Ages 5-11
Blog Post
NEW Diary of a Wimpy Kid Book: The Long Haul!
by krayla
Can't get enough of Greg Heffley and the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series? Well you're in luck! Jeff Kinney just released his newest addition to the series, "The Long Haul," yesterday! This time Greg is definitely in for some eye-rolling and groans: he's going on a family road trip. That's right, he's stuck with Rodrick, Manny, Mom and Dad inside a car for what seems like eternity, and that can only mean one thing: this hilarious journey is sure to keep you laughing!
More good news! The official series website has a free excerpt for you to read, or you can read ALL OF IT by checking it out from AADL!
Even MORE good news! If you want to celebrate this awesome book series, join us at the Pittsfield Branch this Saturday (11/8) at 1pm for a Diary of a Wimpy Kid Book Release Party! We'll have crafts, games and prizes for the whole family!
Blog Post
Delicious Imagination!
by StoryLaura
It’s time for gingerbread play at the Youth Department Tot Table this month. We’ve got the cookie sheets, spatulas and felt cookies in every shape and size. If it makes you long for true gingerbread deliciousness, check out this recipe inspired by Zingerman's “ginger jump up” cookies. Then burn calories and “run, run, catch me if you can” at the annual Turkey Trot!
Blog Post
PreK Bits - Inch by Inch
by ryanikoglu
In honor of "I" .. Ms Rachel brought Inchworm to Storytime.
Inchworms are very useful because they can measure things ... including Nightingale's song ....
Find the stories to read/sing at home:
INCH By INCH by Leo Lionni
Ms. Sara sang INCH By INCH The Garden Song by David Mallett
You can hear the song (and more) on the recording PICKIN & GRINNIN Great Folk Songs For Kids
I MADE A MISTAKE was a silly story about how things can go wrong ... by mistake!
More Inchworms and Counting can be found below:
Stories To Go SIZE And MEASUREMENTS is a pre-selected set of stories on measuring sizes.
There are many more Stories To Go with Preschool themes. You can choose by the bag-full!
Here are more books to practice your counting:
INCHWORM And A HALF
LIFETIME:The Amazing Numbers In Animal Lives
100 ANIMALS On PARADE
The DEEP DEEP PUDDLE
20 BIG TRUCKS In The MIDDLE Of The STREET
Blog Post
Book Fun at AADL!
by krayla
Can't get enough of your favorite books? Have fun with other book-lovers and the Library's most popular characters in the months of November and December! The Ann Arbor District Library will host a variety of fun book-related events that will appeal to the whole family:
Diary of a Wimpy Kid Book Release Party- Saturday, November 8, 1-2pm at Pittsfield
Play the cheesy bean bag toss for prizes, hunt around the Pittsfield branch in a scavenger hunt, and do "Wimpy" crafts!
Check out the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series here.
*NEW* Story and Craft Time: Junie B. Jones- Sunday, November 23, 1-2pm at Malletts Creek
Listen to part of the famous book series and use your creative flair to make some sassy sunglasses!
Check out the Junie B. Jones series here.
Pete the Cat Fanmail- Monday, December 22, 2-3:30 at Traverwood
Write a letter to children's author Eric Litwin or illustrator James Dean and make a Pete the Cat puppet!
Check out the Pete the Cat series here.
For even more events for kids and families, check out our Jump events page. See you there!
Blog Post
Audiobook for Kids: The Fourteenth Goldfish
by skcramer
The Fourteenth Goldfish by Jennifer L. Holm offers a fresh, funny, and surprisingly thoughtful take on a classic science fiction premise: a potion to make you young again.
Sixth-grader Ellie’s life with her colorful drama-teacher mom is turned upside-down when her old-fashioned, opinionated grandfather moves in with them. The twist? Her grandfather is a scientist who has uncovered the secret to anti-aging and is now a thirteen-year-old boy! While trying to help her grandfather recover the anti-aging potion from his lab, Ellie finds new friends, develops a growing love for science and a greater understanding of her unconventional family.
I found the audiobook to be a particular treat, with a narrator who not only sounds like a middle-school girl but also delivers lines with such perfect comic timing that I found myself laughing out loud again and again.
Fans of The Water Castle or other science-centered books for girls will definitely want to check it out.
Blog Post
Mustache Madness!
by PattySmith
In the month of November you might notice more men walking around sporting mustaches. No, there isn’t going to be a shortage of razors and shaving cream! Many of these men are taking part in a campaign called Movember. Movember started over 10 years ago in Australia as a way to raise awareness about men’s health. In the past few years the mustache movement has made its way across the world and has become an international campain that has raised $559 million and funded over 800 programs in 21 countries.
