Blogs

The Chill Skill is one of an excellent series of books by Niall Breslin that teach mindfulness techniques to the very young and are perfect to help our youngest readers navigate their emotions.

Join up for an amazing experience at our Creative Hubs this summer. These events can be booked online at Ballyfermot, Cabra and Coolock libraries and provide children and families with high quality arts experiences for free.The programme is co-ordinated by the Dublin City Arts Office for libraries and you can choose from music, stories, drama, dance and art events.We engage with artists and performers who are experienced and imaginative with a fresh approach in their field who encourage children and families to explore and share positive time together.The emphasis is on creativity whether  through a performance or an activity. The programme  has a groundswell of support from local organisations and schools in the communities of Ballyfermot , Cabra and Coolock.Dublin City Council are making it easy and free for children to access the arts with this big bold initiative so why not join the adventure this summer, what are you waiting for?Download the brochure and book at the following libraries:[email protected], tel.: 222 [email protected], tel.: 869 [email protected] , tel.: 222 8490

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

Wondering what to do on a rainy day?  Then have a go at our Summer Stars quiz. This competition is for ages 6 – 12.  The closing date is August 31st.  A draw will be made from all the correct entries to win a prize. Email your completed entry form to [email protected]  If it’s easier, you can email us your answers but please include the details required at the end of the quiz.  To find the answers, log into TumbleBook Library, one of our free eResources, and search for the book mentioned in the question.  Q.1  On Page 1 of ‘A Frog in My Throat’, written by Frieda Wishinsky and illustrated by Louise-Andrée Laliberté, what was the name of the movie that Kate wanted to see? Q.2  In ‘The Man Who Loved Libraries’ written by Andrew Larsen and illustrated by Katty Maurey, what is the name of the bridge that is pictured on the last page? Q.3  In ‘Dalen and Gole: Scandal in Port Angus’, written and illustrated by Mike Deas, what animals on Earth were being taken to the planet Budap?  Q.4  In ‘Do Frogs Drink Hot Chocolate?’ by Etta Kaner, how do honeybees raise the air temperature in the hive?  Q.5  In the first line of Chapter One of ‘Ben the Inventor’ by Robin Stevenson, what was right in front of Ben’s house? Q.6  In ‘Our Seasons’ by Grace Lin and Ranida McKneally, go to the first page and you will read “When the Earth is cold we long for the _________”.  What is the missing word? Q.7  In ‘Fuzzy Baseball, Vol. 1: Fuzzies!’ by John Steven Gurney, what colour baseball caps do The Fernwood Valley Fuzzies wear? Q.8  In ‘The Day-Glo Brothers” written by Chris Barton, what were the first names of the two brothers? Q.9  On the first page of ‘Any Pet Will Do’ written by Nancy Shouse, what was Jeremy’s awful discovery? Q.10  “I have round suction cups at the ends of my fingers and toes to help me climb”.  This is written about what animal at the end of the book ‘Animals in Camouflage’, written by Phyllis Limbacher Tildes? Entry form.Required details if you want to email without the form: Name  ________________________________________Library card number _____________________________Age _____________________Email / phone number _____________________________________________Name of local library ______________________________________________   

