We recently held a program titled Diverse Books to Share With Your Classroom for educators in our community. Thousands of books are published every year, making it hard sometimes to keep with all the great new titles that could be used in classrooms. Library staff are happy to help by narrowing down the choices and sharing the best of the best with teachers.
This program was actually suggested to us by a member of the school community. If you have any other ideas for ways we can support you in your teaching, please get in touch and let us know!
Join us for a fun evening with Chicago author Amy Alznauer! Amy has written several books for children, but this event will focus on her book The Boy Who Dreamed of Infinity. This book tells the story of Ramanujan a boy who lived in India in the 1800s and loved math but didn’t enjoy school, but he ended up having a huge impact on modern mathematics. You’ll have to read the story to find out how! During the zoom event, we’ll hear about Amy’s writing process, play some fun math games, and answer questions that you have for Amy about her book or what it is like to be a writer!
To save time and effort for our patrons, we offer several bundles of materials that make it easy for you to grab, go, and discover new materials!
Board Book Bundles
For our youngest readers we have board book bundles: five board books for babies and toddlers that are sure to delight you. These can be found on display above the board book shelves.
Storytime Bundles
For slightly older children (2-7) we have Storytime Bundles. These are books on a theme and include an extension activity. Currently we offer these themes to choose from:
ABC
Adventure
Animals
Counting
Dinosaurs
Diversity
Funny Stories
Let’s Pretend
Staff Favorites
STEAM
Transportation
Under the Sea
Leveled Reading Bundles
Finding a good book at your child’s reading level isn’t always easy. You can get started quickly by grabbing one of our pre-made bundles. But don’t forget, we can always give you personalized recommendations for a book your child is sure to love and will be able to read successfully! For personalized suggestions, you can stop by the Youth desk or send us an email at kidsread@mppl.org. But when you’re short on time, grabbing a leveled bundle is a great option.
Binge Bundles / DVD&BluRay
When you’re ready to enjoy some flicks with the fam, grab a themed DVD or BluRay bundle! Why endlessly scroll through Netflix or search through our vast collection when you can just take home a ready made film festival? Whether you have a preschooler who is obsessed with trains or the whole family wants to catch up on blockbusters you might have missed, we have you covered. Current themes include:
Adventure
Animals
Book Films (Weston Woods and Dreamscape titles)
Feature Films
Funny
Princess Power
Sports
Staff Picks
Throwback Movies
Superheroes
Exercise & Dance
Transportation
To request these special items for Parking Lot Pickup or for the hold shelf, you can email youthserv@mppl.org or call 847/253-5675 and ask for Youth Services.
Becca has some great graphic novels for you to check out! Did you know that graphic novels actually help kids improve their reading comprehension? It’s true! From the Scholastic article: “With graphic novels, kids still must follow plots and character development. They must understand cause and effect, and they must learn about perspective. All of these things will improve their reading comprehension. “
Board books are great for babies and toddlers because they’re small enough for little hands to help hold, and sturdy enough to withstand the enthusiasm that little ones can show to books they enjoy! Becca has some great new board book recommendations for you.
