Emily Windver

Halloween is already right around the corner! Our Halloween books in the Young Readers’ Room are so popular, they barely hit the shelves before they’re snatched up. Here are a few of my favorite scary children’s books for you to hunt down here at Smiley Library.

I adore pop-up books. It’s amazing how much the added dimension can craft a completely new experience out of a familiar story. We have only a select few circulating here at Smiley Library – they’re delicate, and tend to get damaged easily. One is The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe, a creepy classic presented in this form by David Pelham and Christopher Wormell. It opens to a scene of our narrator lifting a book to his face, already looking grim with anguish as he begins his lament. You can find this book displayed in our Poetry section in the Young Reader’s Room today. Scare-o-meter level: 8/10.

Scary, Scary Halloween is a story in rhyme for a younger audience by Eve Bunting, illustrated by Jan Brett. Four pair of glowing emerald eyes peek out from their mask of darkness to issue warnings of monsters roaming the streets on Halloween night. But thanks to some Scooby Doo-esque reveals, nobody is actually as scary as they initially seem… Scare-o-meter level: 4/10.

 

What’s your favorite scary monster? The Atlas of Monsters and Ghosts identifies mythical creatures of lore, both familiar (Chimera, Yeti, La Llorona) and unfamiliar (Smok Wawelski, Humbaba, Yara-Ma-Yha-Who) by region. It is a wonderfully atmospheric experience, reading this book – it has a similar feel to the Dragonology and Wizardology books, sure to have children imagining that they’re monster hunters dusting off some enormous, long-forgotten volume to get to the bottom of a case… with an introduction written by none other than Van Helsing. Scare-o-meter level: 5/10.

Halloween A B C is a series of poems by Eve Merriam, each paired with an illustration by Lane Smith. Smith is known for his collaborations with Jon Scieszka — most popularly, The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs. His illustrations have such depth and texture that spawn an unsettling, intriguing aura: they’re bizarre in the best, most hypnotizing way. Paired with Merriam’s poems, you’ll turn the page haunted with questions more often than not.      Scare-o-meter level: 7/10.

One last pop-up book for your consideration: Haunted House by Jan Pieńkowski. It truly feels like a campy carnival ride: skeletons are jumping out of closets, cockroaches are hiding in the cabinets, bats are swooping down from the attic. Treat yourself and explore this 1970s neon-infused fever dream of a haunted house with silly, spooky surprises at every turn. Scare-o-meter level: 3/10.

Celebrate with us at Smiley Library this Halloween! Choose a few scary books and show off your costume to Miss Kristina and me in the Young Readers’ Room — we will be also be dressed up in the Young Readers’ Room on Friday, October 31!    ~Miss Emily

As the 2025 Summer Reading Program comes to an end, we in the Young Readers’ Room are reflecting on the events of this year’s program. We are so grateful to the smart and talented kids and teens who have worked hard to give our program life over these last eight weeks. The countless books read and pieces of art created for our reading logs and Bookopoly boards have been more than wonderful. Among participants’ favorite challenges on the Bookopoly boards were the three “Create” themed squares: “draw a picture inspired by a book you read,” “write and illustrate your own mini book,” and “draw a map of the setting of a book you read.” To reference the theme of this year’s program, our world has been beautifully colored, many times over — artwork referencing familiar stories from Dogman to Fancy Nancy to Wings of Fire is currently on display in the Young Readers’ Room. While participants have rigorously tracked their books read and artwork created with the ultimate goal of winning a prize, it has been clear that motivations reach beyond this goal. The enthusiasm and pride each child has in sharing their completed work shines through every time we check off a reading log.

