Winter Break Events

Children's Game Day
Thursday, December 28
2:00 - 4:00 &
6:00 - 7:30
All ages are welcome, best for preschool & elementary ages

Drop in any time between 2:00 and 4:00 or between 6:00 and 7:30 to play board games, card games, and cup stacking at the library. Invite a friend and/or play with your family.


Play & Learn
Friday, December 29
10:30 - 12:00
Toddlers & preschoolers

Drop in any time between 10:30 and 12:00.  We'll have a variety of activities for you to do with your child - puppets, magnetic letters, shape sorters, stackers, and more.  Older siblings are welcome; we'll have a few activities for them, too.

Christmas Events

Christmas Storytime

ages 3-5

Friday, December 22

10:30 – 11:15

Christmas books, songs, activities, and crafts.

Please register at the circulation desk or here.

If you usually attend Storytime, you do not need to register. 

Christmas Book Buddies

kindergarten - 2^nd grade

Thursday, December 21

4:45 – 5:30 & 6:45 – 7:30

Both sessions will be the same. 

Choose the time that works best for you.

Christmas books, songs, activities, and crafts.

Please register at the circulation desk or here.

If you usually attend Book Buddies, you do not need to register.

Christmas Crafts

2^nd - 5^th grade

Saturday, December 16

10:15 – 11:15

Please register at the circulation desk or here.

Halloween Events

Our Halloween events are:

Pumpkin Decorating

2nd - 5th grade

Tuesday, October 24

6:45 - 7:45

The library will provide pumpkins and craft supplies for you to transform a pumpkin into anything you'd like to create - a jack-o-lantern, a book or movie character, or anything else!  Registration is required.  Please register here.

Downtown Trick-or-Treat

everyone

Friday, October 27

5:00 - 6:00 P.M.

We'll be downtown (in Tolan Square or by the Main Street parking lot) to participate in Downtown Trick-or-Treating. 

Halloween Fun

preschool - 1st grade

Saturday, October 28

10:30 - 11:15

Children are invited to wear their costumes and join us for Halloween stories, songs, and crafts. Registration is required.  Please register here.

See our TNT (Teen and Tween) page for our TNT Halloween events.

Bats at the Library

photo by the Organization for Bat Conservation

Bats at the Library

by the Organization for Bat Conservation
Tuesday, November 14
7:00 P.M.
 Senior and Community Activity Center

All ages (children, teens, and adults) are invited to meet bats from around the world and learn why they are so important to ecosystems and to you.  

Please register here. 

This program is funded by a generous donation in memory of Marilyn Alexander.  Marilyn was a supporter and friend of the library, both individually and as president of the Friends of the Library for many years.  You may read more here.  

photo by the Organization for Bat Conservation

Fall Programs

Register now for children's programs at the library this fall.  Book clubs, Tiny Tales, and Storytime resume in mid-September, and we have several one-time events scheduled as well: a Young Rembrandts art class, TALK Play Date, game day, and more.

Book Clubs

We will start the year with "Not a Box" for Book Buddies and our favorite books for Bookworms and Chapter Chatters.  

See the book club page for more information and to register for monthly book clubs for elementary ages. 

Tiny Tales & Storytime

We are "Reading through the Alphabet" in Storytime this fall, focusing on a different letter each week.  Join us on September 22 when we start with the letter A.  Tiny Tales is returning to Thursday mornings. 

See the Storytime page for information and to register for Tiny Tales and Storytime.

Young Rembrandts

kindergarten - 5th grade

Saturday, September 16

1:30 - 2:30

in the Community House

This program is an introductory class to the Young Rembrandts program which will be offered through Milan Community Education this fall. The session on September 16 will be a complete one hour class with drawing and coloring presented by a Young Rembrandts instructor. Please register here.  

TALK* Play Date

*Text and Learn for Kindergarten

5 years and younger

Saturday, October 14

10:30 - 12:30

We are partnering with Ypsilanti District Library and other libraries in Washtenaw County to introduce TALK - a new texting service which will send age-specific texts to parents/guardians of children from birth through kindergarten.  Additional information and sign-up for the service will be available during the play date.  During the play date, children will explore early literacy skills through play activities, while parents will discover ways to continue developing these skills at home.  Please register here.  

