Where The Child Things Are
All About Chickens!
By: Melissa Hilt, Community Engagement Librarian
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
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Merpeople Unite!
By: Heather McCammond-Watts, Youth Department Director
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
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Anderson’s 17th Annual Children’s Literature Breakfast
By: Cristina Bueno, Youth Associate
For the past 17 years, Anderson’s Bookshop has been hosting a Children’s Literature Breakfast where librarians, teachers, parents, and lovers of children’s literature are invited to meet and mingle with regional pre-kindergarten through grade 12 authors and illustrators. A full breakfast is served, and table discussions are intermixed with a variety of keynote speakers. This
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Are Graphic Novels Real Books?
By: Katy Almendinger, Early Literacy Librarian
If your kids are really into graphic novels, they aren’t alone. The market for graphic novels is exploding with popularity. It’s even become a billion dollar industry. Graphic novel titles for middle grade readers even hit bestseller lists. Readers are always asking us for Dogman, The Baby-Sitters Club, Hilo, or for Rania Telegemier’s stuff. Even
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Time to Travel!
By: Christina Keasler, Youth Department Assistant Director and Youth Technology Librarian
Maybe it’s the weather, maybe it’s cabin fever, but around this time of year I start getting antsy and wishing to go on vacation. I begin planning my camping trips and other excursions. It appears I’m not the only one—the library processed nearly 200 passport applications in January. (Yes, GEPL can accept passport applications! Click
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A Little Bit of Kindness Goes A Long Way
By: Kelli Rolston, Youth Associate
Winter…the season of love and kindness. Valentine’s Day is just around the corner, but if your kids are anything like mine, they may not have been showing the love at home, especially with the recent snow and record low temperatures keeping everyone inside. So how do you teach your kiddos to be a little more
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ALA Book Awards
By: Kate Easley, Youth Librarian
Last week was an exciting one—not just with the bitter cold, but also with the ALA Book Awards announcement, including the Newbery and Caldecott winners. So, what won? Merci Suárez Changes Gears won the Newbery Medal for Outstanding Contribution to Children’s Literature. It tells the story of 6th grader Merci who is having some friend trouble
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Is This Book for Me?
By: Alexa Moffat, Youth Associate
Recently, I helped a family looking for Vox[1] books. I showed them our selection and watched as they perused the available options. I pointed to one book on the opposite side of the display, titled Hey Black Child, indicating that it was also a Vox book. The parent considered it quickly and said, “Oh, that
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Sloths, Narwhals, and Llamas… Oh, My!
By: Cristina Bueno, Youth Associate
Sloths and narwhals are two of my absolute favorite animals, and llamas are pretty cool, too. These three animals have been growing in popularity over the last few years with an increasing number of clothes, school supplies, and even books featuring them. Grownups, you may have found your child asking for these creatures, or perhaps
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2019 Reading Goals
By: Melissa Hilt, Community Engagement Librarian
As discussed in a previous blog post, many of us make New Year’s resolutions. It’s a way to start our year off on the right foot and motivate ourselves, if you will. For one of my resolutions, I always set a personal reading goal. Last year, on Goodreads, I pledged to read 65 books in
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