Programs & Events for Kids
Library staff design a full schedule of engaging, entertaining, and educational programs and events for babies, toddlers, preschoolers, and school-aged children. Various events – including options for early literacy, STEAM, gaming, and crafts – are offered year-round.
1KB4K: 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten
1KB4K is a library initiative that promotes reading 1,000 books to preschoolers before they begin Kindergarten. It’s easy to do, and the child gets a free book every time they read and report 100 books. Register and track their reading progress online with Beanstack, or visit the Youth Services Department for additional information or to register in person. You can also view the 1KB4K brochure here.
100 Club
The 100 Club is a fun way for kids to build their reading habits year-round – while earning prizes! Kids in kindergarten through 8th grade can join the club and track their progress on Beanstack. There’s no time limit for completing the challenge, but the goal is to read 100 books! The structure is simple: log books in any category and earn a prize for each 10 books read. Each month, a prize winner will be drawn from active readers, and readers who finish all 10 badges will earn a 100 Club completion prize and get to pick a free book to keep. Learn more about signing up in Beanstack at fondulaclibrary.beanstack.org/reader365 or ask a librarian for help and get your young readers involved in this awesome reading challenge!
Anytime Activities, Toys, & Games
Even when there’s not a program scheduled, there’s always something fun to do at the library! Stop by the desk in the Youth Services Department to learn more about the library’s current Anytime Activities – crafts, games, or projects kids can do whenever they visit the library. Additionally, the library offers a wide selection of board games and card games, as well as a train table, Lego table, puzzles, and a puppet theater to play with during your visit.
Road Trip!
Summer often means it is time for a road trip! The last thing you want to hear is ‘I’m bored!’ or ‘Are we there yet?’. So come to the library and check out books, audio books, or launch pads to keep them occupied for the duration. Or maybe you are not going anywhere – travel along with the characters in the book. Remember you can use your library card to check out e-books in one of our many digital apps, like Hoopla, Boundless, and Tumblebooks. They will never run out of things to read!
Check out these stories about characters on vacation:
Picture Books:
Fly High, Fly Guy! By Tedd Arnold
Wherever You Go by Pat Miller
The Berenstain Bears and Too Much Vacation by Stan Berenstain
Duck’s Vacation by Gilad Soffer
1001 Things to Spot on Vacation by Hazel Maskell
Easy Readers:
The Haunted Road Trip (Scooby Doo) by Gail Herman
I am Brave by Suzy Capozzi
Pete the Cat’s Family Road Trip by Kim Dean
What a trip, Amber Brown by Paula Danziger
EZ Chapter section:
Pug’s Road Trip by Kyla May
Heidi Heckelbeck and the Wild Ride by Wanda Coven
Lola Levine and the Vacation Dream by Monica Brown
The Princess in Black Takes a Vacation by Shannon Hale
Chapter Books:
Thea Stilton & the American Dream by Thea Stilton
Amelia Bedelia Road Trip! by Herman Parish
Charlie Joe’s Jackson’s Guide to Summer Vacation by Tom Greenwald
The Someday Birds by Sally Pla
The Vanderbeekers on the Road by Karina Yan Glaser
–Julie Fonseca, Youth Services Assistant
FDL Reads: I’m an American
I’m an American by Darshana Khiani
Reviewed By: Alice Mitchell, Youth Services Manager
Genre: Picture book
Suggested Age: Kids (4-8)
What is This Book About? A classroom of diverse children share bits of their family history and highlight ideals they value that make them American, each family working in their own way to make our country great. Some describe how their family fled hardships in their homelands, and others describe their lives in this country. Indigenous nations are also highlighted through the story of a Muscogee child. While each story describes challenges these families faced or continue to face, they each have a message of determination and hope that we can continue to improve our communities and country as a whole. For every group highlighted there is a note in the back about the impact these groups have had on our country, as well as factors effecting immigration and their lives once they arrived here.
My Review: I greatly enjoyed this story and learning more about the vast number of diverse experiences of people in this country. Presenting each story as it relates to an American ideal like determination and freedom of expression made them stories I could easily relate my own family to. The back matter taught me a great deal that I want to read more about, like how there were laws allowing Indian men but not Indian women from immigrating to the United States and how, despite immigration from other Asian countries being barred, exclusion laws didn’t apply to Filipinos because it was a U.S. territory. While not hiding the challenges and discrimination that people faced, this book still presents an optimistic outlook for the future.
Three Words that Describe this Book: patriotic, hopeful, historical
Give This A Try if You Like… Blue Sky White Stars by Sarvinder Naberhaus; The Undefeated by Kwame Alexander; America My Love, America My Heart by Daria Peoples-Riley; My Red, White, and Blue by Alana Tyson; I is for Immigrant by Selina Alko; A is for Asian-American by Virginia Loh-Hogan
Rating: 5/5
