GEPL’s summer program is no longer just about reading. You can also play games and complete activities to earn points in this year’s challenge! As a kid, and especially as an avid reader, I loved participating in my library’s summer program. Even though I’m not a kid anymore, I still get to do the adult… Read More
Are you a Jeopardy! fan? If so, and maybe even if you aren’t, it’s been hard to miss news of the current champion's incredible winning streak. As of May 21, James Holzhauer, a Naperville native now living in Las Vegas, has won $1.78 million and is still going. All this winning has been great news… Read More
Planning a family vacation this summer? Bring along some exciting audiobooks, and watch the miles fly by. Listening to stories in the car or on an airplane helps reduce stressful travel conditions and provides entertaining content for kids of all ages. The key to a successful audiobook experience is to select a really good narrator… Read More
Growing up, Ramadan (Rum-a-don) was an exciting time in the house. My mom would make special food like samosas (mini deep fried meat pies), chaat (a spicy salad of chickpeas), and rooh afza (a refreshing sweet drink). We competed with our siblings and cousins to see who could fast the longest and who had the… Read More
We love opportunities for children to get writing practice because it’s an important skill that is directly tied to reading and letter recognition. We also know that handwriting is losing importance as technology becomes more integrated into our daily routines. So we were especially excited when first grader Gavin suggested we write letters to the… Read More
Instead of a New Year’s resolution, I declared that 2019 would be the Year of the Garden. I refer to our home as Jumanji. We inherited a lot of perennials when we bought it that have gone rogue over the years. It’s been a losing battle. Ants have taken over the pots in the center… Read More
If you've visited the Youth Department lately, you probably noticed that we have been crazy for animals! Pet-themed learning stations, a vet station in the play area, and making cat/dog toys for a local animal shelter at home could have prompted your child to desperately plea, “Can we get a pet, please?” If you don’t… Read More
The last week of April is Screen Free Week. That’s right—from April 29 through May 5, you’re encouraged to turn off those devices and focus on screen free fun. If you have children, it can be a real struggle to get them to shut down their iPads, but this week is a good time to… Read More
My love of crafting began early. My mother (sort of) taught me to use her sewing machine, and I went from there. My grandma taught me needlepoint. I asked for paint and canvases each birthday. While I doubt anyone would describe me as an artist, I’ve flourished in the age of Pinterest and love to… Read More
Have you been reading your way through the Illinois State Award lists this year? Well, the voters have spoken! Here are the Readers' Choice Winners from 2019. How do they compare to your picks? MONARCH AWARD Creepy Pair of Underwear! – 18547 votes Written by Aaron Reynolds, Illustrated by Peter Brown Claymates – 14322 votes… Read More
Here at the Glen Ellyn Public Library we love animals and try to find ways to bring them to the Youth Department whenever we can. In the past, we’ve had a worm compost, a “Read to Dogs” program, hatched monarch butterflies, and invited sloths, baby wolf pups, ostriches, reptiles, tarantulas, and chinchillas to meet our… Read More
Empathy is built by imagining what other people think or feel, and especially what the world might be like if we dreamed big. I think fantasy books are some of the best types of books to share with children, because they can transport everyday thinking into the realm of "what if?", which improves critical thinking… Read More
