@ Your Library
Tomorrow is May Day! Present a loved one with a bouquet of flowers, even just dandelions. Wishing all a beautiful flower filled May. Kids of all ages are welcome to join us on Monday, May 4th from 3 – 7 pm to decorate a wooden tulip to give to their mom on Mother’s Day. Tom Kantos has provided us with some wooden tulips that he cut for kids to decorate for their moms. Bring your creativity as we’ll provide paint, stickers, stamps and markers.
Life can be very busy, but that doesn’t mean you can’t find time to read. We all could use a little less time on social media, the Internet or binging ‘just one more episode’ of a show and find 15 minutes each day to read. Reading is a very important part of keeping our brains healthy and active. Don’t miss out on the health (mental, social and physical) benefits of reading. Encourage everyone in your household to read every day. Read aloud and make it a family bonding time, or just have everyone grab a book a read to themselves.
Books that are great read alouds, beginning with adults and moving down to families with young children. But don’t limit yourself to these titles. Find a book you love and share it with someone you love. The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Jester, a fantastical tale of a young boy named Milo. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, a classic definitely worth sharing, as is All Creatures Great and Small by James Herriot. If you enjoy being outdoors read A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson or The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame. Explore culture with American Gods by Neil Gaiman, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelo or The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan. If you haven’t watched Murderbot or if you have read All Systems Red by Martha Wells. Mystery fans will enjoy The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley.
Teens will enjoy sharing and discussing The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkein, I am Malala by Malala Yousafzai, My Sister’s Keeper by Jodi Picoult, Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds (also available in a graphic format, that is also excellent), The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas and Thirteen Doorways, wolves behind them all by Laura Ruby. Reading aloud together would be a wonderful summer project.
Wonder by R. J. Palacio, The Parker Inheritance by Varian Johnson or the older Westing Game by Ellen Raskin, Inside Out and Back Again by Thanhha Lai, a Newbery and National Book Award winner. Have fun this summer with these older classics that many younger children would enjoy too Charlotte’s Web by E. B. White, Mr. Popper’s Penguins by Richard and Florence Atwater or Matilda by Roald Dahl (or have a Roald Dahl marathon and include James and the Giant Peach, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and The BFG). Next week I’ll suggest one-sitting read-alouds for multiple ages.