Picture Book Mini-Reviews

I haven't done any sort of book reviews in a very long time! Life just got too busy, and lately I've lost touch with what's new because the little branch were I work has low circulation and doesn't get lot of new books; when we do they frequently end up going to fill a hold at one of the larger branches and we never see them again due to having a floating collection. I'd love to get rid of the floating collection, which I find to be very inequitable for communities that are already at a disadvantage, but that decision is far above my pay grade.

Fortunately, we are implementing a new procedure that will allow staff a couple of days to review new books before they go out, so now I'm getting more opportunity to see the new books and make note of them for future use. There were several books in this last shipment that caught my interest, though they may not all be brand new, but new to me and at least fairly recent.

My Tiger 
Written by Joy Crowley
Illustrated by David Barrow
Gecko Press
March 2026

A young boy has pet tiger, which shocks and frightens others, but he assures them his tiger won't hurt them because he "only eats cake". Unfortunately, as one might expect, the tiger's sweet-tooth leads to a toothache and a trip to the dentist to have the cavity filled. The dentist lectures the tiger and the boy about the tiger's inappropriate sugary diet and tells them he should eat what other tigers eat. So he does. 😉

I love dark humor so this one was right up my alley! This would be great for a slightly older crowd who would get the humor and be familiar with the dentist, so I would recommend it for ages 5 and up. It would be a humorous addition to a tooth or dental-health month themed program. 

The Zoo Inside Me

by Ruth Doyle & Yessica Baeten

Andersen Press

2022 (GB), 2024 (USA)

A child tries to describe the jumble of emotions inside of him that he is not always able to contain by comparing them to different animals. Sometimes a dragon erupts, roaring and full of fire; sometimes a mischievous monkey acting out to get attention. Sometimes he's an awkward llama, standing too close and staring with wide eyes, trying to connect. Sometimes he feels like he has to hide his true colors and blend in like a chameleon, which makes him feel small and sad. He may be a little different, but there could be a half-hidden zoo inside of you, too!

I think this book would be very relatable for kids, and perhaps make it easier for them to recognize and express their emotions, while also letting them know that everyone looses control sometimes. It would be a great jumping off point for a discussion about emotions, coping mechanisms, etc. I think it would also be a really fun read-aloud, acting out all the different animals.

Take a Breath, Big Red Monster!

by Ed Emberley

LB Kids

2025

The sequel I never expected or knew I needed, but definitely love! 

While Go Away, Big Green Monster let children take charge of their fears, Take a Breath, Big Red Monster! helps them take charge of their anger, and guides them through taking deep breaths and calming down. 

This is not only a fun book, but great for modeling self-regulation. I was so excited to see this, and shocked no one had already reserved it.

All the Dogs

by Nicola Kent

Andersen Press

2022 (GB), March, 2025 (USA)

This is a delightfully simple book with sparse text using descriptive terms, sometimes opposites or contrasting terms, but not always. While the text is sparse, it has a great rhyme and rhythm when read aloud - "Big dog, small dog, hardly there at all dog. Coming dog, going dog, always to and froing dog...." 

The illustrations, which appear to be watercolor collage, are adorable and show a wide array of different types of dogs. What I really love is the incorporation of fingerprints for ears and facial features, as I had just purchased washable ink palettes specifically for doing fingerprint art. I think this would be a great storytime book for toddlers or preschoolers. I will caution that there is one page that some caregivers might have issue with, but I'm sure children would find hysterical, that shows dogs that "really need a pee..." and doing so on the nearest tree. Many wouldn't object, but know your audience. 

A Seed in the Universe

by Elyon Liu

Post Wave Children's Books

April, 2025

Starting with a seed growing inside an apple, which is eaten by a caterpillar, this book explores how nature and people relate to each other and how we all part of the same universe. The sturdy pages feature simple, bold illustrations with a limited color palette and dark outlines and engaging die-cut shapes. 

This would also be a great storytime book for toddlers or preschoolers. The text is simple, and while it doesn't rhyme, still has a pleasant rhythm when read aloud, and the illustrations are perfect for younger kids.

I Can Count! Everyday Things from 1 to 10

Written by Pippa Goodhart, Illustrated by Emily Rand

Macmillan Children's Books

February, 2026

This boardbook features lots of familiar objects for little ones to count on each page, with short simple text naming selected items, and a countdown to a rocket launch at the end. Each spread also features a prompt for further exploration and investigation. What I really love is the back matter, with tips and benefits of reading together and suggested talking points and questions to extend and deepen the exploration of the book.

While this could certainly work as storytime book for toddlers, it really shines as a lap-sit read one-on-one with a child and caregiver, and would be a great baby shower or first birthday gift.

