Feeling the Love: Picture Books About Weddings

Posted on Monday, April 18, 2022 by Laura

April is a BIG month for me: after six years together, my partner and I are finally getting married! *Cue the confetti!*

As we were creating our guest list months ago, we were tasked with making two big decisions: do we want children present for our wedding day and how will they be involved in the festivities? It’s certainly understandable that not every couple wants to throw a kid-friendly soirée. But as a proud member of DBRL’s youth services team, I just couldn’t bear the idea of leaving our littlest loved ones off the guest list. When one of my best friends expressed hesitation at bringing her toddler along, I assured her that we would do everything we could to make sure she and her kiddo felt safe and welcome at our big day. And of course, I went in search of picture books all about weddings!

A young flower girl in a white dress stands in front of a line of bridesmaids in yellow dresses. The flower girl holds a basket of petals. Continue reading “Feeling the Love: Picture Books About Weddings”

Brianna’s Books: April Favorites 2022

Posted on Thursday, April 14, 2022 by Brianna

Brianna's Books Banner

It’s time for my top April picks! I’ve got a nice mix of titles this month, with something for everyone to enjoy. If you’ve got a kid aging out of chapter books and getting ready for YA, make sure to check out my “Selector’s Selections” posts on the Teen Blog too. Or, you know, if you want some YA recommendations for yourself!

Picture Books

Kick Push” written and illustrated by Frank Morrison

Ivan, nicknamed Epic for his incredible skateboarding skills, has just moved to a new neighborhood. Missing his old skateboarding friends, Epic tries to fit in by playing the sports the other kids are playing. He’s not successful at any of these attempts, and his parents send him to the nearby bodega after some encouraging words. Epic skates there of course, and his moves attract a crowd of future friends. The idea of making friends by being yourself is a classic, but the author tells this story with so much joy and energy. With fascinating angles and onomatopoeia showing Epic’s skateboarding, this is an exciting call to authenticity. Continue reading “Brianna’s Books: April Favorites 2022”

Worry-Keepers

Posted on Monday, April 11, 2022 by Aimee

Do you have worries? If so, you can share them with small worry-keepers, inspired by Guatemalan worry dolls or Muñeca quitapena. There is a story about a beautiful Mayan princess named Ixmucane. One day the sun god offered Princess Ixmucane a special gift, whatever she would like. The princess who was as kind and generous as she was beautiful asked the sun god to give her something that would let her solve all human worries. The Muñeca quitapena represents this gift to the princess. In this blog, you will learn how to make your own Muñeca quitapena or worry-keeper as well as a special box to keep them in. 

When you are done, before you go to sleep, share what’s on your mind with your worry-keeper. Tell one worry to each doll and then tuck them under your pillow and sleep worry-free. In the morning, give their tummies a little rub and pop them back into their special box so they will be ready the next time you need to share.

What you will need to make one worry-keeper and one box:

  • Approximately 4 yards of yarn for hair
  • Approximately 2 yards of yarn for wrapped clothes
  • 1 chenille stem
  • 1 3/4″ wooden bead
  • A scrap of fabric for a dress
  • Markers for drawing on the faces
  • Printed box pattern on scrapbook or colored paper
  • Scissors
  • Glue or tape
  • Paper clips (optional)

Continue reading “Worry-Keepers”

Siblings

Posted on Thursday, April 7, 2022 by Adam

Did you know that approximately 80 percent of Americans have at least one sibling? I have one younger sister, and though it sometimes seems like we are opposites, we’ve always had fun together and made each other laugh;  we’ve done our best to support each other through the ups and downs of 37 years together. In honor of Siblings Day, which is celebrated on April 10th, here’s a selection of books about both the complex feelings around having a new brother or sister and the many ways in which siblings work together, play together, fight, reconcile and help each other learn and grow.


Having a new baby brother or sister can be both exciting and a little scary — it’s a big change for older kids to make room for a new sibling. In “The Berenstain Bears’ New Baby,” by Stan and Jan Berenstain, Small Bear makes room for his new sister by giving up his old, small bed and helping Papa Bear make a new one. Lola, in “Lola Reads to Leo,” by Anna McQuinn, loves being read to, and when her new sister comes she shares the gift of reading with her. And in “Max & Ruby and Twin Trouble,” by Rosemary Wells, Max and Ruby have to make room for not one but two new siblings — so they spend some time preparing by practicing on Ruby’s dolls, and by the time the babies arrive Max has become an expert at getting the twins to sleep!


Sometimes, when our siblings get on our nerves, or we feel like our parents aren’t giving us the same attention we once received, we may want to run away.  That’s what Cassie in “The Big Sibling Getaway,” Mia in “Mia Moves Out,” and Peter in “Peter’s Chair” do: Cassie wants to escape the nonstop crying of her new baby brother, so she climbs into an empty box to drive, sail and soar until she finally finds quiet; Mia is fed up with her younger brother’s messes, and as she searches for a replacement space, she tries the bathroom, the basement and finally the pantry; and when Peter discovers his blue furniture is being painted pink for a new baby sister, he rescues the last unpainted item, a chair, and runs away. But of course they all discover that it’s lonely without their family and they return with a new appreciation for their younger siblings.


