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Children's Newsletter October 2026 |
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| The Pitkin County Library will be closed on Monday, October 5, in honor of Frances Xavier Cabrini Day. |
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| New Programming at the Library |
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| Day of the Dead: Arts & Crafts / Día de los Muertos – Artes y Manualidades
Dunaway Community Room Saturday, October 24 | 11:00am-1:00pm
Celebrate Día De Los Muertos with Anderson Ranch! Create traditional altars and colorful skulls while learning about this vibrant cultural tradition. This activity is free, family friendly, and open to all ages.
¡Celebra el Día de los Muertos con Anderson Ranch! Crea altares tradicionales y calaveras de colores mientras descubres esta vibrante tradición cultural. Esta actividad es gratuita, apta para toda la familia y abierta a todas las edades. |
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Ready, Set, School!
Dunaway Community Room
Monday, October 12 | 10:30-11:15am
Monday, October 26 | 10:30-11:15am
Ready Set School! Is a special library program designed to help children ages 3–5 build the skills they need to feel confident and ready for school. Each session combines books, songs, movement, play, and hands-on activities to support early literacy while helping children practice important classroom routines and skills. |
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Ongoing Programming at the Library |
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Lego Nights at the Library
Children's Room Friday, October 2 | 4:00-5:30pm
Join us on the first Friday of the month for Lego building fun! Each month, we will work as a team to complete a large Lego project. There will also be solo build options available. All Lego will be provided by the Library. Snacks will be provided. |
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Manga Book Club
Dunaway Community Room Friday, October 9 | 4:00:5:30pm
Join us for snacks, activities, and all things manga in the Dunaway Community Room! To sign up and reserve a copy, please fill out this form. This group will meet the second Friday of each month. |
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Story Explorers: A Literacy Skills Club
Children's Room | Friday, October 16 | 4:00-5:30pm
Join us every third Friday school is in session for a club centered around building literacy skills and reading confidence. We will play games, read aloud, and do literacy-related crafts to enforce important reading and writing skills! This group will meet in the Children's Room. |
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Youth Services Recommends... |
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Noelle (Children's Collection Developer)
Ritu In The Sun
"Ritu loves the sun. She loves it in the morning when it slants in through the kitchen window; in the afternoon when it makes the pool sparkle; and in the evening when it lights up the sky with splashes of orange and pink. But her Nani is worried the sun will give Ritu a tan. Can Ritu convince her that all skin colors are beautiful—including Nani’s own? With poetic text and stunning illustrations, this poignant story is sure to inspire children to embrace their own unique beauty—and it includes the author’s grandmother’s own aloo bhaji and roti recipes at the back." (Penguin Random House)
Check out this book here... |
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Rachel (Young Adult Collection Developer)
The Troubled Girls of Dragomir Academy
"If no one notices Marya Lupu, it is likely because of her brother, Luka. And that’s because of what everyone knows: that Luka is destined to become a sorcerer. The Lupus might be from a small village far from the capital city of Illyria, but that doesn’t matter. Every young boy born in in the kingdom holds the potential for the rare ability to wield magic, to protect the country from the terrifying force known only as the Dread. For all the hopes the family has for Luka, no one has any for Marya, who can never seem to do anything right. But even so, no one is prepared for the day that the sorcerers finally arrive to test Luka for magical ability, and Marya makes a terrible mistake. Nor the day after, when the Lupus receive a letter from a place called Dragomir Academy—a mysterious school for wayward young girls. Girls like Marya. Soon she is a hundred miles from home, in a strange and unfamiliar place, surrounded by girls she’s never met. Dragomir Academy promises Marya and her classmates a chance to make something of themselves in service to one of the country’s powerful sorcerers. But as they learn how to fit into a world with no place for them, they begin to discover things about the magic the men of their country wield, as well as the Dread itself—things that threaten the precarious balance upon which Illyria is built." (HarperCollins Publishers)
Check out this book here... |
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Ginny (Head of Circulation and After School Wednesdays Wizard Extraordinaire)
The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl
"Lucy Callahan's life was changed forever when she was struck by lightning. She doesn't remember it, but the zap gave her genius-level math skills, and she's been homeschooled ever since. Now, at 12 years old, she's technically ready for college. She just has to pass 1 more test--middle school! Lucy's grandma insists: Go to middle school for 1 year. Make 1 friend. Join 1 activity. And read 1 book (that's not a math textbook!). Lucy's not sure what a girl who does calculus homework for fun can possibly learn in 7th grade. She has everything she needs at home, where nobody can make fun of her rigid routines or her superpowered brain. The equation of Lucy's life has already been solved. Unless there's been a miscalculation? A celebration of friendship, Stacy McAnulty's smart and thoughtful middle-grade debut reminds us all to get out of our comfort zones and embrace what makes us different.