The Very Hungry Caterpillar: POP-UP Book 

Written & Illustrated by Eric Carle

Pop-up by Threefold UK

Paper engineering by Keith Finch

World of Eric Carle

Penguin Random House

November, 2025

I spotted this at my neighborhood grocery store just the other day, and of course had to have it. It is a smaller and simplified version of the 40th Anniversary Pop-Up edition from 2009, but those are very hard to come by, especially in good condition. I was able to find a used copy, but it had a fair amount of damage, some of which I was able to repair, but not all. I'm really glad to have another pop-up version, even if it isn't as big or detailed. 

This version measures about 9"x7", and doesn't have as many or as impressive pop-ups as the 40th Anniversary. On the flip side, I think this version would hold up a little better. When I use my 40th anniversary edition, I feel like I have to guard it with my life! I'd recommend buying two of these, one to keep for yourself and one to use with children. It's a perfect size for a lap read, but also not too small to use in storytime for a smaller group. 

Know of any great new picturebooks? Especially books good for storytime? Please leave your suggestions in the comments!

Family Steam - Leprechaun Traps II

I first did this program three years ago, and it went so well and was so much fun, I knew I would do it again some time.

Title: Family STEAM Challenge - Leprechaun Traps

Ages: All ages (I had kids aged 4 to 9)

Time: 1-1/4 hours

Budget: $35 for specially purchased items, some optional. Most materials were found items or from our general craft supply stock. 

# of Participants: 10 kids and 8 adults participated, along with 3 younger & older siblings that accompanied but did not really participate

Skills/Concepts: Imagination, creativity, folklore, problem-solving, motor skills, expressive language, public speaking

Materials:  

• variety of small boxes
• large pieces of flat cardboard (cut from large boxes)
• green spray paint, $7
• cardboard tubes from paper towels
• green construction paper in two shades
• colored craft sticks 
• string
• crayons
• markers
• glitter glue
• glitter shamrock foam stickers, $10
• "gold" coins, $7
• Lucky Charms cereal (both for bait and snacking afterward), $5
• Dixie cups
• glue sticks
• liquid glue
• tacky craft glue
• tape
• scissors, both kid and adult

Prep:  

1. I collected boxes over a period of 3-4 weeks, and cut up a few large boxes to have flat pieces to build on top of. 
2. Spray-painted boxes green. 
3. I found a few examples of leprechaun traps to give them some inspiration.
4. Put all the boxes and assorted craft supplies on tables at the side of the room. 

Program: 

1. First, we briefly went over a little bit of Leprechaun lore and legend.
2. Next, I read How to Catch a Leprechaun by Adam Wallace. I really like how it ends with saying maybe someday some clever child will build a trap good enough to catch the clever leprechaun, maybe one of them.
3. We discussed strategies and considerations for designing traps. 
4. I pointed out where everything was, and encouraged them to look over things and think about it for a bit before they started, and to decide if they were doing one trap as a family, working in pairs, or if each child was doing their own. I also told them if they thought of something they needed/wanted that wasn't out, to let me know and if we had it, I'd be happy to get it out for them.
5. Build!
6. As they were finishing, I began clearing remaining supplies from the supply tables and asked them as they finished to put their trap on the tables so we could line them all up for photos, then they could wash hands and have some Lucky Charms to eat. 
7. Once they were all done, I had them stand behind their traps for group and individual photos, then they each took a turn telling the group about how their trap worked, if they were comfortable doing so. [I did make sure they knew it was optional and if they weren't comfortable speaking in front of everyone they didn't have to.]

How It Went

I had an even better turnout than the first time I did this program, and it went just as well. Since the program had run over last time, I decided to save time by spray painting the boxes green ahead of time, rather than having the kids cover them with paper like the last time (I also didn't have a roll of green bulletin board paper this time). Even though this did save some time, we still ran over by about 15 minutes past the scheduled hour. 

I was happy most of the kids were willing to present their traps, though there was one child who had to leave and one who said they didn't want to talk in front of people, or even give his name, which was fine. There were also two little ones who were a little shy and couldn't speak loudly enough for everyone to hear, so they told me, then I repeated to the crowd. I think this is my favorite part of the program.

The kids really seemed to have a great time, and caregivers were appropriately involved without taking over. I was really happy with how things turned out.

What I Would Do Differently 

The only thing I would do differently is schedule more time, since it ran over both times I've done it, and allow more time for set-up and clean-up; thirty minutes is just not enough. It took 45 minutes to clean up, and I really needed at least 45 minutes for set-up. I really prefer to set up early when possible, then take a few minutes to sit somewhere quiet and gather my thoughts.

☘ Happy St. Patrick's Day! ☘

Imagination Station - Farmer’s Market

So far my new "Imagination Station" program has been relatively successful, more so than any other programming for the preschool age group, and this month we did a "Farmers Market" theme.

