Representation matters, and I think that’s especially true for children. For World Autism Awareness month, I've chosen to explore some children and middle grade books that represent children who experience autism, as well as siblings of children that experience autism. You can check out any of these books, and more, here at the Floyd County [...]
The last Tuesday night of each month is Virtual Trivia Night. On April 27 at 7 PM we'll have Parks & Recreation Trivia. Join us for a fast-paced trivia contest using Zoom and Kahoot with a $10 Amazon gift card for the winner. Kahoot is a quiz program that can be accessed online or [...]
April is National Poetry Month! This is one of my favorite times of year because poetry can be so beautiful, but I don't usually reach for it. Being encouraged in the spring when the sun comes out and the flowers are blooming to take a moment and slow down to enjoy some poetry is exactly [...]
Ramadan Mubarak! I'm a little early with this greeting, as the month of Ramadan starts on April 12 this year. (Since Ramadan is part of the Islamic lunar calendar, the date on our Western calendar is different every year.) For those who don't already know, Ramadan is a holy month for Muslims that involves fasting, [...]
Do your kids love funny books? I've written before about Laugh Out Loud funny picture books for kids, but here are some suggestions for chapter books and middle grade novels that will have your readers giggling - no fooling! 24 Hours in Nowhere by Dusti Bowling (2018; 260 pages). When the terrible bullies of Nowhere, [...]
March is ending, meaning we have now survived 3 of the total 12 months in a year. To observe the passage of one-quarter of the year, I've made the following list of books on the theme of quarters, in one fashion or another. Using new and exclusive interviews Martin Power tells the full story of [...]
March is Women's History Month, and in celebration I wanted to highlight some great reads that draw attention to activist women of the past. Let's go! Lighting the Fires of Freedom by Janet Dewart Bell shines a light on the important and unsung work of Black women during the Civil Rights Movement. Despite daily contributions [...]
March is Indiana Disabilities Awareness Month! This is a great excuse (not that you need one) to pick up a book written by or about people with disabilities and the Schneider Family Book Award is a great place to find good books on this topic. Presented by the Association of Library Services to Children (the [...]
It's been roughly a year since our country went into a National Lockdown as an emergency response to the COVID pandemic. During that time, a lot of people turned to reading to pass the time. As a librarian, I was really interested to see what were some of the most popular reads during that time. [...]
March Madness is here! Now, I'm not into sports, but I am familiar with March Madness. I know that you select teams that you think will win the tournament based on statistics (unless you're like me and always pick the Charlotte Hornets because you like their colors). You might think that the Indiana History Room [...]
