Preschool Expo

Thu, 01/23/2014 - 10:14am by manz

Are you searching for a preschool for your child? Join us this Sunday for the 5th annual Preschool Expo. Hosted by AADL, the Expo brings representatives from area preschools to one location, on one date. This year we will have 35 schools from Washtenaw County ready to discuss their programs and features in order to help you decide what suits the needs of your family.

Sunday, January 26 | 1-4pm | Palmer Commons on the UM campus (100 Washtenaw Avenue) | Free parking across the street in the parking structure

New Kids TV @ AADL: Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood

Wed, 01/22/2014 - 3:43pm by manz

Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood is a PBS show geared towards preschoolers and is based on the old Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood show. The adventures of characters in the "Neighborhood of Make-Believe" appeared in a segment in almost every episode of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood.

The series debuted on PBS in September 2012 and centers on four year old Daniel Tiger, who is the son of Daniel Striped Tiger from the original "Neighborhood of Make-Believe", and his friends as they solve problems and learn together with imagination, music and fun. Check out: Life’s Little Lessons and Daniel’s Big Feelings on DVD.

Parent’s Corner: Science Fair Time!

Mon, 01/13/2014 - 2:08pm by manz

The Downtown library has a shelf in the Youth Department known as the Parent Shelf. On this shelf you’ll find a variety of parent-child related books on a multitude of topics- including everything from language to behavior to safety to bullying. These books are available for checkout and can be found in the catalog when searching “parent shelf.”

Winter is in high gear, the new year started and the kids are back in school. This means that science fair season will soon be upon us! Many children in the area will complete a project for school. AADL has a slew of books with a variety of science fair projects in them, including a few on the parent shelf. It’s not too early to browse through the experiments and see what might be a good choice for you to work on!

Matilda and Hans

Wed, 01/08/2014 - 1:06pm by manz

Once there was a good little cat named Matilda, and a not so good cat named Hans. Matilda always behaved and Hans always misbehaved. One night Hans let all of the animals in the zoo free and there was big trouble. Will Matilda help Hans? With a funny plot twist and a sneaky ending, this picture book will have you giggling. Matilda and Hans by Yokococo features delightful illustrations and an adorable storyline.

Arborwiki Edit Night At Arbor Brewing

Wednesday April 23, 2014: 7:00pm to 9:00pm
Arbor Brewing - 114 East Washington

At the Art Table: Self Portraits!

Thu, 01/02/2014 - 1:47pm by manz

The next time you’re at the Downtown Library, pop into the Youth Department and check out the new art project at the art table.

This time around you’ll be working with paper and pencil to create a self portrait, suitable for framing. Sit at the art table and glance in the mirror at yourself. What are your brightest features? What are the features you want to focus on? Will you make a simple line drawing? Will your art be black and white or full of color? Will you just draw your face? Let's find out!

To see some famous self portraits or get tips on creating your own, check out these children’s books and adult books.

Arborwiki Edit Night

Wednesday March 26, 2014: 7:00pm to 9:00pm
Downtown Library: aadlfreespace
Adults And Teens Grade 9 And Up

Over and Under the Snow

Mon, 12/30/2013 - 10:20am by manz

Over and Under the Snow is a cozy picture book written by Kate Messner and beautifully illustrated by Christopher Silas Neal. The book is the story of a day on a snowy cross-country ski trek in the woods where a father and child encounter many animals along their tree-lined journey. They find animals that live in “the secret kingdom,” which is “a network of small open spaces and tunnels between the snowpack and the ground.” Red foxes live over, while red squirrels live under. It’s a thoughtful story with beautiful and simple illustrations of the snow and animals on a wintry day. Perfect for sharing while sipping hot cocoa and looking out the window.

Pirate Stories

Wed, 12/11/2013 - 9:15am by manz

Ahoy there, me hearties! Arrrrrgh! Perhaps you visited a preschool storytime recently where pirates stories were featured and are looking for more swashbuckling fun? AADL has a slew of picture books featuring pirates on grand adventures. Here are a few to set sail with:

Pirate Nap by Danna Smith
Shiver Me Letters by June Sobel
Pirates Don’t Take Baths by John Segal

Parent’s Corner: Ready To Read

Sat, 11/30/2013 - 5:08pm by manz

The Downtown library has a shelf in the Youth Department known as the Parent Shelf. On this shelf you’ll find a variety of parent-child related books on a multitude of topics- including everything from language to tantrums to safety to homework. These books are available for checkout and can be found in the catalog when searching “parent shelf.”

There are some great books in the collection that focus on books and reading, including choosing what to read and help with encouraging children to read. To get you going, check out these titles:

*Book love: developing depth, stamina, and passion in adolescent readers
*Get those guys reading!: fiction and series books that boys will love
*Picture books for children: fiction, folktales, and poetry
*Read with me: best books for preschoolers

And for more see this great list of related titles.