Surprise Author Visit!!

We were thrilled today to have a surprise guest visit us at the library! Author David Elliott was in the area visiting a school, and decided to drop in and say "Hello!" To say we were pleasantly surprised is an understatement!

David Elliott is the author of many great books, including In the Wild, a book of animal poems. In the Wild was listed on last year's Mock Caldecott reading list, which highlights the best picture books published each year.

Thanks for visiting, Mr. Elliott! And thanks for writing such wonderful books for children!

Happy Birthday Beverly Cleary

A belated happy birthday wish goes out to children's author Beverly Cleary, who turned 95 on April 12 this year! Her wonderful stories have stood the test of time, remaining favorites through generations. Here's an article from the New York Times, singing Ms. Cleary's well-deserved praises.













I can remember my third grade teacher reading Ramona Quimby to our class, and favorites of my own children were Ralph S. Mouse and The Mouse and the Motorcycle. What are your favorite Beverly Cleary titles?

Have You Tried the Custom Collection Service?

• Are you a preschool educator looking for a collection of books about Spring?
• Are you planning a unit study about Ancient Egypt for your homeschooling family?
• Are you a parent looking for Potty Training resources to help your toddler?
• Are you an teacher looking for a collection of poetry to share with your class?
• Are you a busy dad looking for a wide variety of books about trucks for your  four-year-old?
• Are you a student looking resources on Queen Elizabeth for a report?

Have you taken advantage of the 

Library's Custom Collection service?

Custom Collections ready to be picked up.

With one week's notice (at the Main Library) and two weeks' notice (at the Branches) we can prepare Custom Collections just for you. Give us the theme you are working on, the reading level & interest level of your students, and the formats (books, DVDs, magazines, books on CD, etc.) of material you would like and we will have your resources waiting for you to check out. 

For more information, visit the Custom Collection form online or give us a call. We're waiting to hear from you!

Happy Easter!

The library is closed today.

The Main Library will re-open at 9am tomorrow morning; branch libraries will open at 10am tomorrow.

Have a wonderful Easter!

ACPL Author Fair -- Saturday, April 23

This Saturday, the library is providing a wonderful opportunity.

It's the first annual Author's Fair! Visit the downtown library on Saturday, April 23, to chat with local authors, including children's authors
Helen Frost and Lynn Rowe Reed,
and attend presentations and author readings.

Click here for more information.

Happy Birthday "I Spy"!

Can you believe it? It's been 20 years since the publication of the first book in the popular I Spy series by Jean Marzollo and Walter Wick. To celebrate, visit the library and read some I Spy books! You will also find some fun activities on Scholastic's website.

Celebrate Urban Birds

Calling all ornithologists!   Here's your chance to contribute to science and learn about birds at the same time.  The Cornell Lab of Ornithology is offering free Celebrate Urban Birds kits to families who would like to learn about and observe 16 bird species in urban settings.

While you're at it, stop by the library to pick up some great bird books!

Happy Screen-Free Week!

Screen-Free Week is a national celebration where children, families, schools, and communities spend seven days turning off entertainment screen media and turning on life.  It's a time to unplug and play, read, daydream, create, explore, and spend more time with family and friends.

This week, why not turn off the TVs and computers in your house and grab a book instead?  Need some other ideas of ways to fill your screen-free week?  Check out this list of 101 Screen-Free Activities or stop by the library!

A Day in Allen County

Grab your cameras!!

It's time for the
Day in Allen County Photo Survey!


Kids and adults are invited to participate -- on Saturday, April 16, 2011, simply go out, wherever you are in Allen County, and take some photos of what you see. Then email them to the library and we'll put them all together for our Spring 2011 edition in the Allen County Community Album.

To see last year's entries, click here.

PBS KIDS GO! Writers Contest

 

Are you in Kindergarten through Third Grade?

     Do you like to write? 

          Do you like to create original art? 

Have you entered the PBS KIDS GO! Writers Contest? 

Kids in Kindergarten to Grade 3 are invited to write and illustrate a story for the PBS Kids Go! Writers Contest. Entries will be accepted at the Woodburn Branch or the Main Library until 6:00 pm on Friday, April 15th.

Check this link for complete rules, an entry form, and a list of other participating locations.

Kids LOVE Graphic Novels

This is what the graphic novel collection looked like after a busy Saturday. So many books were taken home that the rest were falling over. We love to see books go home with kids. We hope that you will come back next weekend and take home MORE books!

April is National Poetry Month!

Jack Prelutsky -- Shel Silverstein -- Douglas Florian
Lee Bennett Hopkins -- Karla Kuskin -- J. Patrick Lewis

What do all of these people have in common? They're children's poets! Now is the perfect time to read -- aloud -- some poetry. We have plenty here for you at the library. But you can also look online. Check out some poets' websites, like Jack Prelutsky's, where kids can read some of his fun poems, and grown-ups can find activities and lesson plans.


Or, try this page from Scholastic.com, in which Jack Prelutsky leads children through the process of writing their own poetry. At the end, kids can even publish their poetry online, and read poems that other kids have written!

Who is your favorite poet?

Spring Break Smorgasbord!

Looking for something fun to do during Spring Break? Check out the Spring Break Smorgasbord events in Children's Services. We'll have a different activity each day from 2 to 4pm. Don't forget our Art Room is available for you to use anytime the library is open - this Spring Break stop by to create a fantastic collage.

Monday, April 4th 2 to 4pm - Letterboxing at the Library
Tuesday, April 5th 2 to 4pm - Do You Like Legos?
Wednesday, April 6th 2 to 4pm - Games Plugged and Unplugged
Thursday, April 7th 2 to 4pm - Art Room Extended
Friday, April 8th 2 to 4pm - Swashbucklin' Search

We hope that you will spend some of your Spring Break with us!