Joel's ScienceRific Comedy Show - NEW LOCATION

Tuesday July 29, 2014: 7:00pm to 7:45pm
Malletts Creek Branch: Program Room
Grades K-5

Preschool Storytime: Fun with AAWD!

Fri, 02/21/2014 - 3:30pm by krayla

Hello everybody, and how do you tooth? Get ready for a very special preschool storytime at Traverwood on Wednesday, February 26 at 6:00pm. To celebrate National Children's Dental Health Month, the featured stories will be about teeth and the tooth fairy. We will even have special guests: members of the University of Michigan School of Dentistry Chapter of the American Association of Women Dentists will be there to talk about going to the dentist and how to take care of your teeth! This storytime is sure to put a smile on your face.

Family Affair

Wed, 01/29/2014 - 10:55am by StoryLaura

Whether families want to kick-off a new storytelling tradition or discover various ways to spark memories and ideas, Donna Washington is the perfect workshop leader for all ages! Join us and our partners, the Ann Arbor Storytellers’Guild, for true family fun for ages five and up on Saturday, February 15 at 10 am. Donna will head over to the Ark’s Storytelling Festival that same night for the adult crowd and you are in for a big treat if you follow here there!.

Youth & Teen Book Awards Announced!

Tue, 01/28/2014 - 3:43pm by erin

For at least a year librarians all over the country read, and read, and read and then in the dead of winter in some predetermined location (this time it was Philadelphia) they meet at their annual conference and discuss, and argue and determine the best books, audio and video for children and teens! On Monday, January 27 the ALA (American Library Association) hosted the Youth Media Awards and came up with their best picks. Without further ado find out what books you should start reading NOW! The big three awards are the Newbery, Caldecott and the Printz, but there are many other awards so be sure to look through the whole list!

The Newbery Medal honors the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children

2014 Winner: Flora & Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventure, by Kate DiCamillo

Honor Books:
Doll Bones, by Holly Black
The Year of Billy Miller by Kevin Henkes
One Came Home, by Amy Timberlake
Paperboy, by Vince Vawter

The Caldecott Medal honors the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children.

2014 Winner: Locomotive, illustrated and written by Brian Floca

Honor Books:
Journey, written and illustrated by Aaron Becker
Flora and the Flamingo, written and illustrated by Molly Idle
Mr. Wuffles! written and illustrated by David Wiesner

The Michael L. Printz Award is an award for a book that exemplifies literary excellence in young adult literature.

2014 Winner:
Midwinter Blood by Marcus Sedgwick

Honor Books:
Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell
Kingdom of Little Wounds by Susann Cokal
Maggot Moon by Sally Gardner
Navigating Early by Clare Vanderpool

Other Awards:

The Batchelder Award is given to an American publisher for a children's book considered to be the most outstanding of those books originally published in a language other than English in a country other than the United States, and subsequently translated into English and published in the United States.

2014 Winner: Mister Orange written by Truus Matti, and translated from the Dutch by Laura Watkinson.

Honor Books:
The Bathing Costume or the Worst Vacation of My Life, written by Charlotte Moundlic, illustrated by Olivier Tallec
My Father’s Arms Are a Boat written by Stein Erik Lunde, illustrated by Øyvind Torseter
The War Within These Walls written by Aline Sax

The Belpré Medal honors a Latino/Latina writer and illustrator whose works best portray, affirm, and celebrate the Latino cultural experience in an outstanding work of literature for children and youth.

2014 Author Winner:
Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass written by Meg Medina

2014 Illustrator Winner:
Niño Wrestles the World illustrated and written by Yuyi Morales

Honor Books:
The Lightning Dreamer written by Margarita Engle
The Living,” written by Matt de la Peña
Pancho Rabbit and the Coyote written and illustrated by Duncan Tonatiuh (for Author and Illustrator)
Maria Had a Little Llama illustrated and written by Angela Dominguez
Tito Puente,” illustrated by Rafael López

The Andrew Carnegie Medal honors the most outstanding video productions for children released during the previous year.

2014 Winner:
Bink and Gollie

The Geisel Award is given annually to the author(s) and illustrator(s) of the most distinguished American book for beginning readers published in English in the United States during the preceding year.

2014 Winner:
The Watermelon Seed,” written and illustrated by Greg Pizzoli

Honor Books:
Ball,” written and illustrated by Mary Sullivan
A Big Guy Took My Ball! written and illustrated by Mo Willems
Penny and Her Marble,” written and illustrated by Kevin Henkes

This Odyssey award is given to the producer of the best audiobook produced for children and/or young adults, available in English in the United States.

2014 Winner:
Scowler,” produced by Listening Library, an imprint of the Random House Audio Publishing Group, written by Daniel Kraus and narrated by Kirby Heyborne.

Honor Books:
Better Nate Than Ever,”produced by Simon and Schuster Audio, written and narrated by Tim Federle
Creepy Carrots!” produced by Weston Woods Studios, Inc., and written by Aaron Reynolds
Eleanor & Park produced by Listening Library, an imprint of the Random House Audio Publishing Group, written by Rainbow Rowell, and narrated by Rebecca Lowman and Sunil Malhotra
Matilda,” produced by Penguin Audio, a member of Penguin Group (USA) Inc., written by Roald Dahl, and narrated by Kate Winslet.

