Grand Rapids Public Library

Some nice warm soup sounds pretty great, and Duck’s friends arrive to share.  They find the bubbling pot and a mysterious feather floating on top, but Duck is nowhere to be found.  Can you guess what they decide must have happened? To learn more, join the mayor in reading Duck Soup, by Jackie Urbanovic, a [...]

Imagine if you can a cow wearing curlers, painting her hooves, and running on a treadmill. Effie the cow will do just about anything to win a blue ribbon at the state fair. How far will she go? How much hilarity will ensue? Will Effie learn a lesson about the importance of being herself?  You [...]

Got an eager new reader at home?  Or maybe a not so eager new reader?  Either way, they’ll be drawn to the story of Rocket, a dog with an unusual reading teacher. First Rocket becomes entranced by a story, then he’s introduced to the “wondrous, mighty, gorgeous alphabet”.  Lessons in letter sounds follow, along with [...]

Coins… Stamps… Dolls… Rocks…. There is no end to the variety of things kids will collect, and for most of them, having a collection is just harmless fun (and did you know you could display your collection in the Youth Services Department at the Main Library?).  For Alfred Zector though, collecting books becomes hazardous; and [...]

Ready to dance?  Ready to learn some U.S. geography?  Which would your kids choose?  Luckily, they can do both with this lively book that will have the whole family moving…. Can you do the Rockland Sock-Hop? The Juneau Jitterbug?  How about the Brooklyn Boogie? To learn more, join the mayor in reading The All-American Jump [...]

The party continues this week!  Have you been to one of our Mo Willems celebrations yet? Look for some fun on Thursday at the Madison Square Branch (6pm), on Friday at the West Side Branch (4pm) and on Saturday at the Seymour Branch (11am)!                     Congratulations [...]

Can you read in a car, on a bus, or near the train?  Can you read in the snow, while it hails, or in the rain? Do you ‘shhh’ when it’s noisy or ‘shush’ when it’s loud?  Do you read quietly to yourself or do you shout it out loud? Sometimes it’s fun to read [...]

Are you the outgoing, gregarious type?  Or do you prefer to stay in the background and keep to yourself?  Ever find that the right friend can change that tendency?  Desmond is the lead wallflower in this month’s story, literally fading into the background until he can barely be found.  He finds himself pulled into the [...]

Hurry, hurry, hurry…..  that’s the way it goes. But what are we missing out on?  Perhaps a new friend? Murray the mouse can’t be bothered to wave, chat, or play with his neighbor, the friendly snowman. He’s on a mission to find a carrot for perfect soup, even if it takes traveling all over town [...]

Local author Sue Stauffacher introduced a cat named Hadley to over 250 people here at the Main Library today.   Her new book, Hadley’s Happy Ending, tells the story of the cat who was mysteriously burned in 2009.  Proceeds from the book will benefit the Humane Society of West Michigan.             [...]