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Get Reading! Now that school is over you can still spark your imagination, join in activities and take part in our exciting Summer Stars challenge. This year you can do a marathon read, a sprint read or a read from your couch; if you would like to register for the Summer Stars reading challenge, contact your local library.

We're here to help by offering Early Learning Centres a wide range of information, resources, activities, and events.

Spring into Storytime is a national story-time initiative in public libraries which is running during the month of April.

Family Time at your Library activities are provided to engage family members in the enjoyment of reading and sharing stories. The whole family are also introduced to collections of children’s books, e-books and e-audio books.

Get Reading! Now that school is over you can still spark your imagination, join in activities and take part in our exciting Summer Stars challenge. This year you can do a marathon read, a sprint read or a read from your couch! If you would like to register for the Summer Stars reading challenge, contact your local library.  Check out our eBooks and eAudio books with the special Summer Stars collection.Check out our Dublin City Libraries Tumble Book recommendation every day. Get Critical!Do you have strong views about a book you read? Was there a brilliant character that you wanted to shout about? Or was there a big twist in the plot that startled you? Have your review published here. Get Active!Flex Your brain muscles with activities like word searches, spot the difference, code scramblers and much more. The solutions are there too-but do not be tempted until you finish!Watch out for our special Dublin City Libraries Summer Stars Quiz.   Get Creative!This year we have a very special competition –write your own short story and win a fabulous prize. The story should be about An Unexpected Adventure. Maybe you had one, maybe you would like one or maybe you dreamed up one! Either way it’s time to fire that imagination and enter. Age groups apply but the competition will be fierce!Get helpful!Tell your parents that there are great tips for reading to younger children here.Get in Touch!Keep up to date with all our Dublin City Libraries activities at www.dublincitylibraries.ie or email [email protected]  Contact your local library to register for the Summer Stars reading challenge.  For more information, go to www.summerstars.ie

October was a busy month at Ballymun Library for children’s activities with many events organised in conjunction with Children’s Book Festival 2019 and Stemsational Saturdays’ activities for 8 to 12 year olds to name but a few.This time of year wouldn’t be complete without the Library’s dedicated Hallowe’en storytelling sessions for 0 to 4 year olds. These took place on the 29th of October at 10am and 11am, respectively. Most of the attendees dressed up for the occasion and had a spooktacular time.Millie Donnelly dressed as a witch at the Baby/Wobbler Hallowe’en Book Club. At the baby session, the book ‘Spot’s Spooky Fun’ by Eric Hill was read by Maria Sheahan (Librarian). Eric Hill has written many stories for babies including ‘Spot Says Goodnight’ and ‘Spot Goes to School’. This is a lovely story for babies and wobblers where Spot has the difficult task of deciding which costume he should wear for Hallowe’en. The group was captivated proving this story is a perfect Hallowe’en read for young babies. The Toddlers heard the story ‘Usborne Noisy Spooky Book’. As you can see from the photos, this book is always a big hit with small children! Isabella Forsyth is the dashing pumpkin and Amelia Sweeney is batgirl. They love hearing the creepy sound effects that go with the story and it’s a fun choice for grown-ups to read! Hallowe’en rhymes were also taught to the children after each storytelling session. Finally, toys and sweet treats were provided to complete the sessions.Ballymun Library’s Book Clubs for Younger Children will continue on a weekly basis on Tuesdays during November and early December.  The Baby/Wobbler Book Club (0 to 2 Year Olds) runs from 10.00am to 10.45am and the Toddler Book Club (2 Year Olds to pre-school age) runs from 11.00am to 11.45am.  No advance booking is necessary.Join us each week in making family reading a magical and fun experience! 

