Are you ready to rethink long-standing parenting practices? Author Heather Shumaker has defined 29 "renegade rules" for parenting young children, drawing on her own experience raising two young children as well as the work of child psychologists, educators, and neuroscientists.

Heather Shumaker is the author of It’s OK Not to Share…And Other Renegade Rules for Raising Competent and Compassionate Kids, which was named a Best Parenting Book of 2012 by Parents magazine, and is a northern Michigan bestseller. Salon.com called it "an insightful, sensible and compassionate book full of downright revolutionary ideas."

She is a speaker, journalist, blogger and advocate for free play and no homework for young children. She’s been featured on Fox & Friends TV, Huffington Post, New York Post, Parenting, Parents.com, USA Weekend, Wisconsin Public Radio and other media.

Join us at the Pittsfield Branch at 7:00 pm on Tuesday, May 21 for Heather Shumaker's talk, and be prepared to change your mind! This event includes a book signing, and copies of It’s OK Not to Share…And Other Renegade Rules for Raising Competent and Compassionate Kids will be available for purchase.

Nothing says " I love you, Mom!" like cards and flowers made by their children's hands.
Come to the Main Library on Saturday, May 11, 2013 at 11:00 a.m. and we'll help
you do that. We'll be making cards and giant tissue paper flowers.
This is for children preschool - Grade 5 but everyone is welcome.
All supplies will be provided.

For materials on this May holiday, click here.

21 Years celebrating teen writers, with this year's contest bringing in 335 submissions, is a lot to celebrate. The Awards Ceremony, where Finalists are honored and winners are announced will take place on May 11, Saturday, from 2 - 3:30pm at the downtown library. Speaking to the teens and their families is award winning A. S. King whose book, Ask the Passengers just won the 2012 L.A. Times Book Prize.

One of my favorites is Everybody Sees the Ants, which was an Andre Norton Award finalist, a Cybils finalist, and a 2012 YALSA Top Ten book for young adults. Her 2010 YA novel, Please Ignore Vera Dietz was a 2011 Michael L. Printz Honor Book, an Edgar Award Nominee, a Kirkus Reviews Best Book for Teens 2010, a Junior Library Guild selection and a YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults pick. Her interests are varied with experiences in farming, photography, and teaching adult literary, to name a few.
Reality Boy is due in Fall 2013 as well as two anthologies.

All finalists have been notified and the top three winners will receive $250 for 1st, $150 for 2nd Place, and $100 for 3rd Place in three grade categories. All finalists will receive certificates honoring their achievements. Stories were judged by an impressive team of authors for teens.

We applaud all the teen writers for their creativity and talent!

Wednesday May 8, 2013: 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm -- Downtown Library: Multi-Purpose Room

As a final segment of the America's Music series, Mark Clague, Associate Professor of Musicology and Director of Research at the University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance, along with local filmmakers Sophia Kruz and Anna Prushinskaya, lead a screening and discussion of the just-released documentary "A Space for Music, A Seat For Everyone: 100 Years Of UMS performances In Hill Auditorium."

America's Music has been made possible by a major grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities: Exploring the Human Endeavor.

Friday May 10, 2013: 7:00 pm to 8:00 pm -- Downtown Library: Multi-Purpose Room

Tonight's concert, originally scheduled for March, is the final concert in the America's Music series and centers on Broadway and Tin Pan Alley.

Barbara Wisse's silky voice has been heard on stages throughout West Michigan and she was featured on Circle Theatre's "Tapestry, The Music of Carol King" CD. Pianist Mark Kahny is one of West Michigan's finest keyboard and vocal talents and was recently named West Michigan Jazz Society's 2012 Musician of the Year.

America's Music has been made possible by a major grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities: Exploring the Human Endeavor.

Back by popular demand, this Friday, May 10 at 9:30 and 10:30 am at the Downtown Library, KinderConcert will entertain and educate the littlest music appreciators. We’ll sway to the piano music of Kathryn Goodson, KinderConcertwe’ll dance with Gari Stein and we’ll bounce to the horn played by Kurt Civilette.

Saturday May 11, 2013: 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm -- Downtown Library: Training Center

AADL's Minecraft server is up and running!

We're hosting our own Minecraft server and we need you to help us build "Ann Arbor."

Join us IRL (in real life) or in-game to discuss the future of "Ann Arbor" and the server @AADL. It's a great way to meet people you've seen on the server and co-ordinate new builds.

This event is for adults and teens (grade 6 and up).

The deadline for submitting stories to the short story contest for Grades 3-5 is May 6th, so you still have time to put the finishing touches
on your story and submit to youngwrite@aadl.org or hand in your story to the Downtown Library (343 S. Fifth Avenue) Youth Desk.
Click here for the guidelines.

The top three winners will be chosen from each grade and every writer will receive a certificate of participation.
Winners will be announced at an awards ceremony held on Monday, June 3, 7-8 pm with guest author Shutta Crum.

"Love the writing, love the writing, love the writing . . . the rest will follow." Jane Yolen

On April 15, the Ann Arbor District Library will sponsor its first Short Story Writing Contest for 3rd - 5th Grades.
Entries will be accepted April 15 through May 6, and may either be emailed to youngwrite@aadl.org or brought to
the Downtown Library Youth Desk (343 S. Fifth Avenue). Contest guidelines are available at aadl.org/event/contests
and at any AADL information desk.

All writers will be invited to a Short Story Celebration on Monday, June 3 from 7-8 pm at the Downtown Library. The top
three stories from each grade will be recognized and each writer will receive a certificate of participation. Award-winning local author Shutta Crum will be the guest speaker.

If you have any questions please call 327-8301.
We are really looking forward to reading your stories!

beautyIf you missed them last time please join us at the Ann Arbor District Library's downtown location for a repeat performance of their wonderful production of Sleeping Beauty.

PuppetART’s production of Sleeping Beauty is a puppet ballet. The story is told through the movement of the puppets and wonderful classical music that accompanies the show.

Sleeping Beauty is a very old tale and it has been told many times in many ways. PuppetART’s version includes some new and interesting details. We all know that Sleeping Beauty has been cursed by a wicked fairy and is forced to sleep until she is awakened by a kiss from a Prince. Most versions focus upon the Princess’s story but this production sheds light on the story of the Prince as well. We find out how he knows of the sleeping Princess and why he feels destined to rescue her. You can relax and enjoy the show because this story, as all fairy tales, promises a very happy ending.

For all materials Sleeping Beauty available at the Ann Arbor District Library follow this link: Sleeping Beauty

The Detroit based theater, was founded in 1998 by a group of puppeteers and artists trained in the former Soviet Union. All members of the PuppetART troupe are masters of puppetry art theater. PuppetART offers a repertoire of eight productions, including one created for adult audiences. Performances feature hand, rod, shadow, floor tabletop and string or marionette puppets. All events at PuppetART combine a theater performance, a tour of the museum and a workshop in the studio. A visit to their downtown theater is a treat not to be missed!!

See you there!!!