Tag Archives: graphic novels

Keep Kids Reading This Summer

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Image of a cartoon dog reading a book

© 2020 TD Summer Reading Club

Summer is here! This is the season for outdoor activities such as beaches, splash pads, swimming, and camping. While it’s important for kids to get outside and safely enjoy the summer weather, especially after months of quarantine, it’s also important for children to read over the summer. Studies have shown that reading can help children avoid what is known as the “summer slide,” a loss of academic skills or knowledge over the summer months. So, what can you do to keep kids reading this summer?

Although Vaughan Public Libraries remains closed to the public, you can still get books for your children (and yourself!). VPL is now offering curbside pickup at all ten locations. Just fill out the form on our website to request an appointment at the location of your choice. You can arrange to pick up holds or have staff prepare a selection of materials for your family based on your interests. Please note that for now, we are unable to transfer items between branches and are limited to what is on the shelf at the pickup location. If you want to request specific items at your location, you can search the catalogue, then, on the search results page, click Available Now on the left side of the screen and check off the box for your pickup location.

Our digital collections are also here for you. VPL offers access to several online platforms with books for kids. OverDrive and Hoopla Digital have downloadable ebooks and e-audiobooks for all ages. Another great online resource is TumbleBook Library, which has books for kids of all ages that are available instantly, no downloading required. Many of the books have a read-along feature with an audio recording and highlighted text, which can help struggling readers. TumbleBookCloud Junior and Teen Book Cloud are similar. Cantook Station has ebooks and e-audiobooks in French.

T D Summer Reading Club logo

© 2020 TD Summer Reading Club

For many kids, participating in Summer Reading Club programs at the library is a summer highlight. This year, TD Summer Reading Club has gone virtual. This free program is for children ages 0-12. To sign up, parents or caregivers can create a free account online. You can then add your children to your account. Each week, sign in and let us know how many days your child read for 15 minutes or more. Every week that kids report reading, they will be entered in a draw for a weekly prize, and if they read in French, they will be entered in a draw for a French prize at the end of the summer.

If you need help finding books your child will enjoy, library staff are here for you. You can reach out to us by phone, email, or social media through our Ask Us service.

Here are a few reading recommendations to get you started, based on popular children’s titles.

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Read Proud: Books for Pride Month

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image of pride flagAs we all know, June is Pride Month. And as we continue on our educational journeys in this electrifying time of social upheaval, celebrating marginalized populations feels more necessary than ever. We’ve seen a lot of ugliness rise up particularly in the last few years—a trend that doesn’t seem to be slowing down, what with the all-too-recent repeal of trans rights in the US—and it’s enough to make you feel helpless sometimes. While we continue to be let down by those we idolized (cough JK Rowling), we can turn to more positive examples (cough Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson) to shape how we want our future to look. As I talked about in my last post, the idea of joyful expression can be a salve against the wounds inflicted by society, a way of pushing back against a force that wants you beaten down and depressed. But more than just joy, allowing marginalized stories to take whatever form they want—allowing artistic voices to flourish regardless of origin—is what we should be fighting for!  

For Pride Month, I put together a list of LGBTQ+ titles that span genres and identities, to give a taste of the kind of variety that’s out there. No doom and gloom here (but maybe some delicious heartbreak). And while VPL doesn’t currently have some newer titles due to Coronavirus-related delays (look out for Something to Talk About, You Exist Too Much, Broken People, and Love After Love in the future), we do carry plenty of others! This list was only supposed to include ten titles, but apparently I wrote eleven, because I can’t count. So now it’s a list of eleven titles, in no particular order. 

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Laughter is the Best Medicine

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When’s the last time you laughed – a hearty, can’t catch your breath, rib-tickling – kind of laugh? Maybe it’s been a while. Maybe you just don’t think there’s anything to laugh about these days, during this challenging, tiring, and seemingly endless monotony we are living in. Maybe you feel guilty to laugh knowing that people in your community are struggling and suffering, knowing that life may not return to the way you remember. Maybe you are still reeling from the unforgivable atrocity against George Floyd, and rightly so (please see Karen’s enlightening blog post on allyship and anti-racism).

Yes, even with all these sorrows, our collective anger and outrage, we must make room for laughter. Humour can lighten our mental load, provide a much-needed respite from the unrelenting flow of bad news, and help us cope with this new world in which we find ourselves.

We have much to be grateful for. Many of us are surrounded by a loving circle of comrades who are enduring quarantine right alongside us. We have seen so many of our community members dedicate their time, resources, and energy to help those less fortunate. And we have prevailed, finding new and innovative ways to connect, exercise, relax, and nourish our souls (#TogetherVaughan). We are gonna get through this!

I’m here to tell you that laughter truly is the best medicine. It’s a scientific fact! Laughter decreases stress hormones, increases immune cells and infection-fighting antibodies, and thereby actually improves your resistance to disease. Take a moment to let that sink in. Laughter, yes, plain old-fashioned heart pumping laughter, is actually a disease-fighting superhero!

Below are some of my tried and true favourites to ease the doldrums, put a smile on your face, and warm your heart. Most are available in digital form, however, if you prefer a physical copy, Vaughan Public Libraries has you covered with curbside pickup at select branches. Continue reading →