Each week of the Summer Reading Program, we have offered free programs and events for kids and teens, such as live animal shows, theater day camps, art programs, and STEAM workshops. It is with such love and gratitude for our community that I report that many of our Thursday shows brought us close to capacity with upwards of 300 people! These programs have resulted in countless memories that those in attendance won’t be forgetting anytime soon. One such moment was when Wild Man Dan kissed a toad onstage as a part of his live reptile show, resulting in a chorus of enthusiastic shrieks and groans from the audience. During Michael Rayner’s juggling and comedy show, Miss Kristina and I glanced at each other, wide-eyed in awe at the sight of four young audience members spinning plates effortlessly onstage. And who could forget Kids Imagine Nation’s three-horned, winged, flippered, turquoise and pink striped Tyrannosaurus Rex?

Through the transition from July to August, we in the Young Readers’ Room are staying busy preparing to resume our always-anticipated and amply-attended storytimes. Baby Storytime with Miss Kristina will resume with a slight change in schedule, on Thursday, August 7, both 9:30 a.m. and 10:15 a.m. Preschool Storytime with Miss Pamela will resume as usual on Tuesday, August 12 at 10:15 a.m. I am proud to announce that beginning August 14, families with kids aged 3-4 are invited to join me, Miss Emily, for Toddler Storytime every Thursday at 11:00 a.m.! Come visit Smiley Library to share some fun songs and stories with each of us.

We will be contacting our Summer Reading Program prize winners during the first week of August, so stay on the lookout for a call or voicemail from (909) 798-7674!

The sun is out, the birds are singing, and the palm trees are swaying. It’s nearly summer in Redlands, California, and at Smiley Library, we all know what that means. It’s time again for the Youth Services Summer Reading Program, and we’re proud to announce that this year’s theme is Color Our World! This theme encompasses all modes of creativity and art – drawing, writing, painting, photography, music – anything and everything that makes our world a more colorful place.

Beginning with our kickoff event on June 10, Smiley Library will be hosting events and programs for families in the Assembly Room every Tuesday at 10:00am and in the Contemporary Club every Thursday at 10:00am and 2:00pm. These include concerts, magic acts, and art workshops (just to name a few) through July 31. Teens can look forward to programs on Wednesdays such as a clay handbuilding workshop (hosted by Redlands Pottery Project) and book club party (register to pick up a free copy of the book club books on or after June 10 while supplies last!). Registration is required for some of these events, so please call us at (909) 798-7674 or see our flyer for QR codes to register. For more details, check out our Instagram pages (@akspl_kids and @akspl_teens) or the children’s and teens’ pages on our website.

As for the reading component of the Summer Reading Program, children and teens from age 0-19 are welcome to participate. Zero – three-year-olds will earn stickers, while 4-19-year-olds will be reading to earn chances to win oodles of fun and exciting new prizes, such as giant Squishmallows for children and Instax cameras for teens.

All story times except Spanish Storytime will pause during this period, but don’t fret, because the good news is… you can have your own special story times at home with our book giveaways! We will be giving away many wonderful books for free after events every Thursday, a few of which I am about to preview for you here.

Speaking of making the world a more colorful place… Dear Bookstore by Emily Arrow does exactly that. It is a beautiful ode to books and the special, comforting, lovely places where they live. If you catch me crying at the desk in the Young Readers’ Room, this book is likely the culprit. Genevieve Godbout’s illustrations are absolutely lush: sprawling neon vines, twinkling stars, and playful animals against a lavender backdrop, all of which come together to perfectly complement Arrow’s words and showcase the magic to be discovered in books. Emily Arrow is also a songwriter and performer; this book is inspired by a song she wrote in 2017. She has a YouTube channel as well, filled with entertainment for kids, including songs and story times. Her next book Dear Library will be released in 2026, and will no doubt be just as extraordinary and whimsical.

If you’re a loyal patron of the Young Readers’ Room, surely you’re familiar with the illustrations of Jon Klassen. Thanks to Miss Kristina, we have FOUR standups of his art — see if you can spot them all the next time you visit us. The Wolf, The Duck and The Mouse is a fairy tale-esque story in that it is equal amounts funny, curious, and strange… and it may or may not end with a twist. It’s written by Mac Barnett and illustrated by Jon Klassen — the unstoppable duo also known for The Shapes Trilogy. The deadpan humor of their collaborative stories is always entertaining, and this book is no exception. The Duck and The Mouse have been gobbled up by The Wolf and are living in his stomach in a situation reminiscent of that of Pinocchio, Gepetto, and Monstro in Disney’s Pinocchio. Unlike Pinocchio and Gepetto, Duck and Mouse make the most of their time spent in their host’s stomach and even team up when he is in trouble.