The Sibert Medal honors the author(s) and illustrator(s) of the most distinguished informational book published during the preceding year.

2014 Winner:
Parrots over Puerto Rico,” written by Susan L. Roth and Cindy Trumbore, illustrated by Susan L. Roth,

Honor Books:
A Splash of Red, written by Jen Bryant
Look Up!,written and illustrated by Annette LeBlanc Cate
Locomotive ”written and illustrated by Brian Floca
he Mad Potter,written by Jan Greenberg and Sandra Jordan

The YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction honors the best nonfiction book published for young adults (ages 12-18) during a Nov. 1 – Oct. 31 publishing year.
2014 Winner:
The Nazi Hunters written by Neal Bascomb
Finalists:
Go written by Chip Kidd
imprisoned written by Martin W. Sandler
Courage Has No Color written by Tanya Lee Stone
The President Has Been Shot! written by James L. Swanson

The William C. Morris YA Debut Award, first awarded in 2009, honors a debut book published by a first-time author writing for teens and celebrating impressive new voices in young adult literature.

2014 Winner:
Charm & Strange written by Stephanie Kuehn

Finalists:
Sex & Violence written by Carrie Mesrobian
Dr. Bird’s Advice for Sad Poets written by Evan Roskos
Belle Epoque written by Elizabeth Ross
in the Shadow of Blackbirds written by Cat Winters

The Coretta Scott King Book Award recognizing an African American author and illustrator of outstanding books for children and young adults. Each year the recognize an author and an illustrator.

2014 Author Winner:
P.S. Be Eleven, written by Rita Williams-Garcia

2014 Illustrator Winner:
Knock Knock, illustrated by Bryan Collier

Author & Illustrator Honor Books:

March: Book One,” written by John Lewis and Andrew Aydin
Darius & Twig,written by Walter Dean Myers
Words with Wings, written by Nikki Grimes
Nelson Mandela, illustrated and written by Kadir Nelson

The Schneider Family Book Award for books that embody an artistic expression of the disability experience:

2014 Winner:
A Splash of Red, written by Jen Bryant (for younger children)
Handbook for Dragon Slayers,” written by Merrie Haskell (for middle grade children)
Rose under Fire, written by Elizabeth Wein (for teens)

The Stonewall Book Award - Mike Morgan & Larry Romans Children’s & Young Adult Literature Award is given annually to English-language works of exceptional merit for children or teens relating to the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender experience.

2014 Winner:
Beautiful Music for Ugly Children, written by Kirstin Cronn-Mills

Honor Books:
Better Nate Than Ever, written by Tim Federle
Branded by the Pink Triangle, written by Ken Setterington
Two Boys Kissing,”written by David Levithan

Once Upon a Winter's Day 2014

Fri, 01/24/2014 - 1:42pm by kidlit

Being caught in the clutches of another polar vortex is no fun. So let's liven things up.
Come to the family storytime Once Upon a Winter's Day, 2014 version. It will be at
the Pittsfield Branch on Sunday, January 26, 2014 at 2:00 p.m.
We'll tell snow stories, polka like penguins, sing songs, sip hot chocolate and do a craft that's perfect for our sub-zero temperatures. Bring the whole family for an afternoon of winter fun.

Preschool Expo

Thu, 01/23/2014 - 10:14am by manz

Are you searching for a preschool for your child? Join us this Sunday for the 5th annual Preschool Expo. Hosted by AADL, the Expo brings representatives from area preschools to one location, on one date. This year we will have 35 schools from Washtenaw County ready to discuss their programs and features in order to help you decide what suits the needs of your family.

Sunday, January 26 | 1-4pm | Palmer Commons on the UM campus (100 Washtenaw Avenue) | Free parking across the street in the parking structure

Play Connection for Families with Children on the Autism Spectrum

Tue, 01/21/2014 - 2:19pm by StoryLaura

Play with toys, pet gentle dogs and chat with Dr. Rick Solomon, from the Play Project on Sunday, February 2nd at the Downtown Library from 2:00 – 4:00 pm. We have a fun space for construction toys and a quiet space for relaxing. For this third Play Connection event we have the awesome Therapy Dogs from Therapaws joining us just for fun!

Chesstastic

Sunday January 19, 2014: 1:00pm to 4:00pm
Traverwood Branch: Program Room
Grade K - Adult.

LEGO Connection

Sunday June 8, 2014: 1:00pm to 2:30pm
Downtown Library: Multi-Purpose Room
Grades K-5.

LEGO Connection

Tue, 01/07/2014 - 3:57pm by manz

Sunday, January 12 | 1-2:30pm | Malletts Creek Branch | Grades K-5

One month until The LEGO Movie is released in theaters! Are you geeked?! Join us for a LEGO adventure! Here’s a chance to get connected with other LEGO-minded people and build great things at the library! During this open-play event we’ll have a load of LEGO bricks for you to use to make cool things as you make new friends. At the end of our open LEGO play time the LEGOs will stay at the library before you head onto your next adventure, but if you want you can have your creation photographed for our LEGO Look Book before you go.

If you’re looking for books for some LEGO inspiration, check out AADL’s collection of great LEGO books! We’ve got books including how to build stuff, the history of LEGOs, and even stories featuring minifigs!

This event is for grades K - 5, with an adult.