Category: Reaching and Reading

Reaching and Reading is the Aurora Public Library District’s children’s book blog.

Reaching and Reading

Reaching and Reading is the Aurora Public Library District’s children’s book blog.

Celebrate Your Freadom

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Banned Books Week October 1-7

Happy Banned Books Week from your favorite community library!

This Banned Books Week, we are celebrating the Freadom to Read, granted by the United States Constitution and the laws guaranteeing your right to read. Check out our displays at the Aurora and Dillsboro Public Libraries and check out some of the most challenged and banned books of the past year in honor of your FREADOM!

Check out the full list of the American Library Association’s Top 13 Most Challenged Books on 2022 below and read more about your favorite banned book!

1. Gender Queer: A Memoir by Maia Kobabe

Gender Queer Cover

2. All Boys Aren’t Blue by George M. Johnson

All Boys Aren't Blue

3. The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison

The Bluest Eye Cover

4. Flamer by Mike Curato

Flamer Cover

5. (tie) Looking For Alaska by John Green

Looking for Alaska Cover

5. (tie) The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

The Perks of Being a Wallflower Cover

7. Lawn Boy by Jonathan Evison

Lawn Boy Cover

8. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian Cover

9. Out of Darkness by Ashley Hope Pérez

Out of Darkness Cover

10. (tie) A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas

A Court of Mist and Fury Cover

10. (tie) Crank by Ellen Hopkins

Crank Cover

10. (tie) Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl Cover

10. (tie) This Book is Gay by Juno Dawson

This Book is Gay Cover

 

Special Storytime!

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Mo Willems Storytime in September

The Pigeon wants to drive the bus! Would you let this wacky bird take the wheel?

Explore this story and many more by beloved children’s author and illustrator Mo Willems at our Special Saturday Storytimes this September! It’s the Pigeon’s 20th birthday, so there’s no better way to celebrate! These storytimes are about all things Willems, including Elephant & Piggie, Pigeon, Unlimited Squirrels, and the Knuffle Bunny! Listen to your favorite stories, get up to sing and dance, and create cool crafts with Miss Tammy based on Mo’s best books, which you can check from the library with your own library card!

Aurora’s special storytime is September 23rd at 10:30 am and 1 pm. Meet us at the Dilslboro Public Library for our special storytime on September 9th at 10:30 am or 1 pm. We can’t wait to see you there!

Check out these books below to get ready to celebrate the Pigeon’s birthday!

The Pigeon Wants a Puppy by Mo WIllems The Pigeon Will Ride the Rollercoaster by Mo Willems The Pigeon Needs a Bath by Mo Willems Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus by Mo Willems The Pigeon Has to Go to School by Mo Willems The Duckling Gets a Cookie by Mo Willems Don't Let the Pigeon Stay Up Late by Mo Willems The Pigeon Finds a Hot Dog by Mo WIllems

Chapter Chat Reads Yusuf Azeem is NOT a Hero

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Chapter Chat meets in September

Chapter Chat is back… with a little twist!

Children can pick up each month’s book with interactive elements in a bag that go along with the story. As you read, there are items in that bag that have page numbers on them. When you reach that page, you will have a fun, interactive element paired with the story to play with!

September’s book is “Yusuf Azeem is Not a Hero” by Saadia Faruqi.Yusuf Azeem is not a hero

Yusuf Azeem is thrilled to attend middle school, but he is upset to see a letter that reads, “You suck.” He is passionate about robots and hopes to compete in the Texas Robots Competition and make the middle school robotics team. However, as the 20th anniversary of September 11th approaches, life for Muslim families and their friends in this small Southern town is becoming increasingly stressful.

Bags can be picked up at Aurora at the lower level desk and a Dillsboro. Meeting times are as follows:

Aurora: September 20th @ 4:30 pm

Dillsboro: September 19th – After School Hours (3:30 pm)

Snacks and Drinks will be provided.  Ages 7 to 12 only. Please register in advance by picking up a book today!

September Storytimes!

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storytime is back

The Pigeon, Duckling, Piggie, Elephant, Gerald, Knuffle Bunny, and Edwina are just a few of the characters you will be meeting at our September Story Times. Don’t Let The Pigeon Drive the Bus by Mo Willems is all about a pigeon who wants to drive a bus when the bus driver takes a break! This September is the 20th anniversary edition of the book! Does the pigeon get to drive the bus? NO? MAYBE? YES? You’ll have to come to Story Time to find out… hint, hint… stay off the road.

Storytimes at the Dillsboro Public Library are on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 10:30 am. Storytimes at the Aurora Public Library are Wednesdays and Fridays at 10:30 am. We can’t wait to see your smiling faces ready for a new adventure!

June Storytimes!

