Come to the Pittsfield Branch on Monday, October 31, 2011 from 4 - 6 p.m. for some creative Halloween fun. We'll have some crafts to do; goggles, spider webs, pumpkins and more! We'll also have cider and donuts. Join us for Halloween fun!!!!
All supplies will be provided. For preschool through grade 5.

For some stories about Halloween, click here.

Have you checked out or placed holds on some of the exciting new DVDs that we have in our growing Youth DVD Collection? Do you or your children love the Star Wars, The Clone Wars TV series? We now have the entire 3rd season on disc! Star Wars, The Clone Wars Season 3 Disc 1, Star Wars, The Clone Wars Season 3 Disc 2, Star Wars, The Clone Wars Season 3 Disc 3, and Star Wars, The Clone Wars Season 3 Disc 4 can all be checked out now! The season takes place immediately after the events of Star Wars-Episode II: Attack of the Clones and follows Obi-Wan Kenobi and his apprentice, Anakin Skywalker in addition to introducing some new characters. Come to the Downtown Youth Department or any of our branch locations to place a hold or check these DVDs out now!

Grammy winning singer CeCe Williams sets her song to pictures in Colorful World. An uplifting message for all to be true to yourself, and don’t forget to smile. Melodee Strong’s playful illustrations add color to the text. The book includes a CD with the song Colorful World.

Saturday, October 22 | Noon-1:00 PM | Downtown – Multipurpose Room | Grades 6-Adult

Author and artist David Petersen will share how he created the comic series "Mouse Guard."

Learn how the original vision of what Petersen called "1149," a tale that was closer to Disney's Robin Hood, reshaped itself into "Mouse Guard." This medieval tale of mice in the natural world surviving the real dangers of daily life, thanks to the brave assistance of the noble brotherhood known as the Mouse Guard, has quickly become a classic series in comics.

After the presentation, David will answer questions and sign books, for sale at the event courtesy of The Vault of Midnight.

David Petersen's collected edition Mouse Guard: Fall 1152 and Mouse Guard: Winter 1152 were both awarded the prestigious Eisner Award in 2008. Mouse Guard: Fall 1152 is also listed on the Young Adult Library Services Association's 2008 Great Graphic Novels for Teens. His anthology Mouse Guard: Legends of the Guard Vol. 1 won the Gem Award for Best 2010 Anthology and earned a 2011 Eisner in the same category.

Circle K Logo

Due to U of M's fall study break, tutoring sessions will not be held on Sunday, October 16 or Monday, October 17. Tutoring will resume on Wednesday, October 18 at 4:00 with Circle K. Please read on for more details about homework help at AADL.

Looking for help with your homework? Look no further than AADL’s Downtown Library. The University of Michigan Chapter of Circle K is once again providing tutoring for students in grades K-12. Stop by the Youth Department Story Corner Mondays and Wednesdays between 4:00 and 8:00 pm to take advantage of this great service!

If you would like homework help over the weekend, U of M’s Chapter of Alpha Epsilon Delta will again be providing tutoring at the Downtown branch. They will be joined by the U of M group, Operation: Educate Children. Sessions will take place each week from 3:00 - 5:00 pm.

AADL also provides access to Brainfuse, an online tutoring service. Live tutors are available from 2:00 -11:00 pm every day!

Smooth, bumpy, gritty, soft – it’s all superficial! Texture can play a great part in art, from paintings by Vincent Van Gogh to sculptures by David Smith, to the surface of new and old buildings on our very own campus. Join us at the Downtown Youth Department Art Table to make rubbings with crayons and drawings on mini-chalkboards. Feel the texture!
The Ann Arbor Art Center offers wonderful pottery classes where you can get messy and dive your hands into cool clay. You can also check out the Chinese Woodblock Prints at UMMA. For one of the best reminders of the importance of texture, just walk up to your favorite tree and run your hands over the bark. Natural art!

Circle K Logo

Looking for help with your homework? Look no further than AADL’s Downtown Library. The University of Michigan Chapter of Circle K is once again providing tutoring for students in grades K-12. Stop by the Youth Department Story Corner Mondays and Wednesdays between 4:00 and 8:00 pm to take advantage of this great service!

If you would like homework help over the weekend, U of M’s Chapter of Alpha Epsilon Delta will again be providing tutoring at the Downtown branch. They will be joined by the U of M group, Operation: Educate Children. Sessions will take place each week on Sundays from 3:00 - 5:00 pm.

AADL also provides access to Brainfuse, an online tutoring service. Live tutors are available from 2:00 -11:00 pm every day!

On Friday, November 11, 2011 author/illustrator Jan Brett will be visiting Ann Arbor and stopping at The Library for a program from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. She is touring to promote her new book, Home for Christmas. This title will be released on November 1st.

Ms. Brett tours with a big bus decorated with her drawings. The bus will park beside the Library on William St. She'll do a short program in our Multi-Purpose Room and then she'll meet with her fans and sign books. Nicola's Books will be selling Ms. Brett's books that evening.

There will also be the opportunity for kids to have their picture taken with Ms. Brett's character Hedgie the Hedgehog.

Tuesday, September 27 | 6:00-8:00 PM | Clonlara – 1289 Jewett Ave. | Grades K-8

Math is fun and the staff of Mathnasium will prove it at the Family Math Night at Clonlara Campus School. Come have fun, and play games with a chance to win great prizes. This event is free and open to the entire Ann Arbor community. Don’t miss it!

When I was homeschooling my sons, I took them to the library to choose whatever books they wanted. They would take their books to the circulation desk while I stood there hoping to see at least one fiction book. Why fiction? Simply because I wanted my sons to share in my appreciation for the elements of fiction: Plot, Setting, Character, Conflict, Symbol, and seeing the world from another Point of View. I never succeeded in passing on my love of fiction to my sons, however, we found a compromise with fiction and non-fiction; magazines. Below is a list of magazines that will appeal to boys whether they prefer to read fiction or non-fiction:

Grades 1 – 5
Boys' Life : for all boys, Highlights for Kids, National Geographic Kids, Nintendo Power, Owl, Ranger Rick, Sports Illustrated Kids, WWE Kids, Zoobooks

Grades 6 – 12
Drum, ESPN, Game Pro, Guitar, Game Informer, Mad ,Thrasher, Transworld Skateboarding, White Dwarf