Emily Windver

If you keep on the lookout for what’s going on in the Youth Services Department at A.K. Smiley Public Library, you’ll know that we now have Spirit Days every last Thursday of the month! We promote these through posters and announcements via Instagram. Every Thursday is also Baby and Toddler Storytime day, so our last Thursdays have gotten to be so much excitement and fun lately!! It’s awesome seeing people participate in our special days. Here’s the lowdown on the spirit days we’ve celebrated so far.

Our first spirit day for January had us starting out the year with “Wear a Cowboy Hat Day.” All of the Youth Services crew (minus Miss Dawn.. we missed you, Miss Dawn – on each of these days!) was decked out in red light-up cowboy hats, plus some extra cowboy gear just for fun. Miss Kristina and I each read a couple of cowboy themed books to our baby, toddler, and adult friends in attendance at storytime.

February brought “Dress Like a Spy Day.” We gave away spy kits complete with spy sunglasses, name tags, mustache disguises, and more. This was so fun! Trench coats, hats, and all black dominated our looks. Spy books are very popular in the YRR – most notably, the Spy School series by Stuart Gibbs, many of which are now also available to check out as graphic novels.

March was “Rainbow Color Day.” Each of us in the Youth Services Crew chose our own color – Miss Pamela was green, Miss Bella was blue, Miss Kristina was purple, and I (Miss Emily) was red. Dressing up made the storytime rainbow scarf songs extra fun on this day! A fun fact about our Smiley Library storytimes – we have a kind of signature. Miss Pamela, Miss Kristina, and I all sing a series of songs featuring rainbow scarves during our storytimes, two of which are nearly always The Rainbow Song and Popcorn Kernels. They’re Smiley crowd favorites!

Next up for April will be “Dress Like Your Favorite Book Character Day!” At the time that I’m writing this, it still hasn’t happened yet, but there should be a photo posted to our Instagram at the time that you’re reading this. I’ve heard some cool ideas from patrons and staff who are excited to dress up: Junie B. Jones, Maisy, Paddington, Frog and Toad, multiple Waldos, even (mysteriously) one knight. If you know me, you know that I’m a big fan of the Kevin Henkes mice… I’ll most likely be dressed as one of his many sweet and stylish characters. Of the spirit days we’ve celebrated so far, this is the one that I’m most excited about.

Keep our upcoming spirit days on your radar! I personally can’t wait to see what the rest of the year brings! The Youth Services Department has a few ideas for May through December, but if you have your own suggestion, we would absolutely love to hear it. We love serving this community, and spirit days are one way for us all to feel this connection in action.

Emily Windver is a library specialist in the Youth Services Department at A.K. Smiley Public Library. She enjoys dressing up, and especially goes all-out for a theme.

Love is everywhere in the Young Readers’ Room!

I always feel grateful for the lovely people I have in my life, but around Valentine’s Day I try to be extra super especially grateful. Spending time with people you love and people who love you is one of the most special things in the world. It seems obvious, but it’s one of those things that’s easy to take for granted. These are a few classics you can check out from the Young Readers’ Room here at A.K. Smiley Public Library, some of my all-time favorites, that center around a common theme: love. They’ve stuck with me since my childhood, and I hope that one or two are new to you.

Okay, first things first – Love You Forever by Robert Munsch makes me cry every time I read it. No joke. And I think I actually checked out this book from Smiley Library when I was a child. The story begins with a mother rocking her son and singing a special song about how she’ll love him forever. Through the stages of his life into adulthood, the song is a constant from his mother. The story concludes with roles reversed as the son sings it to his mother (now elderly and held by him) and then to his baby daughter. It’s simple, but it’s an incredible representation of unconditional familial love and the way that type of love grows and is paid forward.

Allow me to introduce you to Charlie and Lola via I Am Too Absolutely Small for School by Lauren Child. Charlie and Lola are SO charming. Younger sister Lola is (in Charlie’s words) small and very funny. She likes to be silly and make things up. Charlie is her very practical older brother. They have such a funny sibling dynamic that my younger sister (hi, Lauren!) and I have always related to via their book series and TV show. Despite Lola’s (always mischievous, occasionally annoying) shenanigans, Charlie consistently remains patient with her, and it’s clear that he finds her endearing and loves her very much. I Am Too Absolutely Small For School follows Lola’s resistance to starting school. Each time she voices a concern (counting to a hundred is not a necessary skill – she already knows how to count to ten!), Charlie counters with a very sensible response (what would happen if eleven elephants were to ask her for a treat?). At the wise age of seven, Charlie is obviously more experienced and worldly than five-year-old Lola, and always has her best interest in mind. They’re so funny, and there is so much heart at the center of these books.