Many school students are being asked to complete project work at home during their time off. This type of work can be a bit like a treasure hunt: figuring out clues, making connections and finding answers. It can be great fun but also a really valuable way of developing the ability to learn independently and encourage critical thinking skills. Students learn to frame questions, explore sources and analyse complex information.Read on as our colleague Teresa from Pembroke Library leads you through a range of our free online non-fiction and reference works in which reliable information is presented in engaging and accessible ways.EncyclopaediasA good starting point for projects are encyclopaedias. At World Book Online you can access informative entries and other resources on a whole load of subjects, with separate sites aimed at primary and secondary school students. Encyclopaedia Britannica has long been the ‘go to’ source for research, and the online editions available to young people include both written information and a host of other resources such as videos, news items and a really useful research planner.Britannica Library Student for ages 12 – 18 is suitable for those in secondary school, whilst Britannica Library Junior for ages 5 -11 is good for younger children. Young adults looking for more in-depth content can challenge themselves by accessing both Oxford Reference and Oxford Research Encyclopaedias.BorrowboxYou might need to look to more detailed accounts of your subject. BorrowBox offers access to lots of non-fiction material for all age groups. For example, primary school children will find that the What Was? or Great Lives series are excellent sources for project work. To narrow down your choice, try the ‘advanced search’ option, selecting non-fiction, keyword, genre or age group. Watch our how to video on Borrowbox.Access eBooks/eAudiobooks on your phone, tablet or reader. Once you have installed the app, search for Dublin in the ‘Library’ field provided and then sign in using your library membership card number and PIN.Members of other library authorities will need to access BorrowBox using a different link.Tumblebook LibraryOr enjoy books on all sorts of subjects, and short National Geographic videos about everything from baby elephants to Christopher Columbus on TumbleBookLibrary. Have you checked out details of TumbleBook Library and how to access it on our website? TumbleBook Library is a curated database of over 1100 children’s e-books, and includes their unique animated, talking picture books, read-along chapter books, national geographic videos, non-fiction books, playlists, as well as books in Spanish and French.It's full of great stories to listen to with videos showing all of the wonderful illustrations. You can even follow the text as the story is being read to you. To learn more about how to use Tumblebooks please check out our how to video.Very Short IntroductionsYoung adults will surely find useful sources in the acclaimed Oxford University Press. Very Short Introductions series. These are expertly written, readable overviews of almost every subject you could imagine, from Deep Ocean Biology to Northern Ireland. Just use your library membership card number to take a look - who knows what treasures might be found. 

