Children's Chess Tournament

We loved seeing all the good sportsmanship displayed at today's Chess Tournament. We hope you enjoy looking at some of the pictures we took.



And if you want to learn more about the game, check out this booklist!

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.

Today is the LAST day of the Summer Reading Program

If you have participated in the
Summer Reading Program,
today is the LAST day to
receive your gifts!
The library will be open until 6:00 p.m. today.

DUCKAPALOOZA! TODAY!

We’re having a ducky good time at the library! Can you walk like a duck? Have you ever painted with feathers? Do you know how to make duck soup? Join us as at 2:00 p.m. today in the Children's Services department. We will share stories to quack us up, feathery fun games, and egg-cellent crafts!

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

Fred McKissack, Jr. Answers MORE Questions

ACPL Writer in Residence, Fredrick McKissack, Jr. answers four of your questions:

Dear Mr. McKissack,
Where is your favorite place to vacation?
Sincerely,
Amanda

It might sound corny Amber, but I am good to go anywhere as long as I'm with family and friends. I recently spent a couple of days in Denver with one of my oldest and dearest friends. That was a lot of fun, and I look forward to going back someday with my wife and son.

Dear Mr. McKissack,
What was your favorite book as a child?
Sincerely,
Amber

As a kid, my favorite books were Yertle the Turtle, The Cat in the Hat, Where the Wild Things Are, and anything with the Peanuts characters. My mom and dad used to read us Aesop's fables and they'd tell us stories from Greek mythology. When I was a little older, my aunt, a social studies teacher, gave me a set of social studies and geography books. I loved those books. I read encyclopedias, too. Also, The Pushcart War remains a strong influence with me today. It's an amazing, fun, and compassionate story.

Dear Mr. McKissack,
What are you working on now?
Sincerely,
Kim

Well Kim, I'm working on a first draft of a graphic novel based on a Union spy named John Scobell, and I'm looking forward to working on a new draft of a YA novel tentatively titled "Subjects." All I can tell you about the book is that it is set in the near future and that it involves a smarmy TV producer, a lot of money, and a high school boy who is going to have to make some choices he'd rather not have to make.

Dear Mr. McKissack,
Have you always been a writer or did you have another job?
Sincerely,
Kim

I've worked as a writer for the last 19 years. I'm including the time I spent working as a freelance journalist, a full-time reporter, and as an advertising copywriter at agencies in Chicago and Milwaukee. Prior to that I worked in other fields, including a stint as a broker's assistant at a small commodities firm. It was a fun job, but very stressful.

Do you have a question to ask Mr. McKissack? Email me and I will be sure that he gets it. Answers will be posted on the blog.

Last Week for the Summer Reading Program!

Please remember that this is the last week for our Summer Reading Program!
The last day to pick up your gifts for reading will be THIS Friday, July 30th.
So, read, read, read, read, read!!

Project WET at Main Library

We had tons of fun AND we learned so much about water and why it's important to keep it clean at our Project WET events at the Main Library. Many thanks to our pirate guest, Captain Black Sam Read, and to the Allen County Partnership for Water Quality, for providing such a great program!

If you missed this program or would like to attend again, check here for dates and times this week.

July Lego Club

The Children's Services LEGO Club meets on the third Tuesday of every month from 3:30 pm to 5:00 pm. We have THOUSANDS of LEGOs! Just stop by and build whatever you want! Here are some pictures from our July meeting! Please join us for our next meeting: August 17th!

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.

Tickets for the Jim Gill concert

Due to the dangerously high temperatures today, the 2:00 concert with Jim Gill will be in the Theater of the Main Library. Tickets will be available beginning at 1:00 in the Children's Services department.



More family concerts with Jim Gill will be at 7:00 tonight and 11:00 am & 1:00 pm tomorrow. You won't want to miss this! Join us!

Barr Street Market

Every Saturday through September 25th, join us at Barr Street Market (at the corner of Wayne & Barr Streets) for a special craft activity between 9am and 1pm.

This week you can make a shady sun visor. There will be a new craft each week, so be sure to visit often.

Other events at the library this weekend:
Jim Gill in concert - Friday @ 2pm & 7pm, Saturday @ 11am & 1pm
Used Book Sale - Friday & Saturday 10am to 4pm
Kids' chess tournament registration is still open; click here for more information

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

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

Bubble-ology with Science Central!

Bubbles, Bubbles, Bubbles! Join us as we welcome the folks from Science Central who will be showing us some super-cool stuff about bubbles!

Bubble-ology in Children's Services at the Main Library:
Tuesday, July 20, 7:00 p.m.
Thursday, July 22, 2:00 p.m.

For a complete schedule of Bubble-ology programs, click here.

The butterflies are on their way!

We have packed up our butterflies and shipped them to the Holocaust Museum Houston in order to be part of their loving tribute to the 1.5 million children who died in the Holocaust. We added 374 beautifully colored butterflies lovingly created by the children who visited our department in June. Visit the link provided to learn more about this awesome exhibit in the making!