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June Storytimes will be having you solve the mystery of what purple, blue, green, and orange have in common! You’ll have to come to our Storytimes at 10:30 a.m. to try to solve the June mystery. What could a rabbit and a bird have in common? Or, how about a cat and a fish? Then, throw in a hedgehog and a dog! Or, how about an elephant and a boy? I do not have a clue!  Do you?

We can’t wait to see you there with your thinking caps on! Don’t forget to bring the whole family with you to sign up for our Summer Reading Program! We will have fun, engaging programs after some of our storytimes during June and July! We will also be offering programs for older children during storytime hours so the whole family can enjoy the library! Check our newsletter or read our blog posts for more information on each one!

May Storytime!

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Hold your horses! The Horse Derby is heading to our children’s storytime in May. Create, name, and then race your horse to the finish line! After all that racing, your horse will be ready to head home to your stable.

We also have our “Tot Prom” storytime the 2nd week of May on May 9th at 10:30 am located at APL and then on May 10th at 10:30 am located at DPL. Roll out the red carpet and see the stars in your child’s eyes! Music, dancing, sensory, crafts, snack, and photo ops will make your tot feel like a star!

Since we will learn the Cool Cat Boogie at the prom let’s just wind up our May storytimes with the coolest cat in the library…Pete the Cat activities for all.

We can’t wait to see you at storytime! Don’t forget, storytime is every week on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 10:30 am at Dillsboro and Wednesdays and Fridays at 10:30 am at Aurora. The only week without regular storytime this month will be the week of Tot Prom, May 8-12. There will also be no storytime May 30th or 31st.

April Storytimes are HERE!

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Spring is in the air and you know what that brings… baby animals! Our story times will be featuring cuteness overload of baby farm animals. Who can’t resist a fluffy bunny, or those cute little ducklings swimming on the pond? Wobbly legs are fun to watch as a colt is trying to walk and those adorable little pink noses of baby pigs. Your kiddos will be squealing with delight at all the baby animal activities we have planned.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Earth Day will also play a big part of our April story times as well. Take a trip through nature with Miss Tammy and the fun stories she has picked out for you!

We can’t wait to see all of those wiggly, squirming, smiling faces at our weekly story times. Happy Spring!

February Storytimes

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Hearts, love, red, and penguins usher in our February Children’s Storytime.

Celebrating Valentine’s Day stories will have your child’s creativity flowing with hearts and the colors red. R-E-D red, we can all spell red, but can we find books where the covers and spines are red or have the word “red” in the title of the book?

What better way to wind up our February Storytime than with those cute little fellows in tuxedo-looking feathers! That’s right: penguins! Look for further details on our upcoming Penguin Pals show on February 25th at the Aurora Public Library. We don’t mean the stuffed ones either! Real live penguins will be stopping by the library, so come to our penguin storytime to get ready to meet these feathered friends!

Happy Valentine’s Day to all of you!

Chapter Chat Reads “Drama”

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So you love reading, but have no one to gush about books with… Look no further! The Aurora Public Library has the answer for you: The Chapter Chat Book Club at the Aurora Public Library, meeting every month to talk books with kids just like you.

In January, Chapter Chatters are reading Drama by Raina Telgemeier! This story follows Callie, a theatre fan who wants to put on the best production her middle school has ever seen, but drama on and off-stage creates chaos aplenty.

Callie loves theater. And while she would totally try out for her middle school’s production of Moon over Mississippi, she can’t really sing. Instead she’s the set designer for the drama department’s stage crew, and this year she’s determined to create a set worthy of Broadway on a middle-school budget.

But how can she, when she doesn’t know much about carpentry, ticket sales are down, and the crew members are having trouble working together? Not to mention the onstage AND offstage drama that occurs once the actors are chosen.

And when two cute brothers enter the picture, things get even crazier!

We are meeting in February at the Dillsboro Public Library on February 11th at 10:30 am and at Aurora Public Library on February 15th at 4:00 pm. Snacks, drinks, and fun, themed activities will be provided.

Registration is recommended for everyone ages 9 and up! You can pick up your book at either location. We look forward to seeing you there!

Fly Guy Celebration!

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Bzzzzz… Bzzz… Bzzzzz…

What’s that sound? It must be FLY GUY!

Are you ready for Buzz, Fly Guy, and Tedd Arnold? Tedd Arnold is the famous children’s author of the book series Fly Guy. Our Aurora Public Library District will feature a special storytime on Tuesday, January 17th at 5:30 p.m.! Fly Guy stories, crafts, and activities as well as snacks will be “buzzing” around for the kids to enjoy.

The Dillsboro Branch will also be holding a special storytime on Thursday, January 19th at 4:30 p.m. featuring Fly Guy books. We look forward to having all kids help us celebrate Tedd Arnold and his famous Fly Guy books!