Program: Imagination Station – Farmer’s Market

Ages: 2-8 (most participants ranged in age from 2-5 this month, plus one older child around 9 or 10)

Number: Could accommodate up to 15 children; actual attendance was 7 children & 5 adults

Budget: About $5-10, as most items used were non-consumables that we already had or could borrow

Skills & Concepts: Imagination, creativity, expressive language, socio-emotional, fine motor, functional print, early literacy, family literacy

Stations:

1. Dramatic Play 
   
   
   

   
   I set up our versatile market stand with shopping baskets, bushel baskets, and all of our play fruits and vegetables. I added a table with all of the play food breads, and another with dairy products and artificial flowers.

   
   

   I created several different shopping lists based on color, where they grew, or ingredients for a specific dish. I also put out play money but I did not have time to create a price list (I think that is more appropriate for elementary ages than preschool anyway), so they could just make up their own prices. [Creativity, imagination, expressive language, functional print, socio-emotional skills, vocabulary, background knowledge]
   
   
2. Fruit & Vegetable Stamping
   
   
   
   
   You could use a wide variety of fruits and vegetables for this activity, but I kept it relatively simple and just used traditional carved potato stamps and added bell peppers, lemon, and celery. I cut them the night before to let them dry out a little bit so they would hold the paint better. I put out about five different colors of washable tempera paint, brushes for applying paint, pieces of heavy paper, and markers for writing names and adding any other details. I also provided aprons to help keep paint off of clothing. [Creativity, fine motor skills, spatial awareness, colors]
   
   
   
3. Reading Nook
   
   
   
   
   Since I had not had much luck getting people to check out the books I'd been pulling and putting on display, I decided to try creating a cozy reading nook to see if that would encourage them to read together. I put a soft rug down on the floor and added cushions for more comfort. I put a few books on display, and put the rest in two piles on the rug. [Print awareness, print motivation, family literacy]
   
   
4. Magnetic Letters
   
   
   
   
   I got out the magnetic letters and spelled out "Farmer's Market" on the magnetic board, and put the bin with the rest of the letters on the floor under it. [Letter recognition, print awareness, functional print, fine motor]

How It Went

I had a slightly smaller group than last month, but overall it went well. The kids *really* enjoyed shopping! So much so that the market was pretty well cleaned out in just a few minutes it seemed. Some of the kids were good about putting things back to shop again, but a couple of the younger ones had a harder time with the idea of giving up their baskets loaded with goodies. I announced that I was setting a timer for 5 minutes, and then we were all going to pretend to be the farmers and put everything back so they could shop again, which worked well. I enjoyed talking with them about their favorite fruits and vegetables, and one child was very proud that she had bought a basket full of healthy foods. Some used the prepared shopping list, some did their own thing, and some did both. 

The produce stamping was also a hit; children and caregivers both appreciated the opportunity for painting away from home. We found that less is more in applying the paint to get good clear prints with details. Some of the kids also painted just using the brushes after doing one with the fruits & vegetables, and one younger child decided to paint his face!😂

My only disappointment was that once again, the books I had selected and displayed were once again largely ignored. I had hoped creating a cozy reading nook rather than just a display would encourage caregivers to look at books with their child while there, and hopefully check out one or two, but this did not happen. Instead, they used it as a play area, and the cushions I put out for sitting on were used for jumping on or building with, while the books were ignored 😢. I am really having a hard time engaging this community in reading and supporting early literacy development with their little ones, and I don't know what to do about it. I've never had this problem at any other library I've worked.

What I Would Do Differently 

It would have been nice to have even more play food and shopping baskets, but we don’t have the budget or storage space right now. I think I might try a slightly more structured approach next time, with “assigning” (suggesting with provided name tags, but not pushing) roles such as shopper, farmer, baker, etc., so we have both sellers and shoppers rather than all shoppers, then switch. At the very least I would try giving each child a shopping list as they arrive so everyone isn’t just grabbing everything in a frenzy reminiscent of the recent pre-snowmageddon panic 😂.

Up next month at Imagination Station......Pizza Parlor!🍕 

If you have any suggestions, feel free to leave them in the comments.

Imagination Station - Bake My Day!

I recently started a new early childhood play-based program with themed activity centers I call "Imagination Station," and this month I decided to do a "Bakery" theme. Many of the dramatic play items used in this program were purchased earlier with grant money the library had received for early childhood programming, some were from a programming kit borrowed from the main library, and a few were things my library already had. I like to invest in well-made, reusable items that are developmentally appropriate and can be used again and again in many different ways, such as the oh-so-versatile market stand that can be easily staged for a variety of themes, other dramatic play accessories, sensory toys, and building toys, and I am a big fan of Lakeshore Learning and Melissa & Doug products.