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

Summer Reading Program: Babies and Toddlers and Preschoolers - Oh My!

Do you have a baby, toddler or preschooler in your home? Are they participating in the Children's Summer Reading Program? If not, bring them in today to get started! That's right - little ones can join in the reading fun when a grown-up or older child reads to them.

Need some book suggestions? Check out our Baby Boosters Kits for Kids - they're full of great books to share with babies and toddlers.

Looking for something to do this afternoon?

Kids in grades 3 through 6 and their families are invited to join us as we explore some of the Lincoln materials found in the Allen County Public Library's Rare and Fine Book Collection. Materials in the unique collection may only be viewed by appointment. Here's your opportunity to find out more about the Lincoln materials the Library keeps behind locked doors! No registration required.

Meet us in the Children's Services department this afternoon at 2:00.

We'll see you then!

Suddenly Stories on Saturday

This Saturday, join our volunteers for songs, stories and crafts.

East Asian Folktales @ 11 a.m.
Fun with Food! @ 2 p.m.

Three Rivers Festival Today

The Three Rivers Festival is in full swing ~ don't miss this great Fort Wayne tradition!
If the heat gets too much, feel free to stop in the Children's Services department!
We have three beautiful aquariums, a computer room just for children, a reading tower, and of course, books and magazines! You can also visit our famous (with the six and under set!) Early Learning Center which has puzzles, puppets, a writing center, and dress up clothes.

FIFA WORLD CUP FINAL TODAY

After one month of competition between 32 teams, the final two national soccer teams battle for the FIFA World Cup today in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Tune in to watch the excitement at 2:30 pm today.
If you have soccer fever, we have a lot of great new books exploring players and the game itself. The next time you visit the Children's Services department, please ask a librarian to help you find some that appeal to you!
We LOVE to help our patrons!

Visit us at Barr Street Market Today

If you visit the Barr Street Market today, please make sure to stop by the Allen County Public Library's booth. We are there every week and always have a new and exciting craft for the kids to do ~ and like everything at the library, it is always free!!
The Barr Street Market is a lovely downtown event that happens every summer! There are food and non-food vendors and wonderful acoustic entertainment.
We hope to see you there!

Project WET!

Don't miss this super-fun event! Learn about WATER -- what it is, why it's important, and how to conserve it. We'll have tons of fun and we'll learn to appreciate the water that's all around us. See the complete schedule of Project WET events here -- each location will have different activities, so plan on attending as many as possible!

Project WET at Main Library:
Tuesday, July 13th, 7:00 p.m.
Thursday, July 15th, 2:00 p.m.

Don't Miss Magic Guy Greg Today!!

Magic Guy Greg is back today at 2:00 pm at the Main Library!
Do not miss this opportunity to see magic performed by this very talented and funny magician!

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

Magic Guy Greg

Step right up! Come right this way! Magician Greg Albright will amaze and astound you with his surprising magic!

Catch the show tonight at 7:00 PM or Thursday, July 8 at 2:00 PM at the Main Library.  

The Library is Closed Again Today

We hope that you had a fabulous holiday weekend. Enjoy this Monday!

We'll see you at the ACPL tomorrow when all locations will re-open after the loooooonnnngggg holiday weekend.

Happy Fourth of July!

The Children's Services department of the Allen County Public Library

wishes you a peaceful, happy and fun-filled holiday

on this Fourth of July!

The Library Is Closed Today!

All locations of the Allen County Public Library will be closed today, tomorrow and Monday in observance of the Fourth of July!

Eggdrop Eggstravaganza!

Don't miss the 12th Annual Eggdrop Eggstravaganza Contest on Saturday, July 11th @ 1pm at Science Central.

The challenge: build a container which will protect an egg that is dropped off of the roof of Science Central.

The fun: watch containers being dropped off of the roof of Science Central while hoping that the eggs don't break.

Prizes will be awarded as follows:

• Grand Prize: to the egg that doesn't break
• Most Creative
• Most Scientific
• Most Devastating Crash
  

Whether you are a participant or a spectator, you are sure to enjoy this Three Rivers Festival event. For more information visit this site.

ThE BUtTeRflY PRoJEcT

For the past several weeks, the Children's Services department has invited our young patrons to participate in the Holocaust Museum Houston's Butterfly Project. We provided butterfly templates and markers and the children did the rest!
In an effort to remember the 1,500,000 children who perished in the Holocaust, the Holocaust Museum Houston is collecting 1.5 million handmade butterflies.
The butterflies will eventually comprise a breath-taking exhibition, currently scheduled for Spring 2013, for all to remember. The Museum has already collected an estimated 400,000 butterflies and we will be adding 374 more!
We are readying ours for shipment to the museum in Houston to be a part of this awesome exhibit.