Do you have small children at home? Are you looking for free online resources to help you to educate and amuse them? Then look no further. Your Dublin City Libraries membership gives you access to several great online resources suitable for younger children including Freegal Music, TumbleBookLibrary, BorrowBox, and World Book Early Learning. Read on to explore with Grace from Cabra Library some of what we have to offer the little ones out there amongst you.FreegalFreegal has lots of songs and music videos, and It can be used without looking at a screen if you prefer. The two songs on Freegal that we listen to the most in our house are Baby Shark and Let it Go! No surprises there! Freegal has built-in playlists you can use, or you can create your own as well. To give you some ideas, here is a selection of playlists that I created for the toddler group in Cabra Library:Hallowe’en Playlist:•    Adams Family•    GhostbustersChristmas Playlist:•    Merry Christmas Everyone•    Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow!•    Feliz Navidad•    Rocking Around the Christmas TreeValentine’s Playlist:•    You’ve Got a Friend in Me (From “Toy Story”)•    You’ll Be in My Heart (From “Tarzan”)Monthly Playlist - January:•    Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes•    Ring Around the Rosie•    I’m a Little TeapotMonthly playlist - February:•    Ten Little Monkeys•    If You’re Happy and You Know ItLullaby Songs for Baby Rockers is one of the top children’s playlists on Freegal. You (or Baby!) can listen to popular songs such as Seven Nation Army, Parklife, and Stuck in a Moment You Can’t Get Out Of, all in lullaby format. I also recommend Libraries Rock Kid-Friendly Songs! This playlist includes hits like Can’t Stop the Feeling (from “Trolls”) as well as old favourites like Jack and Jill. Freegal rhymes with legal and the name is a combination of Free and Legal! To find out more about using Freegal with your library card, watch our very helpful video.TumbleBookLibraryHere at Dublin City Libraries, we are encouraging young readers to participate in Spring into Storytime by reading the story of the day from TumbleBookLibrary. Or, if you prefer, you can choose your own story. Check out today’s story on our Facebook or Twitter pages and on our blog.We recently enjoyed a book at home from the TumbleBookLibrary non-fiction collection called Bugs! Bugs! Bugs! It features familiar creatures such as ladybirds, ants and bees in animated form. And as well as listening to the text, you can read it on the screen. I also recommend TumbleTunes for preschoolers and toddlers. It includes songs such as Mary had a Little Lamb, The Wheels on the Bus, and Bingo, all the hits in fact! The TumbleBooks theme tune is catchy in its own right! As with Freegal, TumbleBookLibrary also allows you to make your own playlists. Check out details of TumbleBook Library and how to access it on our website? Watch our how to video. To find TumbleTunes, click on TumbleSearch on the top right-hand side of the screen, choose the ‘Search by Subject’ box and type in ‘tumbletune’.BorrowboxMoving on to BorrowBox, this wonderful resource provides access to eBooks and eAudiobooks for readers age three and over. We recently borrowed two eAudiobooks - The Little Princess Treasury by Tony Ross and Miffy’s Adventures Big and Small by various authors.The Little Princess Treasury contains 21 short stories, all under six minutes long! We particularly enjoyed the following two:•    I Want My Tooth: The Little Princess had 20 teeth. One started to wobble. What happened to the tooth?!•    I Want to Win: The Little Princess was used to winning at home in the Castle. Would it be the same when she went to school?Miffy’s Adventures Big and Small contains 10 episodes. Most of them are just over six minutes long so suitable for little ones with short attention spans! Here are just two that you’re sure to enjoy:•    Miffy and the Postcard: The postman brings Miffy a postcard. Miffy decides to send one in return. But what will she write about?!•    Miffy and the Leaves: Miffy and Snuffy are playing fetch on an Autumn day. Miffy likes the sound of scrunching leaves. Aunt Alice has run out of red paint for her painting of leaves. Miffy has an idea that might help!BorrowBox has plenty of eBooks for preschool children, including such popular favourites as The Gruffalo’s Child by Julia Donaldson. Just to note, our eBooks are in very high demand at the moment but don’t worry – if the item you want to borrow is currently on loan, just reserve it and you’ll get a notification when it’s available to borrow. You can borrow or reserve up to five eBooks and five eAudiobooks at a time, so there’s plenty of choice.Watch our how to video on Borrowbox.Access eBooks/eAudiobooks on your phone, tablet or reader. Once you have installed the app, search for Dublin in the ‘Library’ field provided and then sign in using your library membership card number and PIN.Members of other library authorities will need to access BorrowBox using a different link.World Book Early LearningWorld Book Early Learning is a learning resource designed especially for pre-schoolers and small children, and it has lots of educational videos, games, stories, and activities. If there is a dinosaur fan in your house, they may enjoy the dinosaur videos where Professor Nick tells us about the likes of Triceratops and Stegosaurus. Many preschool children learn about the lifecycle of the butterfly and know the story of The Very Hungry Caterpillar. In the Creepy-Crawlies section, you can watch as a caterpillar changes into a butterfly. In the Activities section of World Book Early Learning, there are lots of pictures to colour in online. These are great for any pre-school children who miss coming into the library to do some colouring. And we really miss all the boys and girls coming in to the library too! This activity is great fun and I’d recommend that adults also give it a try. You can even choose to draw your own picture and let your creativity truly shine!For those too young to colour online, the Nursery Rhymes and Songs in the Stories section may be just the thing. Join in with such favourites such as Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star and Humpty Dumpty.  To access World Book Early Learning - click on the Early Learning icon on the top left of the page. Wishing you and all the little ones lots of fun!