And when siblings work together, in spite of their differences, there’s so much they can accomplish. The Alden children, in Gertrude Chandler Warner’s “The Boxcar Children” series, are four orphaned siblings who make a home for themselves in an abandoned boxcar and end up becoming amateur sleuths, each drawing on their own unique skills and qualities to solve mysteries and help each other out. In “From the Mixed up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler,” by E.L. Konigsburg, precocious twelve-year-old Claudia and her younger brother, Jamie, run away from home to live in the Metropolitan Museum of Art and end up solving the mystery of a new statue at the museum by an unknown artist. And finally, when Gideon, in Tom Booth’s “Day at the Beach,” decides that he is going to build an amazing sandcastle without the help of his little sister Audrey, his day at the beach becomes a lesson in sibling bonding.

Celebrating National Poetry Month with a Poem Teller

Posted on Monday, April 4, 2022 by Grae

Happy National Poetry Month! Every year since 1996, thanks to the tireless advocacy of the Academy of American Poets and its sponsors, we celebrate National Poetry Month and the gorgeous, challenging, mystical, resonant, oblique, playful, communal, powerful and all-around life-affirming art that is poetry.

Each year, the Academy of American Poets produces a poster to celebrate National Poetry Month. The 2022 poster, featured above, was designed by eleventh grader Lara Lazar from Yonkers, NY, and includes a line of poetry from 2021 Presidential Inaugural Poet and 2017 National Youth Poet Laureate Amanda Gorman. You can request to have a completely free copy of this poster mailed to you by filling out a form on the Academy of American Poets’ website at the following address: https://poets.org/national-poetry-month/get-official-poster.

Continue reading “Celebrating National Poetry Month with a Poem Teller”

Honoring International Transgender Day of Visibility

Posted on Thursday, March 31, 2022 by Julia Deters

March 31 is the International Transgender Day of Visibility. This day was created to celebrate transgender people and raise awareness of the discrimination they face still today. One of the best ways to better understand someone’s experience (and often our own) is through reading. Here’s a list of books that feature transgender characters or explore gender identity. Below are a handful of my personal favorites. 

Being You” works wonderfully as a first-introduction-to-gender book for young ones.

"Being You" book cover

Continue reading “Honoring International Transgender Day of Visibility”

Mud and Puddle Fun!

Posted on Monday, March 28, 2022 by Amy

As the snow melts and the rains come, mud and puddles form all around us! Hands-on mud and water play offer wonderful sensory opportunities. You don’t need to buy anything fancy to facilitate play. Dig around your home for items such as pie pans, bowls, sand toys, beach buckets and even paintbrushes. Below are some ideas to get the fun started. Be sure to check out the book list at the bottom for some great reads perfect for the season.

  • Create a nice mixture of water and mud in a bowl. Use paintbrushes to paint rocks, concrete and just about anything you fancy.
  • Use pie pans to create mud pies! Decorate the tops with flower petals, sticks and rocks.
  • Pull out some plastic figures like dinos and farm animals. Create an outdoor sensory bin full of mud. Extend the fun by washing all the figures clean in a puddle after they roll in the mud.

Continue reading “Mud and Puddle Fun!”

Spring Sun and Filter Fun

Posted on Monday, March 21, 2022 by Julia Deters

Here are two crafts to bring some sunshine into your lives as we march into the spring season. Practice fine motor and sewing skills by creating a vibrant sun using yarn and a paper plate. Hatch a lively tie-dyed butterfly with coffee filters, washable markers and a splash of water!

Continue reading “Spring Sun and Filter Fun”

First Chapter Books

Posted on Thursday, March 17, 2022 by Katie

Jumping from the lower shelves of picture books to the taller shelves of chapter books can be a big step, not only for the young reader making the journey, but their family as well. Often, parents and caregivers ask for book recommendations for children who are reading on their own but are not ready for longer chapter books. These kiddos are confidently reading books in the “Beginning to Read” section, such as Frog and Toad and are ready for a longer story. Luckily the library has a great stock of chapter books for young readers first exploring these longer titles. Continue reading “First Chapter Books”

Math Fun for Pi Day

Posted on Monday, March 14, 2022 by Laura

It’s March 14th, and today’s date happens to share some numbers with a very important mathematical constant: pi!

Pi expresses the ratio of a circle’s circumference to its diameter. Simply put, the distance around a circle is just a little more than three times the distance across a circle (3.14, to be more exact). Pi is an irrational number, which means its decimals go on and on forever with absolutely no end in sight! Each year, students and fun-loving scientists celebrate March 14, or Pi Day, with all kinds of fun math activities. And what better day than today to indulge in a delicious slice of pie and calculate its area while you’re at it?

A large pi symbol surrounded by colorful numbers on a plain white background.
Photo via Vecteezy.

Continue reading “Math Fun for Pi Day”