Program: Imagination Station – Bakery

Ages: 2-8 (participants ranged in age from 3 to 6 this month)

Number: Could accommodate 15-20 children; actual attendance was 10 children & 6 adults

Budget: Negligible, as most items used were non-consumables that we already had or could borrow

Skills & Concepts: Imagination, creativity, expressive language, socio-emotional, fine motor, counting and number recognition, functional print, measuring, sensory exploration. 

Stations:

1. Dramatic Play 
   
   
   
   

   
   I set up the main "bakery" dramatic play area by staging our market stand as the front counter, with a sign, menu, and items on display on the front side, and dishes, aprons, and additional trays of goods on the back side. I moved our small (tiny!) play kitchen a few feet behind it, and stocked it with a few utensils, pots & pans, a tray of cookies in the oven, and a few ingredients. The play foods used were: the "bread basket" and eggs from the market set, M&D cookie set, M&D cake set, another set of plastic cookies from the borrowed kit, and cardboard cookies. [Creativity, imagination, expressive language, functional print, motor skills, socio-emotional skills]
   
   
2. Dough Station 
   
   
   
   
   

   To one side of the dramatic play area I set up a dough station with multiple cans of Play-Doh and an assortment of tools: rolling pins, cookie cutters, rotary cutters, extruders, and textured rollers. I encouraged them to roll, cut, shape, and squish! I noticed quite a bit of pretend play going on at this station as well, and the participants didn't limit themselves to typical bakery goods, either. We had burritos, tacos, and worms, in addition to cookies, cakes, and pies. [Fine-motor skills, hand/finger strength, pre-writing, imagination, creativity, sensory exploration]
   
   *I had originally planned on having an additional dough-making station to make salt-dough, but in the end had to cut it because I was not going to have enough clean-up time for that.
   
   
3. Measuring Practice 
   
   
   
   
   

   Measuring is not only a cooking skill, but also a math & science skill! I encouraged them to scoop, pour, mix, stir, and measure in the sensory bin. The sensory bin is always a hit no matter what I have in it! I had considered having another bin with water, but as it was winter and chilly in the room, I decided to save water-play for when it gets warmer. [Measuring, motor skills, sensory exploration]
   
   
4. Cookie Counting 
   
   
   
   
   

   I found this counting and number matching activity several years ago, and I'm so sorry but I don't remember where to give proper credit (if this is yours, please let me know so I can remedy that!). Count the chocolate chips (or raisins if you prefer) in each cookie and match it to the appropriate number in the jar. I love that it has both numerals on the front, and the words on the back. [Counting, number recognition]
   
   

How It Went:

I was really happy with how the program turned out this month! I felt it was definitely more successful than last month. I think simplifying things and having fewer stations helped, as well as having more kids, and older kids. There is definitely a critical mass required to get the right energy for a truly successful program, and I think we had it this time. 

I saw more meaningful engagement and interactions than last time, both between caregivers and children, and among the children. They were much more engaged in dramatic play this time, both in the bakery/kitchen area and at the dough table. I loved hearing all their conversations while engaged in pretend play. Several also enjoyed the measuring station, but only one caregiver and child did the cookie counting & number matching activity, but that's ok. 

I was disappointed that once again no one checked out any of the related books I had displayed, but at least one caregiver looked at a few of them, and at least a couple of families did select other books to checkout after the program. 

What I Would Do Differently:

The only thing I would do differently is maybe to expand the dough center from one table to two so they would have more space (our tables are pretty small). I would also like to add play food and some child-sized cupcake and cake pans in the future, if the budget permits. Also, even with simplifying and reducing the number of stations, set-up and clean-up still took longer than the 30 minutes I'm allowed for each, so I'm going to have to advocate for more time and/or someone to assist. I feel like quality programs with multiple stations and opportunities to engage in messy play require more set-up and clean-up time than that, and I really don't want to have to compromise on quality now that I've found what works.

Up next month at Imagination Station…. Farmer’s Market!

Imagination Station - Vet Clinic

In an effort to increase early childhood program attendance, I decided to try adding a couple of new monthly programs in addition to the regular weekly family storytime. I have found that while regular storytime attendance has been extremely low, people will come to our branch for programs that (1) are on days that most branches don't offer anything, and/or (2) are unique programs that other locations don't have. 

The first of these would be a once-monthly "Imagination Station" program inspired by the dramatic play areas I had set up at previous libraries (but sadly didn't have room for at my current library), geared for ages 3-6 (but open to ages 2-8 to accommodate older/younger siblings and homeschoolers). This would be a play-based program, but more structured than a "play & stay" program, with activities around a central dramatic play theme designed to encourage and develop imagination, creativity, expressive language, motor skills, socio-emotional skills, and early literacy. No one else seemed to be doing a recurring program quite like this, and I scheduled it on Friday, a day that most of the other branches in this system do not have children's programs.