This project is funded (in part) with a Library Services and Technology Act grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services administered by the Library of Michigan.

International Games Week

Game Day at MPL

all ages

Saturday, November 4

10:00 - 12:00

We'll wrap up International Games Week with Game Day at the library.  Drop by to build LEGO creations and play Wii games, board games, card games and cup stacking.  Invite a friend or bring your family and enjoy game day at the library!

Additional Events

Check our programs page for information about additional events which will be posted as they are scheduled.  

Drummunity & Ice Cream Social

Drummunity

Wednesday, August. 2 

7:00 - 8:00 P.M.

Milan Senior and Community Activity Center

all ages (children, teens, and adults)

Drummunity is a unique, interactive and very fun event for all ages. Lori Fithian will bring her collection of instruments from all over the world including some she’s created herself. Lori’s program is an exciting, hands-on, family program with a message of community-building, peace, diversity, wellness, ecology and rhythmic fun. 

The Drummunity performance will be followed by an Ice Cream Social.

If you haven’t already registered, please register here.  

We hope to see you there!

Touch a Truck

Our Touch a Truck event is this Saturday, July 15 from 10:00 until 11:30 A.M. in Wilson Park.

Community organizations and businesses will bring vehicles for you to explore.  You'll be able to sit in the drivers' seats, walk through the backs, and learn about the jobs they do.

You'll see a police car, crane boom truck, Red Cross emergency response vehicle, FedEx truck, flatbed tow truck, motorcycle, ambulance, and more.

Thank you to the organizations and businesses who are participating in this event:

ABATE
American Red Cross - Monroe County
Crown Lift Trucks
Dave's Towing
FedEx
Hart Huron Valley
Huron Valley Ambulance
Just Right Grain Systems
Kiger Farm
Milan Department of Public Works
Milan Police Department
Milan Post Office

You may register here or if you're able to attend at the last minute, just drop by!  Registration is NOT required, but is appreciated.

Summer Reading Program 2017

Monday, June 5

Online registration begins here.

Wednesday, June 14

Pick up reading logs and begin reading and/or listening to audiobooks.

Friday, June 16

10:30 A.M.

Build a Better Magic Show

by Jeff Wawrzaszek 

in the Senior and Community Activity Center

Friday, August 11

10:30 A.M.

Animal Architects

by Howell Nature Center

in the Senior and Community Activity Center

Additional programs will be held for children of all ages:  Storytime, Crafts in the Park, Buildapalooza, Createapalooza, and more!  The complete summer schedule will be posted here and brochures will be available at the end of May.

See our TNT (Teen and Tween) events for 6th - 12th graders here.

If you have any questions, please ask them here.  

Spring Break Events

Events for children and teens are scheduled throughout Spring Break Week.  

Please register for events here.

Events are planned for the ages listed; however older and younger siblings are welcome to attend most children's events.  Please let us know when you register. 

Toddler/Preschool Events

Tiny Tales

Thursday, April 6 at 10:30

2 years and under

Stories, rhymes, songs, finger plays, and play time.

Storytime

Friday, April 7 at 10:30

Ages 3-5

Books, rhymes, songs, finger plays, and a craft.

Createapalooza

Saturday, April 8, 10:30 – 12:00

Preschool – 1^st grade

LEGO and DUPLO bricks, Squigz, building challenge, and more.

Elementary Events

Mr. Lemoncello’s Library Game 

3^rd – 5^th grade

Monday, April 3, 4:30 – 6:00

Decipher clues to find additional clues throughout the library and solve the puzzle.  Reading the book is NOT required to participate.  (However, it is a good book, so we recommend it!)

Get Creative! 

Kindergarten – 2^nd grade

Tuesday, April 4, 1:00 – 3:00

Create a spring-themed craft.  Please register and then drop in any time between 1:00 and 3:00 to create.

