school year and graduations, this book will get the imaginations of readers of all ages soaring with the
many, many, many
possibilities of what they can be! After reading, I'll bet you'll be able to think of even more...after all, why limit yourself?