These crayons need a union! The Day the Crayons Quit written by Drew Daywalt and illustrated by Oliver Jeffers is such a clever book, compiled of letters (of complaint, for the most part) written by crayons to their owner, Duncan. Yellow and Orange are no longer speaking to one another, Pink isn’t able to be himself, Green may be the only employee who’s satisfied with his job — this workplace is chaos. But Duncan is open to negotiating… it really does help you think about creative ways to use color, whether you’re an adult or a child. Once you fall in love with these crayons, explore more of their world with other books in our collection such as Love From The Crayons and The Crayons Love Our Planet.

All of these books are currently available to check out in the Young Readers’ Room at Smiley Library. We hope to see you at the library this summer!

Emily Windver is a specialist in the Youth Services Department at A.K. Smiley Library. She enjoys crafting, reading, and treating her crayons fairly and equally.

Reading is fundamental. Do you know what else is fundamental? Having fun. And do you know what else is fundamental? Crafting – learning to create something you’re proud of. And do you know where you can have all of these experiences at once?

Craft Time!

As of January 2025, with the support of the marvelous and talented Youth Services Department, I have been hosting Craft Time after the last Preschool Story Time of each month. We had so much fun making bear puppets in January and paper butterflies in February. Come join us for our next craft on Tuesday, March 25! Crafts correlate with the story time books read by Miss Pamela and will be suited to the skills of 4-6 year olds, whose creativity we have found impressive and inspiring. Here are a few books that are available to check out in the Young Readers’ Room that will help you and/or your kids get creative in the meantime.

You know when a book lives in the back of your head because it’s just so delightful? Ed Emberley’s Fingerprint Drawing Book is one of those books. Requiring nothing more than paper, an inkpad, a marker, and your own thumb; this is a book that you will enjoy and learn from even if you don’t have a creative bone in your body. It guides you through each step of the process to make everything from a snail to a watermelon to a knight in fingerprinted armor – all smiling, of course. These mini artworks are so easy and so much fun. Once you’ve made one, it’s hard to stop.

If you’re looking for a craft that’s a bit more complicated and a lot more unique, look no further than The Usborne Book of Masks. It’s complete with instructions and templates for creating funny, cute, or scary masks. While some of the masks require more patience (the genuinely freaky Sea Witch, with glitter eyebrows and fish in her hair), there are simpler options as well (Hovering Bees, a face full of flowers surrounded by bees on wires). The diverse options of this book make it the perfect guide for a family craft night.

When I was younger, the American Girl book series changed my life – I was finally able to connect with history by seeing it through the eyes of girls my age. The American Girl craft books and cookbooks are wonderful for having tactile experiences that connect you with the past. Addy’s Craft Book begins each section with a short summary about an area of Addy Walker’s fictional life in 1864, and details how to create a related range of paper and fabric crafts that a girl like Addy would have learned. If you’ve ever wanted to try cross stitch or wondered what a Jacob’s Ladder is, this book can answer your questions.

Star Wars Origami rules the craft section of the Young Readers’ Room – it’s so popular that we have three copies. So much fun, even if you’re not a Star Wars fan – the intricate character designs will keep you busy and engaged. The way this book is formatted, it teaches you the basic paper folds and terms of origami before launching into the projects, which include a wide variety of characters and ships. It’s a great introduction to origami and, of course, to Star Wars origami.

Come by the Young Readers’ Room to check out any or all of these books, or spend some time perusing more options in our delightful craft book section. If you’ve gotten the itch for crafting something fun and book-inspired, don’t miss Story Time on March 25 at the Contemporary Club!