  

Children’s Game Day 

Children - all ages

Thursday, April 6, 1:00 – 4:00

Wii games, board games, card games, cup stacking, and more.

Createapalooza

Preschool – 1^st grade

Saturday, April 8, 10:30 – 12:00

LEGO and DUPLO bricks, Squigz, building challenge, and more.

Buildapalooza

2^nd – 5^th grade

Saturday, April 8, 1:30 – 3:00

LEGO bricks, Squigz, building challenge, and more.

TNT (Teen & Tween) Events:

(TNT events are for 6th - 12th graders only.)

TNT Tuesday

6^th – 12^th grade

Tuesday, April 4, 4:00 – 6:00

Decorate new signs for the youth areas of the library.

TNT Game Day

6th - 12th grade

Friday, April 7, 2:00 – 5:00

Wii games, board games, card games, cup stacking, and more.

Please register for events here.

NEW - TumbleBook Library

We have a NEW subscription to TumbleBook Library. 

Thank you to the Greater Milan Area Community Foundation for the grant which is funding this service.

See the TumbleBook Library to read and/or listen to:

• animated picture books 
• animated early readers
• graphic novels
• chapter books
• nonfiction books
• math stories
• books in Spanish and French and a few books in other languages

Puzzles and games are available for many of the books:

• Puzzles
• Word Catch
• Memory games
• Match the Sentence
• Spell Hop and other spelling games
• Crossword puzzles
• Word searches

To access the TumbleBook Library:

• Click on the TumbleBook link here or on our website and then enter your library card number. 

• Or, download the TumbleBook app from the iStore or Google Play Store.  Enter user name: milanpl and password: libra and then enter your library card number.  

• From library computers, just click on the link here or on our website.   

If you have any problems accessing the site, please call us (734-439-1240) or email us (info@milanlibrary.org).

 

Youth Media Awards 2017

The American Library Association (ALA) announced its youth media awards today.  See more information about these awards here and this year's winners here. 

Click on the titles below to see the books in our library or follow the "ebook" link for ebooks.  If you'd like our library to purchase a book we don't currently own, you may fill out a "suggestion for purchase" form at the library or online here.

John Newbery Medal for the most outstanding contribution to children's literature:

The Girl Who Drank the Moon, written by Kelly Barnhill

Newbery Honor Books
Freedom Over Me: Eleven Slaves, Their Lives and Dreams Brought to Life by Ashley Bryan, written and illustrated by Ashley Bryan
The Inquisitor’s Tale: Or, The Three Magical Children and Their Holy Dog, written by Adam Gidwitz, illustrated by Hatem Aly

Wolf Hollow, written by Lauren Wolk (ebook)





Randolph Caldecott Medal for the most distinguished American picture book for children:

Radiant Child: The Story of Young Artist Jean-Michel Basquiat, illustrated and written by Javaka Steptoe

Caldecott Honor Books
Leave Me Alone!, illustrated and written by Vera Brosgol
Freedom in Congo Square, illustrated by R. Gregory Christie, written by Carole Boston Weatherford
Du Iz Tak?, illustrated and written by Carson Ellis
They All Saw a Cat, illustrated and written by Brendan Wenzel







Corretta Scott King (Author) Book Award recognizing an African-American author of outstanding books for children and young adults:

March: Book Three, written by John Lewis and Andrew Aydin, illustrated by Nate Powell

King Author Honor Books
As Brave as You, written by Jason Reynolds
Freedom Over Me: Eleven Slaves, Their Lives and Dreams Brought to Life by Ashley Bryan, written and illustrated by Ashley Bryan


Coretta Scott King (Illustrator) Book Award recognizing an African-American illustrator of outstanding books for children and young adults:

Radiant Child: The Story of Young Artist Jean-Michel Basquiat, illustrated and written by Javaka Steptoe