I decided to design the inaugural "Imagination Station" program with a 'Veterinary Clinic' theme because (1) that had been the most popular theme for the dramatic play area at a previous library, and (2) my current library system already had "health professional" and "pet" themed programming kits with materials and activities to supplement supplies I or my branch already had.

Program: Imagination Station - Vet Clinic

Ages: 3-6 (open to 2-8, actual participants ranged from age 2 to 5)

Number: Could accommodate up to 25, (actual attendance was 6 kids and 5 adults)

Budget: Negligible, as used mostly non-consumable items, and all items we already had or had access to.

Concepts & Skills: Creativity, imagination, expressive language, socio-emotional skills, functional print, vocabulary, motor skills

Stations:

1. Reception
   
   
   
   
   I set up a small waiting room area with our market stand as the front desk, complete with signage, a laminated sign-in sheet on the patient side, clipboards with laminated patient charts on the staff side, and dry erase markers. The shelves on the staff side were also stocked with bandages, medicine, food, and food/water bowls. [Dramatic play, imagination, functional print, writing]
   
   
2. Exam Area
   
   
   
   
   The table directly behind reception was the exam area, and had all the medical instruments with easy access to the charts, bandages, medications, and syringes. [dramatic play, imagination, fine motor skills]
   
   
3. Grooming Area
   
   

   

   
   I set up another table with a dishpan for a bathtub, a play grooming kit with wooden hair dryer, brush, scissors, clippers, and shampoo (though I would've preferred the set from Melissa & Doug), along with a few empty travel sized spray and shampoo bottles. [imagination, fine motor, dramatic play]
   
   
4. Laboratory
   
   
   
   
   I brought in an old toy microscope that was my daughter's and set out a couple of graduated cylinders, pipettes, small clear dixie cups (a stand-in for test tubes) with water, vinegar, and baking soda (only put out a small amount at a time to minimize waste and mess!).  [exploration, curiosity, wonder, cause & effect, fine motor skills]
   
   
5. Radiology
   
   
   
   
   I cut two of the flaps off a medium-sized cardboard box, then painted the bottom (which would become the front) white and the rest silver to serve as a pretend x-ray machine/light box, and printed out and laminated several different animal x-rays. I hot-glued clothespins to the 'lightbox' to hold the x-rays, but one popped off right away, so I would recommend using a stronger, more permanent adhesive. I also had several smaller pictures of animal x-rays on pieces of folded cardstock taped to the table with photos of the animal underneath, with instructions to try to identify the animal from its x-ray, and lift the flap to see if they were right. [exploration, curiosity, dramatic play, background knowledge]
   
   
6. Sutures
   
   
   
   
   One of the programming kits I borrowed happened to have these animal lacing cards, which are a great fine motor activity that not only practices a life-skill, but also develops fine motor skills that will help with writing later. Relating lacing to sewing and thus to sutures was the perfect way to incorporate it into the veterinary clinic theme. [fine motor skills, eye-hand coordination, life skills]
   
   
7. Book Display
   
   
   
   
   I pulled a variety of reading levels and both fiction and non-fiction, on veterinarians and pets for reading and/or checking out. [print awareness, print motivation, vocabulary, background knowledge]
   
   
8. Costumes, Patients, and Signage
   One of the kits I borrowed had two lab/dr coats, plain scrubs, and scrubs with an animal print, which I put out for anyone who wanted to put them on [only one child did, so don't feel like you really need to have these]. I had quite a few different stuffed/plastic animal patients; some I owned (Kohl's Cares or Goodwill), some my branch had, some came with the kits. We had several dogs/puppies, several cats/kittens, a couple of rabbits, a guinea pig, a rat, a chameleon, a turtle,f frog, two fish, a pigeon, a parrot, and a unicorn (for whimsy). I put a couple at each station, a few in kennels (carriers I brought from home), and the rest in a large basket. [Imagination, dramatic play, life skills (getting dressed)]
   
   I included a lot of labels and signage with both text and pictographs (1) so the adults and kids would know what each station was supposed to be, and (2) to provide lots of functional print in the environment.

How It Went

I have mixed feelings about how this program turned out. I was really excited about it and had high hopes that it didn't quite live up to, but I think a lot of it is me just needing to manage my expectations and re-define success. My supervisor thought it was a success, and those they came were engaged and seemed to enjoy it, and that's what really matters. I really was hoping for maybe 10-15 kids, but ended up with 6. However, I'm told that is a good turnout for that age group at this location (I was used to having anywhere from 15-30 kids for programs at my last library, and sometimes more). 

