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Monday, April 26, 2021 | View in browser
 May is Asian Pacific American Heritage Month! It's a time to celebrate the history and culture of Asians and Pacific Islanders, a diverse array of cultures including all of the Asian continent and many Pacific islands. A good place to start with kids is a great book! We've compiled these two lists of Asian/Pacific American Library Association Award Winners:
Recent Asian/Pacific American Award Picture Book Winners
Recent Asian/Pacific American Award Middle Grade Winners
Mandala Art. First appearing in Buddhist art produced in India during the first century B.C.E, the mandala as an art form spread via the Silk Road. In several world faiths it is a deeply meaningful spiritual practice. Everyone can learn to draw a mandala. Try this wordless beginning mandala drawing video to open yourself to a new art form.
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Family Storytime and Craft - Turtles: Join us for stories, songs and a fun craft. If you'd like to do the craft in real time with Ms. Kim, a kit with craft supplies will be available for pick up at the Main Library. Evanston residents only, please. Books are most appropriate for ages 3-7, but all are welcome. Tuesday, April 27, 6 pm: Register.
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Parents After Bedtime Read Aloud Book Club: The One Thing You'd Save. Three librarians will read this brand new book by Newbery Medal winner, Linda Sue Park, out loud for you. Take time to ponder: what's the most important thing in your life? Parents get to relax and enjoy the reading. Tuesday, April 27, 8 pm: Register.
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Virtual Portrait Workshop with NeurodiVERSED! Join artists Katy W. and John V. for a fun and accessible virtual portrait workshop. Both artists are involved in the NeurodiVERSED awareness campaign which gives people who think differently a platform to share stories, art, experiences, and celebrate neurodiversity. Wednesday, April 28, 6 pm: Register.
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LENA Start Information Session: Learn about LENA Start and how you can participate in a 10-week program that helps build your 0-3 year old's brain! Evanston residents, only. Thursday, April 29, 3 pm: Register.
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Butterfly Sky: Stop by the Robert Crown Branch Library for an up-close look at the magic of metamorphosis! Check out a live display of Painted Lady insects during various stages of their life cycle, learn more about the Pollinator Pledge, and discover which butterflies are native to Evanston. Pick up materials to make a simple butterfly sun catcher. Take the craft home to complete (requires colored pencils & scissors), or complete it in the Robert Crown Branch Reading Garden. May 1-4 and May 7-11, all day.
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Venga a Conocer: Angela Dominguez Author Meet Up! Join picture book author and illustrator Angela Dominguez (I Love You, Baby Burrito and Stella Diaz Has Something to Say) on a fun Zoom call. She'll share how her wonderful books reflect her own lived experiences and lead you in a cool drawing activity! Tuesday, May 4, 7 pm: Register.
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Zoom Time for Two's: A series of virtual storytimes filled with songs, picture books, puppets and rhymes just for children 24 to 36 months old (along with a parent or caregiver). Four weeks starting Tuesday, May 4, 10:30 am: Register.
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Zoom All By Myself: Join us for a four-week installment of storytimes and crafts for kids ages 3-5. A list of craft supplies will be sent in advance if you would like to do the craft in real time with Ms. Kim. Starting Wednesday, May 5, 11 am: Register; or Wednesday, May 5, 1:30 pm: Register.
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Wind Down Storytime Families with young children are invited to wear pajamas and join us for a calming story time and meditation. Weather and WiFi permitting, feel free to enjoy this virtual program outside. We'll share stories about the benefit of identifying and explaining your feelings. Come experience some ways to get peaceful together before bed. Thursday, May 13, 6:30 pm: Register.
 Comic books and graphic novels not only delight kids, they also develop their brains and reading skills in deeper ways than with just text. Graphic literature is especially helpful in motivating reluctant readers and in supporting those with learning differences, too. Far from discouraging kids from reading them, we'd like to get more kids reading and sharing them.
- Check out our brand new list of Great Graphic Novels for Kids!
- Get your kids working on this challenging craft: a Batman bookmark!
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Graphic Novel Book Club. You love graphic novels, now come talk about them! We'll be discussing Jenna Ayoub's graphic novel, Forever Home. Find an e-book copy on Hoopla here. Must be an Evanston resident or attend school in District 65 to participate. For grades 3-5. Saturday, May 22, 1 pm: Register.
- Skeptical about graphic novels? Here's some information from Northwestern University on brain science and reading graphic literature.
A note to all the mothers: Does Mother's Day feel as if it is just one more thing you need to do? Creating time just for you is a good way to mark this holiday. For some, it helps to acknowledge how very hard this past year has been for mothers.
Mexico celebrates a beautiful holiday for children called El Día del Niño, the Day of the Child, on April 30th. In 1996, award-winning author and literacy activist Pat Mora founded El día de los niños/El día de los libros on the same day, as an international holiday celebrating the connection between kids and books. Of course, we love that!
Robert Crown Branch Library staff created this list of fun, recent books in Spanish to help you celebrate! All the books are also available in English or are bilingual.
Our Latino Engagement Librarian, Mariana Bojorquez, has planned a painting class taught in Spanish by indigenous artist Carlos Orozco for teens and kids on El Día del Niño:
Taller de Pintura: ¡Alebrijes Oaxaqueños! Acompáñanos durante una hora entera de aprender la historia de los alebrijes e incluso pintar tu propio alebrije con Carlos Orozco, un artista indígena de ascendencia Ikoots que vive en Oaxaca. Friday, April 30, 4 pm: Register.
 For 36 years, Evanston has proudly enjoyed the designation, Tree City USA. It is part of why we are considered a "livable" city. Celebration ideas:
ETHS students concerned about our environment are planting trees for Arbor Day to make up for their paper usage. Volunteer to "host" a tree in your yard!
For preschoolers and younger:
And for older kids:
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Beginning Birdwatching for Everyone! Who loves trees the most? Birds, of course. Chicago birdwatcher and photographer Scott Judd can help you find and identify birds right here in Evanston. Scott will address questions like: Do I need binoculars? Where should I look? How will I know what I’m looking at? Can I identify a bird based on its song? All ages, including kids! Thursday, April 29, 7 pm: Register.
- Check out Can you hear the Trees Talking? Discovering the Hidden Life of the Forest by Peter Wohlleben, a great introduction to the latest in tree science geared to elementary school.
- Visit the Evanston Ecology Center and Ladd Arboretum, or your local Evanston park, to see some beautiful trees! There's intriguing recent research about the health benefits of being around trees, summarized by New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, that kids may enjoy learning. Let's get out and breathe in some phytoncides!
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