History in Picture Books is difficult to place where kids might discover it. Picture Books limit the text, illustrate the drama, and make real stories in history come alive for children. Here are some wonderful stories of the building of American landmarks:
Twenty One Elephants is a story of P.T Barnum's elephants and the Brooklyn Bridge.
Sky Boys and the building of the Empire State Building in 1931, one of the first "Skyscrapers".

Bingo

Kids in grades K - 5 are invited to join us at the Pittsfield Branch on Thursday, July 30 from 2 - 3:30 for an afternoon of bingo. Prizes will be books, generously donated by the Friends of the Ann Arbor District Library. Each child can win one book. There will be other smaller prizes for any subsequent wins. Parents should plan on staying with the youngest players.

Spitzer

Ben Spitzer, juggler and comedian, will return to Ann Arbor on Tuesday, July 28th for two shows to liven up your summer. He'll be at the Pittsfield Branch at 2:00 p.m. and the Downtown Library at 7:00 p.m. Join us for this fun event!

To learn how to juggle yourself, go here.

SUMMER FUN sites on the internet "for staying safe and active" come from Gail Junion-Metz' column in SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL. Check these sites when you have free time and perhaps get UN-bored:
Exploratorium Sport Science offers incredible science bits behind sports, like why do skateboards seem to magically stick to skater's feet?
Funology Boredom Busters for craft ideas and other things to make and play.

Calling all preschoolers who love those big noisy vehicles. Come to the Pittsfield Branch on Thursday, July 23rd at 2:00 to meet Sallie Wolf, author of the picture book Truck Stuck. See what happens when a big red truck causes a traffic jam by getting stuck under a bridge. How can it be unstuck?

Monday we created exotic pencils to impress friends when schools start again. You can find more craft ideas to do at home in the following books:
Earth-Friendly Crafts with "clever ways to reuse everyday items".
The Usborne Children's Book Of Art an "introduction to painting ..." of famous artists, includes suggested internet links.
Usborne Complete Book Of Art Ideas with "Over 400 inspiring ideas for things to do with paints ...pens, found objects, stitches, rubbings."

Riverwalks

Don’t miss meeting Brenda Bentley, author of Riverwalks Ann Arbor when she speaks at the downtown library 7-8:30 p.m. Friday, July 10. Her book is gaining plenty of attention, and she recently spoke to city council against removal of Argo dam, according to the Ann Arbor Chronicle. Her library program is called "Walking For Fun, Exercise And Cultural Edification In The Ann Arbor Area." Books will be on sale, and a signing will follow the presentation.

4th of July is "Independence Day".
Celebrate "Independence" by learning personal stories of people who have stretched the definition of civil liberty in US history.
Our Children Can Soar
Madame President
Elizabeth Leads The Way
American Heroes: Robert Smalls
River Of Words: Story Of William Carlos Williams
Boy Named Beckoning:True Story of Dr. Carlos Montezuma

On the NEW BOOKS shelf for kids, we have a NEW series of books that are very nicely done. Colorful illustrations include kids of many cultures. In The Nest
In The Pond
On The Moon
Under The Ground
The Rainy Day
The Sunny Day
Each title provides very satisfying pieces of information about the world we live in.

Just for fun, I typed Nora Roberts into our catalog--245 hits. More than Stephen King! Wow, I thought, maybe I will read one of these in our Summer Reading Game. Then, for more fun, I searched J.D. Robb, the name under which Roberts writes police procedurals. Whoa, another 72 hits! Clearly Roberts is beyond prolific, and you can learn (lots) more about this bestselling phenom in Lauren Collins’ wonderful profile in the June 22 New Yorker. As many as 27 Nora Roberts books are sold every minute, the article suggests.