(Penguin Random House)
Check out this book here... |
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Shannon (Head of Youth Services)
The Day the Crayons Quit
"Poor Duncan just wants to color. But when he opens his box of crayons, he finds only written letters, all saying the same thing: His crayons have had enough! They quit! Blue Crayon needs a break from coloring all those bodies of water. Black Crayon wants to be used for more than just outlining. And Orange and Yellow are no longer speaking—each believes he is the true color of the sun. What can Duncan possibly do to appease all the crayons and get them back to doing what they do best? With giggle-inducing text from Drew Daywalt, and bold, bright illustrations from Oliver Jeffers, The Day the Crayons Quit is a modern classic." (Penguin Random House)
Check out this book here... |
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Grace (Early Literacy Librarian)
Is This A Plum? "Through the hole in the page, you might see a plum… or a spider… or a spoon. But turn the page to see the full picture and—SURPRISE!—it’s something unexpected: the moon, a tiger, even a hippo’s bum!
This deceptively simple picture book debut by father-and-son duo Dan and Finn Ojari uses bold, stylish art, rhyming call-and-response text, and cut-through holes that play with shape and color to create a deeply satisfying read-aloud experience for children and adults." ((Penguin Random House)
Check out this book here... |
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Lily (Young Adult Programming
and Publicity Librarian) The Skull
"Jon Klassen's signature wry humor takes a turn for the ghostly in this thrilling retelling of a traditional Tyrolean folktale. In a big abandoned house, on a barren hill, lives a skull. A brave girl named Otilla has escaped from terrible danger and run away, and when she finds herself lost in the dark forest, the lonely house beckons. Her host, the skull, is afraid of something too, something that comes every night. Can brave Otilla save them both? Steeped in shadows and threaded with subtle wit—with rich, monochromatic artwork and an illuminating author’s note—The Skull is as empowering as it is mysterious and foreboding." (Candlewick Press)
Check out this book here... |
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Sierra (Children's Programming
and Publicity Librarian) The Little Ghost Who Was A Quilt
"Ghosts are supposed to be sheets, light as air and able to whirl and twirl and float and soar. But the little ghost who is a quilt can’t whirl or twirl at all, and when he flies, he gets very hot. He doesn’t know why he’s a quilt. His parents are both sheets, and so are all of his friends. (His great-grandmother was a lace curtain, but that doesn’t really help cheer him up.) He feels sad and left out when his friends are zooming around and he can’t keep up. But one Halloween, everything changes. The little ghost who was a quilt has an experience that no other ghost could have, an experience that only happens because he’s a quilt . . . and he realizes that it’s OK to be different." (Penguin Random House)
Check out this book here... |
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| 1000 Books Before Kindergarten |
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Start healthy, early literacy habits by helping your child read 1,000 books before they start kindergarten! Sign up in person to receive an activity book and receive prizes for every 100 books read together.
Find out more... |
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| Check out our StoryWalk on the Hunter Creek Extension Trail! |
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All-Ages
Children's Storytime | Children's Room |
Join us in the Children's Room at the Library for stories, songs, and more!
Thursday, October 1 | 10:30am-11:00am
Wednesday, October 7 | 10:30am-11:00am
Thursday, October 8| 10:30am-11:00am* *Special ACES Storytime with Denali Barron
Wednesday, October 14 | 10:30am-11:00am*
*Special ASL Storytime with Anisa Lavender Thursday, October 15 | 10:30am-11:00am
Wednesday, October 21 | 10:30am-11:00am
Thursday, October 22 | 10:30am-11:00am
Wednesday, October 28 | 10:30am-11:00am* *Special Halloween Storytime
Thursday, October 29 | 10:30am-11:00am* *Special Halloween Storytime |
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| Book Recommendations |  |
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