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All programs are virtual for community safety.
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Monday, May 10, 2021 | View in browser
Friday, May 21 is National Endangered Species Day and Saturday, May 22 is International Day for Biological Diversity! Let's celebrate, learn, and commit to protecting biodiversity in the world around us.
Check out a great kids book from our new list, Caring for the Planet: Books that Celebrate Life on Earth.
Pick up your Tree-Cookie STEM Science Kits available at both the Robert Crown Branch Library and the Children's Desk at the Main Library. Learn a little about dendrochronology (studying tree dating through tree rings and other clues). Monday, May 17, until supplies are gone.
A great biodiversity STEM project is a Square Foot Nature Survey in your backyard or a local park or schoolyard. Take an inventory to learn about all the small creatures and plants in that space. The link contains a video to equip you to work with your kids if they need support.
Just want a fun project to get your kids outside? Try a nature wristband or nature loom! Anytime we grow a child's love of the outdoors, we are working to improve our future.
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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, and pick up materials to make a simple butterfly sun catcher. Ongoing.
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Zoom Time for Twos: A series of virtual storytimes filled with songs, picture books, puppets, and rhymes for children 24 to 36 months old along with a parent or caregiver. Three sessions left. Tuesday, May 11, 10:30 am: Register.
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LENA Start Information Sessions: Learn about how you can participate in a 10-week virtual parent program that helps to build your 0-3 year old's brain! Evanston residents only. Tuesday, May 11, 7:30 pm: Register; OR Thursday, May 13, 10 am: Register; OR Monday, May 17, 2 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 (very brief) meditation. Come experience some great new books and learn how to be peaceful before bed. Thursday, May 13, 6:30 pm: Register.
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Graphic Novel Book Club: Forever Home. You love graphic novels, now come talk about them! For grades 3-5. This month we will be discussing Jenna Ayoub's graphic novel, Forever Home. An ebook copy is available on Hoopla here. Include your email when registering so we can invite you to the Google Meet call. Must be an Evanston resident or attend school in District 65 to join. Saturday, May 22, 1 pm: Register.
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Family Reading Night with Legacy Award Winning Authors' Books! Let's get together to enjoy great picture books and songs. Geared to 3-5 year olds, but everyone in the family is welcome! Thursday, May 27, 6:30 pm: Register.
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Visit with Caldecott-Winning Author Dan Santat! Enjoy a virtual visit with the award-winning author/illustrator of over 100 books, Dan Santat! Dan received the 2015 Caldecott Medal for The Adventures of Beekle and the 2020 Asian/Pacific American Picture Book Award for Drawn Together. He illustrated Dav Pilkey's Ricky Ricotta series! Dan will talk about his books, share an interactive art demo and activity, and end with a brief Q&A session. Presented in partnership with other north suburban libraries. Wednesday, August 4, 6 pm: Register.
Registration starts June 1 in the library or online! Once you've registered:
- Pick out a brand new book right away!
- Get a fun reading log that encourages "coloring your world" through the summer as well as keeping track of reading. The online log is interactive and lets kids link directly to cool challenges!
- Start reading! Once some progress is logged (by parents, kids, or librarians), kids can win weekly raffle prizes.
As parents and community members, we're worried that the pandemic cheated our kids' learning and growth. A 3-year study conducted by Dominican University showed that students participating in public library summer reading programs score higher on reading achievement tests at the beginning of the next school year. Let's all read this summer!
Want more support? The Erikson Institute, a graduate school in child development, has free parent workshops to help you support your child's 2021 summer reading in May and early June. Attend Scholastic's Parent's Night on the Power of Summer Reading on Wednesday May 26 at 6 pm. Check out some simple ideas from Parents Magazine on how to get kids to love reading.
Questions about summer reading? Give us a call: 847-448-8610.
Eid Mubarak! (Happy Eid!) Starting May 12 at sundown and continuing through sundown on May 13, Muslims celebrate Eid al-Fitr (pronounced "EED al fitter"), the breaking of the last fast of Ramadan. Congratulations to all the older kids completing a Ramadan fast for the first time. Start the celebration with this great rap video about Eid al-Fitr!
Sweets and fruit are great additions to an Eid feast. Here is a quick and easy recipe for a rainbow fruit cup that kids will love making!
It was a year like no other -- for the world, for the country, for Evanston, and for Evanston Public Library too -- but we kept moving forward.
This 2020 Annual Report reflects it all: the pandemic response, the call to racial justice, and the many ways we explored the frontiers of what equitable access to resources truly means for Evanstonians. Take a look!
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