Kids & Parents
The first book I've read to all three of my children was a wordless picture book, a book where the story is told through illustrations, without words or few words. Each one of my kids' continually changing reponse to Alexandra Days' Carl's Afternoon in the Park, has convinced me to recommend sharing wordless books to any parent. These books pack a powerful array of tools to develop the literacy skills needed to become a great reader.
Happening at the library
'Tis the season and all that. Some of us love it and are natural holiday merrymakers. Some of us just kind of, well you know.... hate it. For you bah-humbuggers the holidays can be hard, but DPPL can help. Here are four ways to put a little more 'happy' in your holiday.
Continue Reading "Holidays are hard. DPPL’s got 4 ways to make them easier" →
Kids & Parents
In 1914, a terrible war was being waged in Europe. The millions of soldiers who fought knew the conflict as the Great War. Today we call it the First World War. Soldiers dug trenches to protect themselves from enemy fire. The area that separated the trenches was called No Man’s Land.
On Christmas Eve of 1914, soldiers from the British army could hear the German soldiers singing "Stille Nacht" across No Man’s Land. They recognized the tune as the Christmas carol, "Silent Night". That was the start of the Christmas Truce.
"Stille Nacht" was written on December 24, 1818 in Austria. This lullaby-like German carol became known around the world. The song we know as "Silent Night" was translated to English in 1863. You can find hundreds of different recordings of Silent Night or Stille Nacht on our Freegal site. Des Plaines cardholders can choose five songs each week to download for free.
You can learn more about the Christmas Truce and the song that started it in these books.
Kids & Parents
Veterans Day 2014 should be treated as so much more than just another day off from school! As adults, on this day, we recognize and respect the men and women who have served in our U.S. military for the past 70 years. As parents, we can also help our children appreciate the sacrifices our soldiers have made, by creating new family traditions filled with special Veterans Day activities.
Kids & Parents
In just one week, we’ll be seeing all sorts of creatures wandering around our neighborhoods: superheroes, zombies, princesses and monsters. While we all enjoy the costumes, and the candy, of course, Halloween can also be a fun time to make connections with all of the wonders of science.
Continue Reading "Satisfy Your Inner Mad Scientist with Science Databases" →
We're closed for Independence Day.