Sharing books can help

Sometimes we adults can get so involved in our own problems that we forget how stress, illness, and personal problems can affect our kids. Recently I was looking at a chart from the American Cancer Society that tells how a parent's illness impacts the kids in the family. This chart gives a clear view of children's understanding of the illness at different ages, their possible responses, and how a parent could respond. One of the suggestions is to share books together to address children's concerns. Sometimes we need to talk with our children about difficult topics.

On the Children's Services website, we have a collection of booklists called Parents' Primer which include many lists of children's books that help explore sensitive issues. These booklists include a wide variety of topics such as divorce, cancer, learning disabilities and ADHD, foster families, and nightmares & fear of the dark which parents may want to talk about with their children. We encourage you to use these lists. If you need help finding these or any other books, talk with any of our Children's Librarians. We want to help!

A fun way for kids to learn about personal budgets

Check out Savings Quest! In this online game, you pick a character, pick a job, set up a budget, and then try to reach your savings goal. It’s a fun way to learn about budgeting and savings.

Snowy Day storytime is tomorrow at 10:30

The weather is unseasonably warm today, but the weather forecasters are predicting cold and snow for tomorrow -- Wednesday -- just in time for our Snowy Day storytime! Preschoolers and their favorite grownups are invited to come to the Main Library for fun stories, rhymes, and songs all about snow at 10:30 tomorrow. (We might even make some snow for you to take home!)

If you want to make your own snowflakes to get ready, check out this blog post for a variety of snowflake ideas.

Artful Reading by Bob Raczka

I always enjoy Bob Raczka's books, and his newest title, Artful Reading, is no exception!

Opening with August Macke's Man Reading in the Park (1914) and ending with The Library by Jacob Lawrence's (1960), the beauty of reading is shown through 23 distinctly different works of art. Simple captions adorn each page: "Read when you're young./Read when you're old./Read all the words you can possibly hold." This is a book to ponder, to admire, and to share.

One Year Ago Today...

One year ago today, after four years at a temporary location, and weeks of hard work moving in, we opened our new Library. Thousands of people excitedly joined us as we celebrated our Grand Opening. Here's a video of some of the hundreds of kids and their families who entered the Children's Services department in the first few minutes after the ribbon was cut to officially open the department.

On a cold, cold January day, thousands of people came to celebrate the Grand Opening of their new Allen County Public Library. It was absolutely amazing to see how many people were anxious to be among the first to see all the new Children's Services department could offer!

The last year has seen a steady stream of people continuing to use and enjoy the Children's Services department. Check out 2007 -- The Year in Review to see more.

We continue to welcome new visitors. If you haven't seen the Children's Services department yet, we invite you to check it out!

Teachers! Now is the time to schedule a visit to the Library!

Teachers! Homeschoolers! Do you want your students to learn more about the resources available at the Main Library? Now is the time to schedule your year-end class visit to the Library!

We'd be happy to arrange a storytime or visit to our Early Learning Center for your preschoolers, a treasure hunt of the Children's Services department for your primary level students, or a tour of the entire Main Library facility for your 3rd through 5th graders.

Registration is limited. Call now! 260-421-1220.

Early Learning Center Mailbox

We receive a number of letters in the Early Learning Center mailbox each week.

Pictured here is just one example of the creative work that we see. These early scribbles are an important pre-writing activity.

Stop by the Early Learning Center today with your preschooler and drop us a line!