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.

Happy Chinese New Year!

Today is the first day of the new year -- according to the Chinese calendar. Celebrate the Year of the Rabbit by learning more about this holiday. You could even make eggrolls or try your hand at a few crafts.

Chinese New Year begins on the first new moon between January 21 and February 20. On what date will it fall next year...?

The Library is Closed Today

Due to the extreme wintry weather,
all locations of
the Allen County Public Library
are closed today,
Wednesday, February 2nd.

We hope you enjoy the snow!

Stay warm!

Snow! Snow! and More Snow!

Folks here in northern Indiana are gearing up for yet another round of snowfall -- what do you do to prepare for snow days? I suggest you add a visit to the library to your list of destinations as you travel today to stock up on your supplies. Check out a cookbook and try a new recipe...or a craft book to learn a new skill or brush up on an old one...or a book of games to play together... or all of the above!

The possibilities are endless...

Happy Anniversary 900 Library Plaza!

Today is the fourth anniversary of the Grand Opening of the beautiful new library at 900 Library Plaza! Happy Anniversary to all of us!

It has been a wonderful four years of fun here. Take some time to review the ACPL Kids Blog to see where we have been and what we have been doing. Another fun place visit is the ACPL's Flickr account.

Check out some of these photos from the past four years which highlight some of the awesome spaces here at the library:

Art Cars on the Plaza
2008 Poetry Contest Awards Ceremony in the Theater
Day of the Dead 2007 in Children's Services
Homeschoolers Sneak Preview in the Great Hall
Time 2 Chime Live in the Jeffrey R. Krull Gallery
EcoKids Club (featuring live worms) in the Program Room

Please visit the library soon to see what we are up to now!

No Storytimes at Main Library this Week

Children's Services librarians are continuing the Storytellers on the Move program this week, delivering books and telling stories to area preschools and daycares, so there will be no storytimes held at the Main Library this week. However, you can still attend storytimes at one of our branch libraries -- click here for a calendar of times and locations!

National No Name-Calling Week

In honor of National No Name-Calling Week, which runs from January 24th - 28th this year, I'd like to point out some of the resources available to help teach and prevent bullying.

Many picture books and stories address the topic of bullying. Alley Oops, by Janice Levy, explores the painful effects of name-calling from the bully's perspective -- and shows how some problems can be resolved.




For older children and teens, there are books such as Bullying and Me, Schoolyard Stories. In this book, kids and adults from diverse backgrounds tell about their experiences being taunted and bullied.






There are many, many more resources available, for both kids and adults -- see the Personal Violence Booklist for more books, websites, and other materials.