Superheroes and African American Authors

We have two new guides to great reads on our website: Superheroes and  Books by African American Authors.  Superheroes leads the reader through some of the best graphic novels, novels and non-fiction featuring superheroes in our department.  You may be interested in the classic Amazing Spider-Man comics for kids and Superman: the Ultimate Guide to the Man of Steel.  Or you may be more interested in new superheroes like Buzzboy: Trouble in Paradise by John Gallagher, Archvillain by Barry Lyga, and Sardine in Outer Space by Emmanual Guibert.  If you get inspired to make your own heroes, you can even visit Heroes!: Draw Your Own Superheroes, Gadget Geeks, and Other Do-gooders. Books by African American Authors leads the reader through great fiction books by African American authors. Younger readers may be interested in Kadir Nelson's He's Got the Whole World in His Hands or Melanie Turner-Denstaedt's The Hat that Wore Clara B.  Older readers may be interested in Sharon Flake's The Broken Bike Boy and the Queen of 33rd Street or Dwayne J. Ferguson's The Werewolf of P.S. 40.
-Elaine B.

Dog Days of Summer



Noodles listens patiently to Mo Willems' book Cat the Cat, Who is That?


Has your summer gone to the dogs?  Last Thursday, June 16 the auditorium was invaded by furry four-footed friends who were as excited to see as as we were to see them!  Mocha, Dash, Raven and Noodles listened to stories and enjoyed being the center of attention!  For this program, the library partners with local therapy dog teams and the Champaign County Humane Society.  Read to the Dogs is based on the idea that pairing a friendly, non-judgmental animal with the hard work of reading creates a relaxed and enjoyable atmosphere that supports learning.  Watch our fall calendar for another visit from our friends.  In the meantime, enjoy one or more of the fabulous thirty-seven programs on our July calendar!  We've got something for everyone! 
Ruff! -Elaine B.

An Exceptional First Chapter Series

Looking for a GREAT easy chapter book series??? Look no further! Franny K. Stein by Jim Benton is a very popular series that both boys and girls can't get enough of. Franny is from a normal family and lives in a normal house on a normal street. What isn't normal is her desire to be a mad scientist when she grows up and her bedroom populated with her crazy, silly experiments. She is helped in her mad science adventures by her loyal, good humored but not very smart dog, Igor. If you have a child who is hard to interest in reading, these books might be just the thing they need. It doesn't really matter what order you read this series in.


Also be sure to pick up a copy of our favorite Easy To Read Series next time you are in or print it off from this link to our website.
Happy Reading! --Rachel V.