Digital Library for Kids & Families

Happy Autism Acceptance Month! Videos & activities for early learners & caregivers

Embrace Differences

By Shelley Harris, Children’s Librarian April can be a challenging month for many autistic people. Many organizations that aren’t run with or by autistic leaders have campaigns about “lighting it up blue”—furthering stereotypes that autism only affects boys—or about curing autism. These organizations often push for autism awareness. Many autistic people, however, prefer to celebrate autism … Read more

Share sounds: Videos & books for early learners

Illustration of children listening to a story with sound waves in the background

By Shelley Harris, Children’s Librarian The grasshopper chirpeth, the lamb bleateth, the owl hooteth. Animal sounds are found in so many books and songs for children, including the first-known picture book written for children, published in 1659!   What makes animal sounds so important that they’ve been taught to young children for centuries? Not only are … Read more

Just for kids: A list of fun & educational websites, curated by librarians

Kid using tablet with two adults in the background

By Eileen Saam, Children’s Librarian Looking for engaging and educational sites for kids? You’ve come to the right place!  Many websites designed for kids claim to be informative and entertaining, but it can be challenging to find fun, user-friendly sites for kids that are not loaded with advertisements. What should you look for when exploring … Read more

New year, new transitions! Videos & books for early learners

A graphic featuring an illustration of a schoolhouse with children coming down a slide built on the front and the text Welcome Back to School

By Shelley Harris, Children’s Librarian Welcome to the -ber months: September, October, November, and December! Most people celebrate the start of a new year in January. Not me. I graduated more than ten years ago, but the start of the school year is still the start of my personal new year. For a lot of young … Read more

Collaborating for success: Supporting early learners & caregivers

Collage of images: A chicken on rocketship, toys in front of a bag with the Collaboration for Early Childhood logo, and birdie on stack of books that reads Early Bird Readers

By Shelley Harris, Children’s Librarian By now, you’re very familiar with our new Early Bird Learning video series, right? Each week we share a new video, alternating between content to watch with your kids and content just for caregivers. To help create content for these videos, we’ve partnered with our friends at Collaboration for Early Childhood, … Read more

At-home activities for kids: What will music do for you this summer?

Colorful music note design with rainbow coloring

By Children’s Librarian Eileen Saam This summer at Oak Park Library we have so much to explore, including music! I invite you to explore music in different ways and see what it brings to your life. Music may help you relax and unwind. It may bring you joy and excitement or allow you to feel … Read more

Trans Youth Town Hall: A virtual tutorial for grade & middle schoolers

Trans flag with trans symbol

By Hal, Rainbow Services Librarian Pride is more than a month of rainbows and parades. Our celebration of Pride month comes from a history of protest for liberation for LGBTQ+ people. Learn about LGBTQ+ activists Explore a new virtual tutorial: Trans Youth Town Hall The same fight for liberation continues today. Transgender and nonbinary youth … Read more

Introducing Early Bird Learning videos

New: Early Bird Learning Videos text with chicken on rocketship and birdie on stack of books

By Shelley Harris, Children’s Librarian Let’s take a walk through memory lane! In January 2016, Jenny (pictured above with Ruthie the camel) and I launched the Early Bird Reader program, with weekly literacy tips texted out and monthly videos for caregivers that dug a little deeper into a specific literacy topic. In March 2020, we had … Read more

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