This week, we are going to take a look at TumbleBooks, an online resource especially designed for the little ones in your life. TumbleBooks are animated, talking picture books which teach children the joy of reading in a format they'll love. TumbleBooks are created by taking existing picture books, and then adding animation, sound, music and narration to produce an electronic picture book which you can read, or have read to you. This resource also includes National Geographic videos and games.(Example of National Geographic Videos)Available on TumbleBooks:Story Books: This option features animated, talking picture books for the younger reader. The reader has the option to automatically or manually turn the pages.  Chapter Books/Read-Alongs: While this option does not include animation, the ebooks are narrated. They also include Chapter menus so that you can jump chapters, and a bookmarks and notes feature which are cookied onto your computer. Chapter Books also allow readers to change the colors of the background and text, as well as the font style, size, and line spacing. This helps to make the ebooks even more accessible to a wider range of readers. Videos are from the world renowned National Geographic! Simply click on "Watch Online" to watch the 2-5 minute clips on various topics. Most of these videos have been paired with ebooks as a way to introduce a topic! Featured is where teachers, librarians, parents, students, and TumbleBooks staff can recommended a book! It's a quick and easy way to find books on those rainy days! Puzzles & Games accompany each book and reinforce concepts from the books, allowing for a fun and educational learning experience. Language Learning is an easy way to access our French and Spanish titles! Non-Fiction contains a growing collection of non-fiction titles in subjects such as health, science, astronomy, biology, and nature.Playlist allows you to access the pre-loaded playlist. The eBooks play back-to-back just like a music playlist! In addition, you can create your own playlist! Simply click on the "Add to Playlist" button below a TumbleBook to create your own!(Example of Foreign Language eBooks)Access How:Website; Follow link below. To register; select the "My Cloud" tab, click where it says "Register" and enter your library card number and pin as your username and password.App; Select "Library" tab, in country box fill in "Ireland" (Note; state is NOT required), select Dublin City Council Public Library and enter your library card number. In main menu select "View by Detail" to add your favourite books to "My Favourites."URL: http://www.tumblebooklibrary.com/autologin.aspx?UserID=08Hezhy7Lfgp480vNdjp%2bw%3d%3d 

This spring children in Dublin are urged to keep their eyes peeled for mysterious aliens at their local library as Bumpfizzle – the Best on Planet Earth by Patricia Forde, has been chosen for the 2019 Citywide Reading Campaign for Children.Bumpfizzle is an alien, sent to Earth from Planet Plonk on a research mission. Or is he really just a ten-year-old boy who is feeling a bit disgruntled at all the attention his parents are lavishing on The Baby? It is up to readers to make up their own minds. The author, Patricia Forde, has published numerous books for children in English and in Irish, two plays, in addition to several television drama series for children and teenagers. She has worked as a writer on both English and Irish language soap operas. In another life, she was a primary school teacher and the artistic director of Galway Arts Festival.The illustrator Elīna Brasliņa is an illustrator from Riga, Latvia. She has illustrated fifteen titles to date, most of them picturebooks, children’s books and young adult novels. Her work has been nominated for many local awards as well as the prestigious Kate Greenaway Medal. She has twice received the Zelta Abele Award for Book Design, as well as the Janis Baltvilks Baltic Sea Region Award (2017).This is the eighth year of the city wide reading initiative. Previous books selected for the Citywide Reading Campaign in previous years include; Arthur Quinn and the World Serpent by Alan Early, The Nightmare Club series featuring Annie Graves, The Powers by Kevin Stevens, Danger is Everywhere by David O’Doherty and Chris Judge, The Book of Learning by E.R. Murray, Knights of the Borrowed Dark by Dave Rudden and last year’s book was Making Millions by Erika McGann. The aim of the campaign is to encourage children to read for pleasure. There will be author visits to many Dublin City Council branch libraries as well as city-centre based events in bookshops, the National Library of Ireland and Dublin City Gallery – Hugh Lane. The campaign ends with fun events based on the book, as part of the St. Patrick’s Festival’s in Merrion Square. Copies of the book are available in all Dublin City Public Libraries as well as in all good bookshops.  Dublin City Council Library stock can be borrowed from libraries nationwide.Key Events;•    Author visits to Dublin City Public Library branches between January and March. Class visits booked locally at branch libraries.•    Cabra Library, Navan Road, Dublin 7, Tuesday 29th January at 3.30pm (Booking Essential; [email protected] or ph. 8691414).•    The National Library of Ireland, Kildare St, Dublin 2. Thursday 7th February at 10am (Booking required: Contact Bríd O’Sullivan  [email protected])•    Dublin City Gallery - The Hugh Lane, Charlemont House, Parnell Square North, Dublin 1 Saturday 16th March 11am-12pmAuthor Patricia Forde says: “I am delighted and very excited that Bumpfizzle The Best on Planet Earth is the 2019 Citywide Read.  Bumpfizzle is an alien- which may attract some funny business from other planets - but I think Dublin children are up for that. I sincerely hope so.  We may need heroes before this is over.”(Dublin City Public Library Staff, Patricia Forde and Kids at Launch)(Photo Credit Fennell Photography)You can download a Reading Guide to the book, suitable for teachers and parents at http://www.dublincityofliterature.ie/projects/citywide-read/The campaign is run by Dublin UNESCO City of Literature and Dublin City Council Public Libraries, in partnership with Little Island Books, and is funded by Dublin City Council’s Public Library Service and the Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht. 