King Illustrator Honor Books
Freedom in Congo Square, illustrated by R. Gregory Christie, written by Carole Boston Weatherford
Freedom Over Me: Eleven Slaves, Their Lives and Dreams Brought to Life by Ashley Bryan, illustrated and written by Ashley Bryan
In Plain Sight, illustrated by Jerry Pinkney, written by Richard Jackson







Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe New Talent Author Award:
The Sun Is Also a Star, written by Nicola Yoon (ebook, e-audiobook)


Coretta Scott King – Virginia Hamilton Award for Lifetime Achievement:
Dr. Rudine Sims Bishop


Michael L. Printz Award for excellence in literature written for young adults:

March: Book Three, created by John Lewis, Andrew Aydin, and Nate Powell

Printz Honor Books
Asking for It, by Louise O’Neill
The Passion of Dolssa, by Julie Berry (ebook)
Scythe, by Neal Shusterman (ebook)
The Sun Is Also a Star, by Nicola Yoon (ebook, e-audiobook)








Schneider Family Book Award for books that embody an artistic expression of the disability experience:

For children ages 0 to 10:
Six Dots: A Story of Young Louis Braille, written by Jen Bryant, illustrated by Boris Kulikov

For middle grades (ages 11 to 13):
as brave as you, written by Jason Reynolds

For teens (ages 13 to 18)
When We Collided, written by Emery Lord


 

Alex Awards for the 10 best adult books that appeal to teen audiences:
The Queen of Blood, by Sarah Beth Durst
The Regional Office is Under Attack! by Manuel Gonzales
In the Country We Love: My Family Divided, by Diane Guerrero with Michelle Burford
Buffering: Unshared Tales of a Life Fully Loaded, by Hannah Hart
Arena, by Holly Jennings
Every Heart a Doorway, by Seanan McGuire
Romeo and/or Juliet: A Choosable-Path Adventure, by Ryan North
Die Young with Me: A Memoir, by Rob Rufus
The Wasp that Brainwashed the Caterpillar, by Matt Simon
The Invisible Life of Ivan Isaenko, by Scott Stambach


Andrew Carnegie Medal for excellence in children's video:
Ryan Swenar of Dreamscape Media, LLC, producer of Drum Dream Girl: How One Girl’s Courage Changed Music, adapted from the book by Margarita Engle


Laura Ingalls Wilder Award honoring an author or illustrator whose books, published in the United States, have made, over a period of years, a substantial and lasting contribution to literature for children:
Nikki Grimes


Margaret A. Edwards Award for lifetime achievement in writing for young adults:
Sarah Dessen


2018 May Hill Arbuthnot Honor Lecture Award recognizing an author, critic, librarian, historian or teacher of children's literature, who then presents a lecture at a winning host site
Naomi Shihab Nye


Mildred L. Batchelder Award for an outstanding children’s book originally published in a language other than English in a country other than the United States, and subsequently translated into English for publication in the United States:

Cry, Heart, But Never Break, originally published in Danish in 2001 as “Græd blot hjerte,” the book was written by Glenn Ringtved, illustrated by Charolotte Pardi, and translated by Robert Moulthrop

Batchelder Honor Books
Over the Ocean, written and illustrated by Taro Gomi and translated from the Japanese by Taylor Norman
As Time Went By, written and illustrated by José Sanabria and translated from the German by Audrey Hall
The Ballad of a Broken Nose, written by Arne Svingen and translated from the Norwegian by Kari Dickson


Odyssey Award for best audiobook produced for children and/or young adults, available in English in the United States:

Anna and the Swallow Man, produced by Listening Library. The book is written by Gavriel Savit and narrated by Allan Corduner.

Odyssey Honor Audiobooks
Ghost (book, ebook) produced by Simon and Schuster Audio, written by Jason Reynolds and narrated by Guy Lockard
Dream On, Amber, produced by Recorded Books, written by Emma Shevah and narrated by Laura Kirman
Nimona, (book) produced by HarperAudio, written by Noelle Stevenson and narrated by Rebecca Soler, Jonathan Davis, Marc Thompson, January LaVoy, Natalie Gold, Peter Bradbury and David Pittu.


