The Digital Library is open 24/7 for eBooks and eAudiobooks, Streaming Movies and TV, and eMagazines. Need help getting started with your Digital Library? Ask us!
All patrons are welcomed and encouraged (but not required) to wear face masks. Other precautions will remain in effect around library facilities, including capacity limits and physical distancing.
Support the Library!
Monday, June 6, 2022 | View in browser
 Come to the Main Library or the Robert Crown Branch Library now to sign up for our Summer Reading Challenge and get:
1. a free, high quality paperback book of their choice
2. a READ-O bingo card with scratch-able circles with lots of fun reading and writing activities.
Complete five activities in a row (down, across, or diagonal) and come back for an awesome selection of fun activity kit prizes, available beginning June 15! You will also be registered for our grand prize. More information!
Little Book is back! Watch Little's new movie and see which "off the beaten path" spots in Evanston are featured.
Summer Reading Kickoff Party at Robert Crown! Join us to welcome the start of our summer reading program! There will be stations to design your own tote bags and cloth masks as well as the bubble maker and other fun activities! Friday, June 10, 4-7 pm, Robert Crown Reading Garden: More information.
Library Summer Overview: check out this cool list of all our summer plans.
Drag Queen Storytime (all ages)! Come join us for a celebration of kindness and acceptance with our friend, Coco Sho'nell! Miss Coco will present a fun and fabulous storytime for all ages. Bring your whole family: Thursday, June 9, 6:30 pm, Main Library: More information and registration.
Crafternoon Pride Party (ages 6-10 and parents/caregivers)! Join us in this inclusive space to celebrate acceptance and create colorful flower crowns or affirmation stones. All materials will be provided, while supplies last. Monday, June 11, 3-5 pm, Main Library Children's Room, Art Garden: More information.
Rainbow Windsock Grab and Go Kits! While supplies last. More information.
We've got great books for you to celebrate Rainbow Book Month!
 Juneteenth, celebrated on June 19 (Juneteenth is a contraction of JUNE and NINETEENTH), commemorates the emancipation of enslaved people in the U.S. The holiday was first celebrated in Texas, where on that date in 1865, in the aftermath of the Civil War, enslaved people were declared free under the terms of the 1862 Emancipation Proclamation (yes, it was three long years later). President Joe Biden signed a bill in 2021 to create a Juneteenth federal holiday. This year, Kemone Hendricks, founder of Evanston Past and Present will be bringing Ms. Opal the "Grandmother of Juneteenth" to Evanston!
Opal's Walk for Freedom Juneteenth Parade. Join in the country's largest Juneteenth Parade, also featuring the Jesse White Tumblers! Saturday, June 18, 10 am-1:30 pm: More information and registration.
Black Family Game Night. Come and enjoy catering from some of Evanston’s Black-owned restaurants and participate in family-friendly competitions of Uno, Spades, Trivia, Black Card Revoked and other games! Sunday, June 19, 4-7 pm, Robert Crown Reading Garden: Register.
Juneteenth Craft Kits for Kids. Add some crafts to your Juneteenth celebration this year! Stop by the library to grab a craft kit and learn some important facts about Juneteenth. The kits will be available from both our Main Library and Robert Crown Library Branch starting June 13 and will be available while supplies last! More information.
Books!
Finally! It is warm and we are ready with loads of outdoor programs, events and all over town. Come see us!
Family Storytime @ Fountain Square! (Ages 2-7) Stop by for great stories and songs. Best for ages 2-7 but all are welcome. Tuesday, June 7, 10 am, Fountain Square in Downtown Evanston: More information.
Critter Visit with the Evanston Ecology Center (elementary school kids and older)! Join Evanston Public Library and the Ecology Center at James Park, near the Levy Center parking lot, to experience some of the Evanston Ecology Center's live animals up close. We will learn about each animal, the senses that they use, and the adaptations that make them uniquely awesome! So much fun and lots to learn! Tuesday, June 7, 4:30-7 pm, Levy Center Parking Lot at James Park: More information.
The Young and the Restless Outdoors (ages 0-2) at Brummel Park! Join our sing-a-long storytime outdoors! Singing is one of the best ways for little ones to learn language. Starting this week, we'll be at Brummel Park for four weeks! Thursdays, June 9-30, 10 am, Brummel Park: More information.
Summer Saturdays! (books aimed at ages 3-5 years old) Listen to a story and have some fun with our toys and games! Weather permitting, of course.
EPL On The Fly (elementary school age)! Come do STEM projects and sign up for summer reading:
- Mondays, June 13, 20, 27, James Park, 11 am-1 pm: More information.
- Tuesdays, June 14, 21, 28, Fleetwood-Jourdain Park, 11 am-1 pm: More information.
- Wednesdays, June 15, 22, 29, Mason Park, 11 am-1 pm: More information.
- Thursdays, June 16, 23, 30, Brummel-Dobson Park, 5-6 pm: More information.
Beach Fun! (Kids, Teens, and Adults) Join EPL in the grassy area near Lee St. Beach for free books, games, arts and crafts, and field day activities like volleyball! Come chill with the library and win prizes for each game you complete with us. Monday, June 13, 3-6 pm, Lee Street Beach: More information.
Dime Dance-Off! (Kids, Teens, and Adults) EPL and Mr. Marcus from Dime Dance will be at Brummel Park blasting some hip-hop and rap tunes that we'll dance to! Mr. Marcus will lead all of us in a variety of fun dance-related games and the library will be there with free book giveaways and swag, and some craft activities for the little ones once they tire themselves out dancing! Friday, June 24, 5-7 pm, Brummel Park: More information.