But hey, grown men aren’t the only ones allowed to have fun with Movember! Children can participate too by checking out these great books centered around, you got it, MUSTACHES!
Mo’s Mustache by Ben Clanton
Monster Mo's big, beautiful mustache inspires all of his friends to copy his style by growing fabulous mustaches of their own, leaving Mo to wonder how he will continue to distinguish himself.
Mustache Baby by Bridget Heos
When Baby Billy is born with a mustache, his family takes it in stride. They are reassured when he nobly saves the day in imaginary-play sessions as a cowboy or cop and his mustache looks good-guy great. But as time passes, their worst fears are confirmed when little Billy's mustache starts to curl up at the ends in a suspiciously villainous fashion. Sure enough, "Billy's disreputable mustache led him into a life of dreadful crime."
Mustache by Mac Barnett
When extremely good-looking King Duncan builds more and more tributes to his handsome face, neglecting kingdom projects and repairs, his loyal subjects find a mustachioed solution.
Big Bushy Mustache by Gary Soto
In order to look more like his father, Ricky borrows a mustache from a school costume, but when he loses it on the way home his father comes up with a replacement.
Blog Post
Filmmaking fans? Moose fans?
by manz
Have I got a new picture book for you! This is a Moose, written by Richard T. Morris and illustrated by Tom Lichtenheld, is hilarious! The book features many animals including the director duck who is trying to film the documentary “This is Moose,” and the shooting gets interrupted by Moose’s granny, a giraffe and outer space. Moose doesn’t want to be a moose, he wants to be an astronaut! The impatient director is about to quack up – all he wants is for the animals to play their proper roles! Will this film ever get beyond the the first scene? It's a great story about being able to be who you want to be. The back of the book also features a mini glossary of filmmaking terms.
Another not-so-new funny moose picture book is Z is For Moose, an alphabet story that gets a little mixed up when Moose gets upset.
Blog Post
PreK BITS - Flossie And the FOX
by ryanikoglu
Ms. Rachel brought foxes to Storytime !
The GINGERBREAD BOY went the way of all gingerbread cookies that ever came out of the oven... after he met the fox.
"A-Hunting We Will Go" started and ended with fox, and there were so many animals to rhyme with as we sang.
FLOSSIE And The FOX is the story of a clever girl who can outfox the fox.
Since Gingerbread and Runaway food motifs are common in folklore, here are more stories to try:
RUNAWAY LATKES by Leslie Kimmelman.
RUNAWAY PEPPERCORN a Hindi tale by Sucitrāi Rāmadurai.
RUNAWAY PUMPKIN by Kevin Lewis.
RUNAWAY RICE CAKE and RUNAWAY WOK by Ying Chang Compestine.
GINGERBREAD GIRL by Lisa Campbell Ernst.
GINGERBREAD BABY by Janet Squires.
GINGERBREAD COWBOY by
LET'S GO OUTSIDE ! tells how to play the outdoor game "A-Hunting We Will Go".
The LITTLE COOKIE by Margaret Hillert, is a version for beginning readers to master.
Blog Post
Fantasy for Kids: A Snicker of Magic
by skcramer
There’s something magical about Midnight Gulch – or, at least, there used to be. When twelve-year-old Felicity Pickle moves to Midnight Gulch with her little sister Frannie Jo and their wandering-spirit mother, the only magic she is hoping to find is a home. Soon, though, Felicity is caught up in the story of how Midnight Gulch lost its magic and plots a way to break the old curse and bring the magic back.
If you enjoyed recent Newbery-Honor-winners like Savvy or Three Times Lucky, then you should definitely check out A Snicker of Magic by Natalie Lloyd. All three feature spunky heroines with unique, lyrical voices and surrounded by lovably quirky communities who support our heroines when they need them.
Blog Post
Caterina and the Perfect Party
by PattySmith
In Erin Etter Kono’s book Caterina and the Perfect Party we meet Caterina, a little brown bird with big plans. Her most favorite thing in the world to do is make lists, but she hates surprises. You can imagine her delight when she gets to plan her very first party! What better opportunity for this bespectacled little cutie to write lists? She writes lists of her guests, lists of the most appetizing appetizers, lists of the most decorative decorations and gets to work carrying out all the creative things on her beloved lists. But on her big day she is faced with the biggest surprise of all. Oh no, a great big storm threatens to ruin her perfectly planned outdoor party! Never fear, soon her guests arrive bearing a replacement snacks, and they all have a fantastic day frolicking in the rain and mud. It is at this point that Caterina realizes her most important list is her list of friends.