Learning to love the parts of yourself that others don’t approve of can be tricky, especially when you’re a child. Chrysanthemum of Kevin Henkes’ Chrysanthemum loves her name. That is, until her first day of school, when everyone begins teasing her about it: she doesn’t have friends, she doesn’t fit in, and despite her parents’ reassurance, she begins to resent her name. Enter the beautiful and charming music teacher, Mrs. Twinkle, whose first name is also the name of a flower and is also unusually long. She’s no doubt at some point experienced the same treatment that Chrysanthemum has, but now she is confident, lovely, and proud of her name. Suddenly, everyone in Chrysanthemum’s class wants to be named after a flower! Once again, she’s able to appreciate the beauty in her name. To paraphrase the great RuPaul: If you can’t love yourself, how are you gonna love anybody else?

Who was your valentine this year? Was it your pet, your best friend, your favorite book, yourself? Check one of these books out, or come to the Young Readers’ Room to search for another book on love! We’ve got plenty to go around.

There’s an argument to be made that animals are more common main characters than humans in children’s books. Think of your favorite book from when you were a kid. Is the main character an animal? A lot of mine happen to be mice… Wemberly, Lily, Angelina Ballerina. It’s always fun to see how the behaviors an animal has in nature inform their traits as a children’s book character. Cats are one of my favorite examples of this phenomenon: they’re usually aloof and anxious, yet they can be sweet and warm at their own discretion. These are a few books about animals and other creatures that are new to our collection in the Young Readers’ Room here at A.K. Smiley Library.

Accompany an earthling hedgehog named Re on his journey to a place where he can enjoy solitude in harmony in The Coziest Place on the Moon by Maria Popova. Re loves solitude, but the Earth can be a lonely place. Everything about this book is just so beautiful: the language, the themes, the illustrations, the connection between the characters. December is the perfect month to read this book: in the chaos of the holidays, the peaceful tranquility of the moon feels so welcome and necessary.

Lap Cat by Joren Cull is about a cat’s quest to find the warmest, most perfect lap in the land. Lap Cat will stop at nothing to reach this goal: Lap Cat will destroy; Lap Cat will become a menace to the town… Lap Cat will eventually learn his lesson and remedy his mistakes. Each character in this book has so much personality and the dialogue is so funny; it’s perfect to read aloud together with family. Cull’s illustrations are so much fun too, neon comics infused with medieval influences, and you’ll notice something new each time you flip through the book.

The story of a lighthouse keeper bear and a fish brought together by a colorful sail… Don’t Eat Eustace by Lian Cho follows these two characters as they become friends. The question looming throughout the story: will Bear or won’t Bear make Eustace into stew? It’s funny; it’s delightful; it’s heartwarming; and it’s strange.

Papilio follows its titular character through her stages of transformation from a caterpillar to a chrysalis to a butterfly. It’s written and illustrated by Ben Clanton (caterpillar), Corey R. Tabor (chrysalis), and Andy Chou Musser (butterfly). It’s such a sweet story, and Papilio is such an inspiration — she rolls with the punches of each new and unfamiliar stage of life, even in the face of danger. She learns that there is a solution to every problem as she finds her place in the world. But she’s also just happy to be alive, eat treats, and make friends.

I love nonfiction children’s books that are told as stories. In the World of Whales by Michelle Cusolito is a true story about a diver who was one of the first humans to witness a sperm whale birth. The diver shows the whales he isn’t a threat by mimicking their movements, and the result is an experience of mutual respect and curiosity. If you’re not already drawn in by this plot, just take a look at the cover. I’ve never not been blown away by the illustrations in a book about whales, and the beautiful blue textures and depth here are no exception.

Shibu’s Tail by Tess Thomas is about a shy cat with a very expressive tail. This tail is huge, poofy, and capable of morphing into Shibu’s big emotions. Embarrassed at just how expressive he is, Shibu tries suppressing his emotional expression, but this only causes his already big emotions to grow and grow. I read this book recently at Toddler Storytime, and if I’m being honest, the adults seemed more into it than the kids. Its main theme is fairly mature, a good reminder that will resonate with adults as well as children: your vulnerability can and will benefit you and those around you.

Come visit us in the Young Readers’ Room throughout this holiday season and look for a book or two on your favorite creature, or an animal you’re interested in learning about! We’re always happy to help you find what you’re looking for.

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!