Pura Belpré Awards honoring a Latino writer and illustrator whose children's books best portray, affirm and celebrate the Latino cultural experience:

Belpré Illustrator Award winner:
Lowriders to the Center of the Earth, illustrated by Raúl Gonzalez, written by Cathy Camper

Belpré Illustrator Honor Books:
Esquivel!: Space-Age Sound Artist, illustrated by Duncan Tonatiuh, written by Susan Wood
The Princess and the Warrior: A Tale of Two Volcanoes, illustrated and written by Duncan Tonatiuh

Pura Belpré Author Award winner:
Juana & Lucas, written and illustrated by Juana Medina

Belpré Author Honor Book:
The Only Road, written by Alexandra Diaz
 

Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Award for most distinguished informational book for children:

March: Book Three, written by John Lewis and Andrew Aydin and illustrated by Nate Powell

Sibert Honor Books:
Giant Squid, written by Candace Fleming, illustrated by Eric Rohmann
Sachiko: A Nagasaki Bomb Survivor’s Story, written by Caren Stelson a
Uprooted: The Japanese American Experience During World War II, written by Albert Marrin
We Will Not Be Silent: The White Rose Student Resistance Movement That Defied Adolf Hitler, written by Russell Freedman






Stonewall Book Award - Mike Morgan & Larry Romans Children’s & Young Adult Literature Award given annually to English-language children’s and young adult books of exceptional merit relating to the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender experience:

Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard: The Hammer of Thor, written by Rick Riordan
If I Was Your Girl written by Meredith Russo (ebook)

Honor Books:
When the Moon Was Ours, written by Anna-Marie McLemore a
Unbecoming, written by Jenny Downham
Pride: Celebrating Diversity & Community, written by Robin Stevenson





Theodor Seuss Geisel Award for the most distinguished beginning reader book:

We Are Growing!, (an Elephant & Piggie Like Reading! book), written by Laurie Keller

Geisel Honor Books
Good Night Owl, written and illustrated by Greg Pizzoli
Oops, Pounce, Quick, Run! An Alphabet Caper, written and illustrated by Mike Twohy
Go Otto Go!, written and illustrated by David Milgrim (ebook)
The Infamous Ratsos, written by Kara LaReau

 


William C. Morris Award for a debut book published by a first-time author writing for teens:

The Serpent King, written by Jeff Zentner

Finalists for the Morris Award:
Girl Mans Up, written by M-E Girard,
Rani Patel in Full Effect, written by Sonia Patel
The Smell of Other People’s Houses, written by Bonnie-Sue Hitchcock
Tell Me Something Real, written by Calla Devlin


YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults:

March: Book Three, created by John Lewis, Andrew Aydin and Nate Powell

Finalists for the YALSA award for Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults:
Hillary Rodham Clinton:  A Woman Living History, by Karen Blumenthal
In the Shadow of Liberty: The Hidden History of Slavery, Four Presidents, and Five Black Lives, by Kenneth C. Davis
Samurai Rising: The Epic Life of Minamoto Yoshitsune, written by Pamela S. Turner, illustrated by Gareth Hinds
This Land Is Our Land: A History of American Immigration, written by Linda Barrett Osborne


For more information on the ALA youth media awards and notables, please visit www.ala.org/yma .

New Programs

The new year brings two new youth programs: Createapalooza for preschoolers through 1st graders and Buildapalooza for 2nd through 5th graders.

Each of these events will be held on the second Saturday of each month and will include a building challenge and time to build with LEGO bricks, Squigs, and more. 

See more here and register here.


Storytime, elementary book clubs, and TNT (teen and tween) Books and Bites will also continue this month. See details and register through the links below. 

In Storytime, we'll kick off the new year with a "new" theme.  We'll read about, sing about, and craft about new pets, new babies, new books, and new things this month.

Our elementary book clubs are reading about names (Book Buddies), Dolphins at Daybreak (Bookworms), and inventions/inventors (Chapter Chatters).

See our TNT page for more information about TNT Books and Bites and other TNT programs.