Baby, Wobbler and Toddler Book Clubs at Ballymun LibraryWe had a lovely session last Tuesday, 18th December with the Baby, Wobbler and Toddler book clubs. Everyone dressed up in Christmas jumpers and festive gear as we sang songs and read stories. Each of the children received a free book as well as stickers and jellies. The Baby/Wobbler Book Club read That’s Not My Snowman... which is part of the publisher Usborne’s series of tactile baby books.  The Toddler Book Club read the classic tale, Stick Man, by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler. All of the chosen books are perfect Christmas reads for little ones.(That's Not My Snowman)                  (Stickman) (Our small and tall bookclub members)The book clubs are taking a break until Tuesday the 8th of January 2019 and will continue running weekly then.  Join us for more stories and fun in the New Year.See you all after Christmas.  Nollaig shona dhaoibh!!

The online resources featured in this week’s blog are ‘Who Else Writes Like…?’ and ‘Who Next…?’Both resources are compiled by two professional librarians of long experience, drawing on contributions from other librarians.To access either one of these resources, all you need is your Dublin City Public Libraries card.Just log in with your library card number at the links below, and then select Dublin City Public Libraries.  ‘Who Else Writes Like…?’“I’ve read everything written by my favourite authors, what shall I read next?”Sound familiar? Well this online resource helps answer that dilemma. ‘Who Else Writes Like…?’ is an established reference web resource and reading promotion tool. It is designed to help anyone who enjoys reading fiction to expand the number of writers they read.With the click of a mouse, youi can browse by genre or go straight to an author of interest, check up on characters and series or the latest prize-winning writers, and follow the links to authors' websites for additional information.So click on 'Browse authors' to get started and discover a whole new world of fiction writers based on your favourite authors.https://www.whoelsewriteslike.com/   ‘Who Next...?’ is specially designed to help parents, teachers and librarians in encouraging children and young people to explore the world of reading. When children ask: “Who can I read next?” or “Who writes like my favourite author?”, the answers are here in ‘Who Next…?’  Writers of children’s fiction are listed with suggestions of other authors who write in a similar way, together with key book and series titles.You can browse:Four age groups: 5-7, 8-11, 12-14 and 14+Genre and themeGraphic novels, read out loud titles, short stories and titles for dyslexic or struggling readersPrize-winning children’s booksCountry of birth of authorsOther useful linksThis is an invaluable tool for parents, teachers and librarians to help children explore the world of reading. As the award winning author, Alan Gibbons, says “A reading child is a successful child”.https://www.whonextguide.com