I was a little disappointed that they didn't really use all of the activities or use them in the way I had imagined to get the most out of them. The adults didn't really facilitate exploration and play like I'd hoped, even when I tried to model, and I didn't see as much imaginative and dramatic play as I'd envisioned. I know in my head the fact that they came, were engaged in any way, had fun, and left happy is enough, but my heart still wants bigger, busier programs with people not only fully engaged, but doing things the 'right' way. I totally realize this is my issue, though, and I'm working on it.

Those that attended did really seem to enjoy it overall. I'd expected the exam station, with all the medical instruments and treatments, to be the biggest draw, but surprisingly the grooming area was by far the most used, with the laboratory a close second. All the kids wanted to bathe, brush, and trim the animals, and as we already know, kids can't get enough of baking soda and vinegar experiments! One kid did get into putting bandages on several animals, but I really didn't see much "doctoring" going on. The x-rays and lacing cards were pretty much ignored, only one child filled out a chart, and I don't think anyone, child or adult, really paid any attention to any of the signs or labels, and no one checked out, or even looked at, any of the books. 

What I Would Do Differently

Going forward, I will know not to put quite as much time and work into the planning and set-up, nor plan as many stations. I will still include some functional print, but I won't go as overboard with so many signs and labels, I won't pull as many books, and I just need to not expect quite so much. Overall, just make it more simple and not quite so elaborate, especially for a one-hour, one-time program that I'm only allotted 30 minutes of set-up time for. 

I am still adjusting to being at a much smaller library in a neighborhood that primarily uses the library for technology access and assistance, rather than books and programs, and having much lower attendance than I'm used to at previous libraries.  At some point in the future I may consider trying it on a Saturday instead of Friday, to see if I can get more people, or more people from our immediate area.

The "Laboratory" station was such a hit I've decided that I will have to make that a whole theme sometime later this year. Next month will have a "Bakery" theme, with play food, sales counter, kitchen, dough-making station [making salt dough], and dough kneading, rolling, shaping, and cutting station. [I will also have play-doh for anyone with wheat/gluten allergies.]

Annual Reflection & Goal-Setting - 2026

 

I've had this blog for ten years now, and every new year I've written a post reflecting on the past year and setting goals for the year ahead. I was hesitant to do that this year as it's been a very tumultuous, difficult year for me (worse than 2020) that began with an ending and I really wasn't sure I wanted to reflect on it. But, I decided maybe that would be the best way to close that chapter once and for all and move on to better things! Fair warning, this is probably going to be a lot to read, but this past year was definitely A LOT!

Around the middle of 2024 I had begun to realize that no matter what or how much I did my work was never going to be valued or appreciated by management, and nothing I did was ever going to be good enough. I struggled with deciding whether to go or stay, because I was proud of all I had accomplished and had grown attached to all my regular patrons, but what started as a generally dysfunctional environment then became overtly hostile, abusive, and deeply toxic. Over the years many of you have thanked me for my honesty in addressing the many challenges and issues we face on this blog, but unfortunately that honesty came with a price and I became the target of retaliation. At the end of January 2025, after weeks of workplace bullying and harassment, things came to a head and I finally left what had begun as my dream job but had become a nightmare. It was truly a bizarre, horrible, and demoralizing experience.

I was so burned out and traumatized I didn't even consider looking for another job for a couple of months. I am very fortunate to have a spouse with a significantly higher income so that I could afford to take some badly needed time off to rest, travel, focus on physical and mental health, and figure out what I was going to do next. One great outcome of this was that after three years of always feeling like I couldn't take time off, I finally got to take several trips I'd been dreaming of and visit my kids. During this time I also got back to a healthy lifestyle, got my blood sugar under control (I'm a type 2 diabetic), lost weight, and I'm in better shape now than I've been in years. It's amazing the damage a toxic environment does, and how much your health improves once you get out of it and away from the constant stress, belittling, and gas-lighting.

Now that I've been away from it and regained perspective, I can see just how toxic my previous workplace really was from the beginning, and I now know I should have left long before I did. I had a hard time letting go of what I thought was going to be my dream job; I kept convincing myself I could make it work, that I just had to work a little harder, do a little more. But now I know there is no way to succeed in a toxic environment, no way to make it work, and nothing you do will ever be good enough. There is no pleasing a toxic, insecure manager; in fact, the better you are at your job the more they will resent you. As much as I hated leaving all the kids and families I had built relationships with, I should have done it much earlier. I now recognize the red flags I should have seen early on and regret passing up other opportunities. As another librarian friend tried to tell me, that library had likely been toxic for so long that they didn't know any other way to be. I didn't want to believe it at the time, but they were so right. 