World Book Online is a suite of websites from the publishers of the famous World Book encyclopediae. Early World of Learning is for Pre-school and Junior/Senior Infants. World Book Kids is suited to Primary school students. World Book Student is designed for Secondary school students.World Book Early World of LearningWorld Book Early World of Learning is a resource for preschoolers and children in early primary. Developed with experts on early childhood education, image-based navigation helps young readers explore stories, games, videos, and interactive colouring pages for educational entertainment. There's lots of guidance for parents too with lesson ideas and how-to videos. Visit World Book Early World of Learning, all you have to do is enter your library card number. World Book KidsWorld Book Kids is the premier online resource developed especially for young students, ideal for older primary school children. The site has been optimized for tablets and features image-based navigation, easy-to-read articles, thousands of images and videos as well as a wealth of engaging games, science projects, and activities.Watch how to use tutorials and visit World Book Kids, all you have to do is enter your library card number. World Book StudentWorld Book Student is for secondary school students and includes all the articles from the print versions of the famous World Book encyclopedia, plus thousands of additional articles, learning resources, and research tools. Containing numerous tools to engage users in 21st-century education and blended-learning practices, it features responsive design, daily current events and dedicated resource guides to provide blueprints for advanced learning and college and career readiness.Watch tutorials on how to use the site and Visit World Book Student, all you have to do is enter your library card number. 

Children who are encouraged to read, are most likely to enjoy reading later in life, but also develop several skills that will help them improve their personality and build a healthier brain. The key to encouraging reading habits in kids is reading with them at home from a young age.By reading together often, your child will learn first hand the joys reading can bring, helping him or her develop a motivation to read. There are several ways to inculcate reading habits, which includes going to a local library. The library plays an important role in the community and offers equal access to information and education.Make reading a daily habit.Read in front of your child.Create a reading space.Take trips to the library.Let your child pick what to read.Find reading moments in everyday life.Re-read favorite books.Learn more about how kids read.Making reading funTeach your child that reading is more than just for books. Practice reading menus, movie names, road signs, game instructions, and more—show your child reading is everywhere. Make connections between reading and real life. Act as a role model and read in front of your child. Watching you reading magazines, newspapers, and books shows your child that reading is important. Encourage your child to join you with his or her own book while you are reading.Keep reading materials in the house.  Make an area for your child to read in with his or her help. Grab a bean bag chair, fun accessories, a variety of books, and your child will have his or her own cozy reading corner.Join your local library. Making reading fun can be easy with a library card. Take advantage of the selection at your local public library by letting your child pick out a book that catches his or her attention. Talk about what your child is reading. Give your child easy access to books and other reading materials at home. This helps him or her understand that reading doesn’t only happen at school—it can happen anywhere.After your child has finished a book, talk about what happened and ask what his or her favourite part was. This will enhance your child’s comprehension skills, and make reading a family activity. Find a book that interests your child. Explore different genres like mystery, science-fiction, comic books, and more. The more interested your child is in a subject, the more he or she will be excited to read!Make reading part of your child’s night-time routine. This habit helps your child learn to associate reading with relaxation. Read each night.

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! 

The “Join Up, Join In” initiative aims to encourage schoolchildren in 4th class to join their local Library. The competition was launched by the Lord Mayor in Ballymun Library on October 10th.The winning design will be used for all children’s library cards in the future. Speaking at the launch the Lord Mayor said: “I want to see every child in the city get a library card and use their local libraries.  The libraries provide such an amazing range of free services from books to creative activities and introduce children to reading at an early age.  To kick-start this initiative I’m inviting 4th class students across Dublin city to enter the competition to design the new children’s library card.  Be as creative as you can and you may see every child in Dublin holding a library card with your design!”Children can enter the competition by handing their designs in to their local library or enter through their schools. A design template in Irish and English is available from all branches of Dublin City Council Libraries and participating Schools.The competition will run until 22nd November 2019.  A welcoming pack, including the new card, will be delivered to all 4th classes in the New Year.Mairead Owens, Dublin City Librarian, said, “I am very proud to support the Lord Mayor’s initiative. In libraries, we celebrate childhood, and children, through the joy of reading. Our branch libraries provide fun spaces to enjoy, imagine and explore, so I invite all 4th class children in the Dublin City area to ‘Join Up and Join In’.  We look forward to welcoming you and your friends and family to your local library.”The Lord Mayor with 4th class pupils from the North Dublin National School Project, Ballymun.