Bottle Rockets Galore! (Kids, Teens and Adults) Come hang out with EPL at James Park, near the Levy Center parking lot, for a super cool STEAM activity: bottle rockets! We'll be making paper rockets and decorating them so you can watch them blast off into the sky! Tuesday, June 28, 4:30-7 pm, James Park: More information.
How to Find a Fox Nature Book Walk (all ages; book geared to 4-8 years). Have a lovely walk and learn about foxes! Going on all summer at the Ladd Arboretum. More Information.
All park programs are weather permitting and are canceled if there are dangerous conditions (light sprinkles don't count).
-
Messy Art (Toddlers and Preschoolers)! Join us in the Robert Crown Reading Garden for the messiest art around! Wear your old clothes and prepare to have fun with Milk Paint! Thursday, June 9, 10:30 am, Robert Crown Reading Garden: More information.
-
Crown Storytime and Free Play in the Garden (toddlers and preschoolers)! We will sing together and share stories, old and new. Stories and songs are chosen for younger kids. No registration required, just drop in. Mondays, June 13-27, 10:30 am, Robert Crown Branch Library: More information.
-
Bilingual Storytime / Hora de cuentos bilingües! (toddlers and preschoolers) Join us for stories, songs and fun! Saturday, June 11, 1 pm, Robert Crown Branch Library: More information.
 |
Hora de Aventuras-¡Es primavera! Language Adventure Time, en español (Rising grades K-5)! Cuentos y juegos en español Come have fun and play games while speaking Spanish; send your TWI students to us! Acompáñanos para escuchar las cuentos y jugar al veo veo, adivina adivinanza, Simon de Palabras y más! Te esperamos en la biblioteca de Robert Crown cada lunes! Saturday, June 11, 1 pm, Robert Crown Multipurpose Room: Register.
Clay Nature Impressions! (Rising grades K-5, plus Teens and Adults, too!) Join us for an outdoor craft and capture the imprint of local plants in this fun clay activity! Using air-dry clay and local leaves and flowers, create fossil-like impressions to learn about the nature that surrounds us Friday, June 10, 11 am-12:30 pm, Robert Crown Reading Garden: More information.
Graphic Novel Book Club (Rising grades 3-5) You love graphic novels; now come talk about them! You will love Varian Johnson's delightful graphic novel, Twins. Stop by the children's desk to pick up a copy to read beforehand. Saturday, June 11, 3 pm, Children's Public Conference Room, Main Library: Register.
Virtual Microwave cooking class: Gluten Free! (Rising grades K-5) Want to learn how to cook gluten free using your microwave? This month we will be making some great gluten free food using a mug and a microwave. An ingredient list will be sent out ahead of time so you can cook your own delicious food in your own kitchen along with us. Friday, June 17, 10 am, Zoom: Register.
On the Same Page! A Fun 2-Person Book Club (Rising grades 1-3)! Summer is a great time for kids to create a book club! And we've done most of the work for them! Check out two book club kits which include two copies of Bad Guys Book 1, and two Bad Guys craft kits, plus discussion questions and more! Kits available starting June 17 through the end of the month, while supplies last! More information.
Lego Club (Rising grades 3-5) Come to the Robert Crown Branch Library and challenge your brain with some exciting builds! We supply the LEGO bricks, you supply the creativity and positive attitude. Monday, June 20, 2 pm, Robert Crown Branch Library: Register.
Have your kids signed up for the Summer Reading Challenge, Read Beyond the Beaten Path yet? If so, they may want books from these great booklists:
Read a Book that's been Made into A Movie
Read a Book with a Color in the Title
Read a Book about an Animal
Read a Book with a Surprise Ending!
Intrigued? Sign up at the library today!
District 65's Summer Reading List! Get your kids some books from District 65's fantastic summer reading list (this will also help them complete some of the squares on the EPL's bingo card). It's called Read Beyond Borders and lets kids "travel" through reading to Europe, Australia, Africa, the Middle East and Asia this summer as well as North and South America. Which continent will your kids travel to first? District 65 also has a Middle school (rising grades 6-8) summer reading list.
And of course, there's our fun Joys of Summer Reading list, that includes great books all set during summer break.
 Father's Day is fast approaching and happiest of Fathers Day to those who celebrate! Certainly one day can hardly encompass our gratitude to those who've raised us and supported us.
Father's Day can be hard for a number of reasons. Some kids don't have dads. Some men haven't been able to parent their children. Many kids and adults lost their father recently and even if it isn't recent, it still hurts. Let's have compassion for all kinds of families who can celebrate or not celebrate in whatever way works for them! For more information on how best to support LGBTQIA+ families on Father's Day, check this out.
Fun Booklists for Father's Day Weekend:
Great Book Starring Dads
Love Makes a Family
Great Activities for Father's Day Weekend:
-
YWCA's Ricky Byrdsong Race Against Hate! It's a Father's Day tradition to run or walk in the Race Against Hate in honor of a father and Northwestern University coach who was killed in a hate crime in Evanston while out walking with his kids. The race starts and ends at Long Field on the campus of Northwestern University, at the corner of Sheridan Road and Lincoln Street in Evanston. Sunday, June 19, race start time 7:30 am or 7:50 am, but some youth races starts as late as 9:15 am. More information and registration required.
-
Hike! If you aren't signed up for the Race Against Hate, why not take a lovely hike together? Check out our local hiking suggestions!
-
Request a Museum Adventure Pass to take your family on an outing to the Chicago Botanic Garden, Brookfield Zoo or other cool suburban museum. (Passes are good for one week; only one pass per family per week.)
-
Make a Treat! Make dill pickles with the kids for a daddy, grandpa or favorite family friend!
|
