Posts

Spring Break with JPL

Spring Break is fast approaching, and we’d love to be part of your plans!  We have take home kits for those of you traveling, or if you’re staying in town, make JPL your destination!  We recently appeared on Living Well to share our full slate of activities!

 

JPL in November

It’s the next to last month of the year, but JPL isn’t slowing down yet!  We have a full calendar of programming, we’re celebrating the return of DINOvember, and we’re launching a recognition of International Games Month with several ways to play throughout the month!.

First up, the Dinosaurs are on the loose at the Library!  This popular program is inspired by Refe and Susan Tuma’s What the Dinosaurs Did Last Night.  It’s a month-long imagination invasion, and it’s debatable if our staff or patrons love this program more!  Be watching our social media to keep up with the dinosaur’s antics, or come in and see their latest moves!

The very first thing the dinosaurs did was get into the Library’s stash of games because even they got the memo that November is International Games Month!

This initiative’s goal is to reconnect communities through their libraries around the educational, recreational, and social value of all types of games.  We’ll have game themed activities this month (Bingo, Chess Club, Teen Game Day), and we’d love for you to join us November 17 at 5:00 pm for our all ages game night!

JPL Recipe Exchange

Joplin Public Library is excited to announce a new offering in Adult Programming coming in November- JPL Recipe Exchange! Perfect for those that like to cook, a recipe exchange is an opportunity to share a recipe of your own and pick up new ones to try. 

Curious how it works?  We ask that attendees bring a typed or handwritten copy of a recipe (or recipes) that you enjoy; any kind of recipe is welcome! If possible, bring 2 or 3 copies of your recipe so more than one interested person can take your recipe home with them. Have a recipe that’s a go-to for you, or is raved about by anyone that eats it? Now’s your time to show that recipe off and pass it along! Then, you can peruse the variety of recipes provided by others to find something to take home with you–just in time for the holidays, too! This will also be a fantastic time to chat with fellow food enthusiasts about their recipe, techniques, equipment, ingredients…the possibilities are endless! 

The Library will have some recipe cards on hand if you are a cook that likes writing your recipes down, or if you just need some extra recipe cards at home. This event will take place Tuesday, November 15th from 6pm-7pm in our Community Room.

Again, this is an Adult Programming event. Please feel free to contact Adult Programming Coordinator Sarah Turner-Hill with any questions (417-623-7953).

Free Lunch for all kids!

Joplin Schools and Joplin Public Library want to make sure that NO CHILD experiences food insecurity this Summer.
Every weekday from now until August 13, Joplin Nutritional Services Department will be in the entrance of Joplin Public Library at 1901 E. 20th Street in Joplin to hand out free sack lunches to any child (under the age of 18)!
There is no requirement for the child to attend Joplin Public Schools. Meals will be first come, first served promptly at 11 am (not before). Children must be present to receive this service.
Meals may also be eaten inside the Library or in our lovely outdoor spaces. Come soon and enjoy Library services and the convenience of a free lunch from Joplin Schools!

Summer Reading Art Challenge

It’s time for the Post Art Library Summer Reading Art Challenge (SRAC)! This year, the theme for summer reading is Tails & Tales. In keeping with that theme, the prompt for SRAC 2021 is:

“Tell Your Tale with Art! What’s the story of you?!”

You may pick up your artboard and entry form from any public service desk within the library. Entries will be accepted for three categories: Adult (ages 18+), Teen (entering 6th-12th grades), and Kids (birth-5th grade). Entries must be returned to any public service desk within the library by 5pm on Sunday, July 31, 2021.

All SRAC 2021 entries will be exhibited in the Genealogy, Local History, and Post Reading Room wing inside the library from August 14-September 25, 2021. People’s Choice ballots for each category will be collected in the library during the exhibit. People’s Choice winners will be announced on October 1, 2021 and those winners will receive a prize when they pick up their artwork.

Participation is FREE and open to the public. A library card is NOT necessary. SRAC is an annual art challenge and show meant to encourage exploration of the visual arts through creating art based on Missouri’s state-wide theme for summer reading. For more information, contact Jill at 417-623-7953 x1041.

Dog Man by Dav Pilkey (and other graphic novels)

One of my favorite things about being a librarian is that I get to help people find books.  As the library director that part of my job is a bit limited, but that is where my seven-year-old son comes in.  He is learning the joy of reading, so I get to spend a lot of time helping him select books. It is a great thing!  I love that he talks to me about what book he is reading and that he has his own favorites. Right now many of them are children’s graphic novels.  

Dog Man by Dav Pilkey is his ultimate favorite and he cannot wait to read the latest one, Dog Man: For Whom the Ball Rolls (#7).  He does not even know why that title is funny, but I think Dav Pilkey does that for the parents. He knows that we need something more than potty humor to make us appreciate his clever offerings. Other titles include: Brawl of the Wild, Tale of Two Kitties and Lord of the Fleas.

You might be asking yourself, “What is a graphic novel?”  Good question. According to Merriam-Webster, “a graphic novels is a story that is presented in comic-strip format and published as a book.”  Exactly. When I was growing up I used to read Archie comics. I would have loved to have had an Archie comic that was a novel-length story.   

My son LOVES graphic novels. They are his story of choice and since there are only seven Dog Man books in publication he is always looking for something similar.    Due to the popularity of Dog Man, I think others might have a similar need so below is a list of other books that Dog Man fans might want to read.  

Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney – This book was impossible to keep on library shelves after its publication in 2007.  I remember practically every kid who visited the library during the summer of 2007 asking for this title. Author Jeff Kinney uses a journal format that includes comic drawings within the text to tell the story of Gred Heffley’s sixth grade school year.  Not a graphic novel, but has a similar feel and has a lot of humor. My son is making his way through this series now and the comic drawings within the text make him laugh out loud.

Bad Guys by Aaron Blabey –  The typical bad guy characters – Mr. Wolf, Mr. Shark, Mr. Snake and Mr. Pirahan – are trying to turn over a new leaf.  Inspired by Mr. Wolf, who started the Good Guys Club, this unlike cast of characters endeavor to perform good deeds and change their ill-doing reputations.  Rescuing a cat from a tree and freeing dogs from the dog pound are just a sampling of their heroic undertakings. Slapstick humor abounds in this offering. I am laughing now just thinking about how funny it can be to see the characters try to do good.  What is the saying, “No good deed?” If your kids are anything like my son, they will happily devour this short, quick read and beg for the rest of the series.

Lunch Lady and the Cyborg Substitute by Jarrett Krososcka – This was the first graphic novel that my son read.  I brought it home on a whim last year and he loved it! I think the combination of the cleverly drawn comic panels, the cast of characters, the humorous elements and the length of the story all made for a love match.  In this story the school’s lunch lady and her co-worker Betty, with a little help from three students, use kitchen gadgets to fight crime and serve up justice.  

I have so many others to recommend, but since I am running short of space here are a few more, sans descriptions:  

  • Zita the Spacegirl by Ben Hatke
  • 13-Story Treehouse: Monkey Mayhem! by Andy Griffiths
  • The Stone Keeper (Amulet series) by Kazu Kibuishi
  • Yeti Files by Kevin Sherry
  • Comic Squad series by various authors

And one more tidbit – the Joplin Public Library will be hosting a Graphic Novel Club for children in grades three to five starting Friday, September 27th.  The club will meet weekly, for five weeks. Participants will discuss their favorite graphic novels and comics, learn the components of graphic novels and work to make their own graphic novels. Registration is required and can be done by calling 417-623-7953.  

If your child is anything like mine, he or she will be eager to add his or her name to the sign up sheet.  

Find in Library Catalog