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Library adventures

Library Adventures - 29th March 2023

Image of author SF Said on sunshine yellow background with quote "If you want children to love reading... let them read what they love!"

As the wise author SF Said said, "Once you can read, you can read ANYTHING. Reading is a skill that unlocks so many other skills. Maybe that's why reading for pleasure has the biggest impact of any factor on children's life chances." And that's why at Kirklees Libraries we're passionate about helping every child find a book they'll love!

Bring your mini me along to the library this spring to choose some fantastic books they'll love. Check our library locations and opening times on our website.

Read more from the Booktrust Writer in Residence, SF Said, about helping children love books.


School Holiday Fun for the Family

Image of parade of people from the book One Love by Cedella Marley

Our spring story walks are inspired by the heart-warming picture book One Love. Adapted from one of Bob Marley's most beloved songs, One Love offers an upbeat testament to the amazing things that can happen when we all get together with one love in our hearts. Our events aim to bring the joyful spirit and unforgettable lyrics of his music to life for a new generation.

Join us for a story time, story walk & crafts. Recommended for families with children up to age 8.

Browse dates, locations and book free tickets

From ONE LOVE, ©2011 adapted by Cedella Marley. Illustrations by Vanessa Brantley-Newton. Used with Permission from Chronicle Books, LLC. #OneLoveOneBook


Easter Crafts, Seed Planting, Drama, Storytellers and more!

image of Easter bonnet and Easter chick crafts

There are so many fabulous free activities taking place in libraries at the moment, we just don't have space to mention them all!

Cleckheaton Library has FREE sessions of Easter themed crafts including decorating your own Easter bonnet on Thursday 6th April at 2pm and 3pm.
Book a place on our ticketsource page.

Lots of events are free to drop in and not listed on our ticket site. To find out more about what's happening at your local library, give them a call on 01484 414868, check out our website or follow us on socail media (see the links at the bottom of this newsletter.


Shiver me timbers! Pirate stories for little buccaneers

Image of book collection with a pirate theme

To celebrate all things swashbuckling, we've put together this collection of pirate books!

Lots of children (and adults!) love reading books about adventurous and outrageous pirates - but did you know books about pirates can be a great way to instill history, geography, language and narrative story as well as fun?!

Browse and borrow from the collection on Libby

Get pirate book recommendations from BookTrust

Reserve pirate books from our catalogue for free delivery to your local library


Favourite Author - Spotight on Elle McNicoll

Image of Elle McNicoll with front cover of book A Kind of Spark

It all started with a SPARK!! We absolutely LOVED Elle McNicoll's  A Kind of Spark and are so excited that it's been adapted for television. It's available on BBC iPlayer from this Friday!

A Kind of Spark tells the story of 11-year-old Addie as she campaigns for a memorial in memory of the witch trials that took place in her Scottish hometown. Addie knows there’s more to the story of these ‘witches’, just like there is more to hers. Can Addie challenge how the people in her town see her, and her autism, and make her voice heard? A story about friendship, courage and self-belief

Elle McNicoll is a bestselling and award-winning novelist. A Kind of Spark, won the Blue Peter Book Award and the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize 2020. She is an advocate for better representation of neurodiversity in publishing.

Reserve a copy of a fabulous book written by Elle McNicoll on our library catalogue

Find out more about the TV adaptation of A Kind of Spark


Competition Winners

Image of winning Zog colouring sheet

We had so many fabulous entries for the Zog colouring competition with the Lawrence Batley Theatre. It was so difficult to pick just one winner! We loved the creative way Evania has added scenery to the picture and her family won the tickets to see Zog at the theatre.

You can see a wonderful display of some of the best entries at Huddersfield Library in our new location at the Customer Service Centre.

There are a few tickets left for this afternoon's performance of Zog - find out details.


Autism Acceptance Week and Social Stories

Banner - blue background with Happy World Autism Awareness Week written on in yellow and white

Organised by UK charity The National Autistic Society, World Autism Acceptance Week is an opportunity to highlight the importance of understanding more about autism and to inspire others to take steps to build kinder, more inclusive communities. 

Social storiesTM can help autistic people develop greater social understanding and help them stay safe.

What are social stories? They are short descriptions of a particular situation, event or activity, which include specific information about what to expect in that situation and why. 

The addresses, opening times and social stories for all our libraries can be found on our website at: www.kirkleeslibraries.co.uk/locations

Social storiesTM were created by Carol Gray in 1991.


Huddersfield Literature Festival

Logo for Huddersfield Literature Festival

Have you been to one of the awesome Huddersfield Literature Festival events yet? It's the best year ever, with something going on for all tastes.

There's a fab variety of event for children and families. Check them our on the festival website.


eAudio, eBooks and apps

Image of phones with Libby and Overdrive app showing - text says, Still using Overdrive? Switch to Libby

The OverDrive app will soon be discontinued, and you’ll need to switch to Libby, OverDrive’s newer reading app. You can still use the older OverDrive app for now, but we recommend upgrading to Libby today. It’s easy to use and full of fun features.

There is an Overview page about the transition to Libby, which includes the 'Why' this change is happening, the 'How' to switch to Libby and some useful frequently asked questions.

"Kindle Fire devices: Amazon has not yet accepted our submission of the Libby app to the Amazon Appstore so the OverDrive app will remain available for Kindle Fire users to download and access until further notice"

Questions? Need some advice? Please drop us a line at frontline.services@kirklees.gov.uk or ask at any Kirklees Library.


PressReader: Digital magazines and Newspapers

Our digital magazine and newspaper service can now be accessed from within the Libby app. Select the Pressreader icon from within Libby and follow the on-screen instructions.

Pressreader - many languages

Digital Magazines and Newspapers

Choose from over 7,300 national and international titles to read online or download for offline convenience.

Complimentary access with your Kirklees library card and PIN for 30 days before you have to sign in again.

Create a collection of favourite titles, search and add new ones. Share articles through email and social media, or save and organize them into categories with labels for quick and easy access.

For more details along with details of the text-to-speech and instant translation options, see our PressReader catalogue at: www.pressreader.com


Keep in touch

If you know someone who would like to get the latest news from Kirklees Libraries, feel free to forward this newsletter or let them know they can use the link at the bottom of this page. Send your book reviews to socialmedia.lics@kirklees.gov.uk. Recommend titles using the Libby app or use any of the channels below.

Stay up to date with Kirklees Libraries using our social media channels:

Facebook@kirkleeslibraries          Twitter@KirkleesLibrary

Instagram/kirkleeslibraries             Pinterest/kirkleeslibraries


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