During my time off I re-evaluated my career and even considered leaving librarianship. I was burned-out, disillusioned, and very disheartened by the continually growing anti-library and anti-librarian movement and the realization that the great managers I'd had earlier in my career were probably the exception rather than the rule. But after I had time to rest and recover, I realized I wasn't ready to give it up just yet. I still loved being a children's librarian; I just needed to find a workplace where I would be valued and treated with respect, and a position where I had a more manageable workload and could maintain healthier boundaries and work/life balance. 

After three months I began job-hunting, focusing on children's librarian positions in branches of larger library systems that would have centralized collection development and centralized summer reading planning and support. While I believe these are both very important and am proud of all the work I did developing a vibrant and diverse collection and a robust, evidence-based summer reading program, I realized that one person can't do it all, and I am content to have others perform those functions. I would prefer to focus on branch programming, day-to-day customer service, outreach, and building relationships with patrons. Also, being in a branch of a system puts some distance between you and upper admin, which I've learned is generally a good thing, making it much easier to keep your head down, focus on your job, maintain a more positive attitude, and ignore the BS.

Luckily, I found a position relatively quickly, and started my new job in early June. I am now the children's librarian at a smaller neighborhood branch in a larger system. I primarily assistant patrons, plan and conduct children's programs, and do outreach. I do some weeding, but I am not responsible for collection development; I do branch programming during the summer, but am not responsible for planning and designing the whole summer reading program. I also do not have any supervisory duties, which is something else I was happy to give up. I did take a small pay cut, but also a significant cut in responsibility and workload. The best part of my new position is that I am part of a great youth services team. My supervisor is a former youth librarian and really understands my job and all that it entails, and is very supportive. The teen librarian started at the same time I did and we have a great working relationship, providing support, advice, assistance, or just a sounding board for each other; there is none of the territorial behavior, competition, undermining, bulldozing, gas-lighting, or duplicity that I experienced at my last job. My stress and anxiety levels are so much less now!

The position is not without its challenges; no situation is perfect. I had to learn a whole new organizational structure and culture. We are understaffed and have a much smaller programming budget than I'm used to. There is not enough work or storage space, and our program/meeting room is way too small. It is challenging to get families to attend storytime, though I do get decent attendance at family and elementary programs most. While our library is used by the community fairly heavily for internet and other technology access and assistance, our circulation is very low (though it has gone up in the last few months!). The library is in a lower income community that is very diverse, with many that do not speak English fluently, so we frequently have to find ways around language barriers to help people, which can be very challenging, but also rewarding. But overall, the lower stress level far outweighs any of the challenges. Plus I got to meet Mychal Threets!

I have found that while I still want to be a children's librarian, I do not quite have the same level of passion for it as I used to, which honestly is probably more healthy. I give it my best for 40 hours a week, but no longer do I give it my all. I have accepted that sometimes "good enough" is good enough. A wise librarian once told me "don't let perfect be the enemy of good", and I now really understand what that means, and how important it is to be able to let go of frustrations and perfectionist ideals. I am going to focus on doing my job, but now I see it more as just that, a job. I have finally shrugged off the sense of vocational awe many of us have, and after five years as a professional librarian I no longer have the naïve idealism of someone new to the profession. I now have a more balanced approach; I am committed to doing a good job without making it my whole identity, re-defining success, and trying to resist the desire for external validation (though that's a tough one for me).

My goals for the upcoming year are pretty basic:

• continue prioritizing my health above everything else
• continue to maintain healthy boundaries and work/life balance
• continue getting to know the community and try to better understand their needs
• develop relationships within the community and the library system
• work on organization and time management
• increase storytime attendance
• increase outreach
• develop two new programs for 5&U
• Imagination Station - themed activities and dramatic play to encourage imagination, exploration, expressive language, and socio-emotional skills
• STEM Storytime- storytime that focuses on developing problem-solving and critical-thinking skills, inspiring wonder and curiosity, and modeling a growth-mindset with pre-math and science activities.
• maintain and possibly expand family & elementary programming
• take vacation time!
• go hiking at least once a month (this is my therapy!)
• read at least 1 book a month
• walk at least 3 days a week
• go to the gym at least once a week

Unfortunately, maintaining healthy boundaries and a healthy work/life balance means I probably won't be blogging that much, but I also don't want to give it up entirely, either. 

Wishing us all good health and peace in the coming year!

