We invite you to check out this month’s PPL Youth Services recommendations for activities, resources and new books in the library collection for children up to 5 years old and their families.
Create your own storytime adventure! We’ve made it easy to do storytime with your child(ren) at home or in your classroom with this new resource recently added to our menu of storytime and read-aloud activities. Choose from themed storytime plans crafted by our librarians. Each plan contains a list of books followed by links to storytime songs sung by our staff and ideas for crafts and other activities. Mix and match from this plan to create your perfect Storytime at Home. New plans will be added monthly.
Staff picks for preschoolers: celebrate Women’s History Month
March is Women’s History Month. Check out this Youth Services staff-curated list of picture books for young children that feature notable women and girls, past and present, and celebrate stories of strong, confident and empowered girls full of grit. Also included in the list are audiobooks, ebooks, and videos in the library’s digital collection. Join us in the virtual story room during the month of March for Storytime Shorts episodes featuring some of the picture books highlighted in the list, as well.
With your library card, you and your child have access to the library’s database subscriptions, including World Book, an online encyclopedia of articles, selected websites, animations, as well as interactive maps, games, activities, science, and more. The library recently added World Book Early Learning, specifically for preschoolers and early elementary students. This new addition is highly visual and includes all the same interactive features of World Book Online, but with early learners in mind. A brand new feature to note is Early Learning Basics with songs, stories, and games to help learn ABCs and counting, as well as nursery rhymes, fairytales, and interactive books for beginning readers. Have fun exploring all it has to offer with your preschooler.
Our favorite narwhal and jellyfish, Narwhal and Jelly, from the popular and delightful early graphic novel series by Ben Clanton are now featured in a new board book series for toddlers and younger preschoolers. Dive into these fun books that celebrate imagination, play and friendship.
Ambitious Girl by Meena Harris
This recently published picture book by New York Times bestselling author, Meena Harris (who also happens to be a niece of our first female U.S. Vice President, Kamala Harris), is an empowering read to help celebrate Women’s History Month with your child. The best part about this book is the illustrations by Marissa Valdez. The young, exuberant, “ambitious girl” featured throughout the book steals the show.