KIDS

It's time for Bingo! Library Bingo is a low-pressure, fun and rewarding reading game. It’s easy, even for young readers, to get stuck in a “reading-rut.” While this is by no means a bad thing, Library Bingo provides some challenges that nudge kids out of their comfort zones, plus introduces them to Library resources they may not know or use! Pick up a Library Bingo board at any library branch or the Mobile Library and choose a row or column of activities to complete. You can also download a board on the Kids page. Return your completed board by February 15 to earn an entry into a drawing for a $25 Amazon or Barnes & Noble gift card.

To help you discover the wealth of reading experiences young readers can enjoy, explore the booklists on the Library’s Kids page or Teens page. In addition to lists that highlight award-winning books, you’ll find librarian recommendations for audiobooks that make great family read-alouds, comics and graphic novels for new readers, and read-alikes for kids who can’t get enough of Percy Jackson or Harry Potter. 

Books should serve as both mirrors and windows for children and teens. Children need to be able to see themselves in the books they read. Like a mirror, seeing oneself in a book and relating to a character’s culture, color or way of life helps young people feel acknowledged, accepted and respected. Books also provide windows into the lives, worlds and identities of people who don’t look, live or speak like us, giving children a broader and more accepting knowledge and understanding of the world they will grow to inherit. You’ll find our recommendations for books like these on the booklist pages, too. 

Of course, nothing makes us happier than when families and youth ask for personal reading recommendations. Please visit us at a library branch or Mobile Library to chat with us about your favorite books! The youth services staff have an expansive knowledge of our titles and love connecting readers with just the right book. Your Next Read allows readers to complete and submit an online survey to get personalized reading recommendations.

Have fun with Library Bingo this winter, and please consider sending us a photo of your family and your favorite winter reading selections at imagine@thelibrary.org - we’d love to share your photo on our social media sites!

Let the reading begin!