Happy New Year! 🎊🎆

Spy School 2025 - Elementary Program

 

This is the fourth time I've done a version of this program, and I’ve done it a little differently each time. The first time was an in-person program in 2019 that focused on learning different codes and different methods of hidden messages, plus a “laser” maze for fun. The second time was during the pandemic as a take-home cryptography kit along with a virtual program. The third time was during summer reading of 2024 and had a "treasure hunt adventure" theme with basic instruction of codes and hidden messages and a final treasure hunt complete with riddles, codes, invisible messages, and a treasure map that would lead them to a cache of gold coins they could trade for a prize. 

For this iteration I returned to the original "Spy School" theme, focusing on secret codes and hidden messages, but also including a few other activities. 

Ages: Advertised as for elementary ages (6-11), but actual participants ranged from 4 to 14.

Number: Planned for 10 participants, and had 9 (plus 4 caregivers; adult assistance was needed)

Time: Scheduled for an hour, but ran over at by 20 minutes.

Budget: Roughly $20, as most supplies were already on hand

Skills/Concepts: critical thinking, logic, decoding, observation, chemistry, socio-emotional

Materials:

• paper
• cardstock
• brad fasteners
• yarn
• tape
• scissors
• baking soda
• grape juice
• white crayons (regular, not washable)
• watercolor paint
• milk
• clothes iron
• ironing board, pad, or towel
• paintbrush, small and large
• small cups
• pencils
• stamp pad with washable ink
• invisible ink pens with UV light

In previous versions I led the program in a classroom style, but since people are frequently late to programs at this library I decided to set it up with stations in a more self-directed format. I created cute little instruction manuals along with signage at each station. They created code names and agent number numbers for themselves, practiced a simple substitution code using an encryption wheel and the Pigpen Cipher, experimented with three methods of invisible messages*, did a fingerprint study, matched footprints to a suspect's shoe, built a spy gadget out of Lego bricks, and practiced agility through a simulated laser maze. 

Once they completed all the training activities, they reported back to me and received a mission folder for their first secret mission along with a secret agent pen with UV reactive invisible ink and a UV light in the cap. The mission file included the code name for the mission, a mission objective, a scenario explaining the mission, and ended with a coded message using a numerical substitution code with the key for the code written in UV reactive invisible ink. This message led them to a general location in the library where they had to use their observation skills to locate a message hidden in a book. They were reminded to look for something that seemed out of place  (books shelved in the DVDs, an English book in the Spanish language section, and books shelved backwards).

These messages were coded with the Pigpen Cipher and led them to another location and the final clue. The final clue was written in the UV-reactive invisible ink and instructed them to go to the branch manager’s office and give the password provided to the "undercover agents" at the front desk to gain entry and find the assets they were seeking. In the office they would find our treasure chest which had small prizes like stickers, bracelets, stampers, etc., as well as a selection of prize books; they could pick one book and one toy. I prepared four different missions, dividing them into four teams so they were spread out and not getting in each other's way.

*The three methods of hidden messages we experimented with were:

• Wax Resist - write a message with a white crayon, then paint over with watercolor paint to reveal. The wax in the crayon is hydrophobic, and thus repels the water-based paint.
• Milk - a message written with milk can be revealed using a hot iron. The heat produces the Maillard reaction, which caramelizes and darkens the sugars and proteins in the milk.
• Baking Soda & Grape Juice - a message written with a concentrated baking soda (sodium bicarbonate, NAHCO3) slurry can be revealed with grape juice due to the acid-base reaction and change in pH causing a color change.

How It Went
I may have gone *slightly* overboard planning and preparing for this program, spending a fair amount of time on the instruction manuals, folders, and signs; and planning the missions and the clues (but I had so much fun doing it!), and I was really worried no one would show up after all that work. However, I was very relieved to have four families show up for a total of nine kids and four adults, which is a really good turnout for this location! I think overall it went well; there were some hiccups and things that didn’t quite work as I had planned, but everyone completed most of the training activities and they all stuck around to complete their final missions and get their prizes. Though there were some moments of frustration, overall everyone seem to have a good time and weren't daunted by the challenge.

My attempt at making it a self-directed activity did not work very well, however. Participants, adults included, just did not want to take the time and effort to read the instructions included in their manuals or on the signage and still needed me to walk them through and explain everything, so I was run ragged, running from station to station to help people and give verbal instructions and explanations. I think I will go back to my preferred classroom-style instruction for similar programs in the future.  

Some struggled with the coding and decoding, especially with the Pigpen Cipher, and needed a lot of help with that. I also found that the Legos were too distracting and kids tended to just play and build whatever with them rather than making a gadget and then moving onto other activities, so I would probably recommend skipping that or having them make gadgets out of random craft supplies instead of Legos. Some really loved the "laser maze", doing it over and over, and one little boy asked me to time him. I would probably recommend this program for an older age range, say 8-12. For younger kids, I would place less emphasis on the secret codes, and stick to one simple numerical substitution code as those under 8 really struggled with the codes.