Craft Tutorial: Accordion Folded Dragon Puppet

Follow this video as we make an Accordion Folded Dragon Puppet to celebrate our Fantasy Summer! You'll need some paper, tissue paper, two straws, scissors, tape, and glue. This craft was inspired by Crafts by Rita on YouTube. Have fun crafting!

Librarian Anna

Win it Wednesday: On the Fourth of July

Every Wednesday we will give away a new book. For a chance to win, just fill out the form at the bottom of the page and you'll be entered into a drawing. The drawing will run from Wednesday through 11:59 PM Sunday. Winners will be announced on Mondays. (Note: you must be a Fresno County resident to be eligible for Win it Wednesdays.)

On the Fourth of July

By Maggie C. Rudd

We lift our flags high above us in pride, waving stars and stripes with red, white, and blue. It’s America’s birthday, and that means cookouts, parades, and fireworks. When the cookouts are over and the pool gates are closed, families will walk from their houses, parade into town, and look to the stars. Surrounded by neighbors and friends, they will watch the fireworks show in wonder as it glitters and sparkles and paints the sky in celebration of Independence Day!

Congrats, James H.! You're this week's Win-it-Wednesday winner! 

Win it Wednesday: The Wrong Way Home

Every Wednesday we will give away a new book. For a chance to win, just fill out the form at the bottom of the page and you'll be entered into a drawing. The drawing will run from Wednesday through 11:59 PM Sunday. Winners will be announced on Mondays. (Note: you must be a Fresno County resident to be eligible for Win it Wednesdays.)

The Wrong Way Home

By Kate O'Shaughnessy

Fern’s lived at the Ranch, an off-the-grid, sustainable community in upstate New York, since she was six. The work is hard, but Fern admires the Ranch's leader, Dr. Ben. So when Fern’s mother sneaks them away in the middle of the night and says Dr. Ben is dangerous, Fern doesn't believe it. She wants desperately to go back, but her mom just keeps driving.

Suddenly thrust into the treacherous, toxic, outside world, Fern can think only of how to get home. She has a plan, but it will take time. As that time goes by, though, Fern realizes there are things she will miss from this place—the library, a friend from school, the ocean—and there are things she learned at the Ranch that are just...not true.

Now Fern will have to decide. How much is she willing to give up to return to the Ranch? Should she trust Dr. Ben’s vision for her life? Or listen to the growing feeling that she can live by her own rules?

Congrats, Ajooni G.! You're this week's Win-it-Wednesday winner!

Monthly Early Literacy Activities Calendars: July

Read Across America: July-Cultivate Compasion

The theme for July is Cultivate Compasion: Help students bring empathy and compassion to all the ways they collaborate.

Here are the recommended books for the month. Find discussion questions and more resources on their website.

Elementary: Cesaria Feels the Beat

by Denise Rosario Adusei

Middle Grade: Shiny Misfits

by Maysoon Zayid

Young Adult: The Deep Dark

by Anna Sortino

Win it Wednesday: Peek-a-Boo Haiku

Every Wednesday we will give away a new book. For a chance to win, just fill out the form at the bottom of the page and you'll be entered into a drawing. The drawing will run from Wednesday through 11:59 PM Sunday. Winners will be announced on Mondays. (Note: you must be a Fresno County resident to be eligible for Win it Wednesdays.)

Peek-a-Boo Haiku

By Danna Smith

Warm breezes blowing,

pond open for summer fun—

slip, slide, belly ride!

(Peek-a-boo, OTTER!)

Each haiku in this lift-the-flap board book will have readers guessing the animal it describes—with the answer revealed under a flap on each page! With lovely text, sweet illustrations, and cute creatures, this lyrical and interactive book is a joy to read!

Congrats, Diana H.! You're this week's Win-it-Wednesday winner!

Win it Wednesday: Isabel in Bloom

Every Wednesday we will give away a new book. For a chance to win, just fill out the form at the bottom of the page and you'll be entered into a drawing. The drawing will run from Wednesday through 11:59 PM Sunday. Winners will be announced on Mondays. (Note: you must be a Fresno County resident to be eligible for Win it Wednesdays.) 

Isabel in Bloom

By Mae Respicio

Twelve-year-old Isabel is the new kid in her San Francisco middle school. It’s the first time in many years that she’ll be living with her mother again. Mama's job in the US allowed Isabel and her grandparents to live more comfortably in the Philippines, but now Isabel doesn't really know her own mother anymore.

Making new friends in a new city, a new country, is hard, but joining the gardening and cooking club at school means Isabel will begin to find her way, and maybe she too, will begin to bloom.

In this beautifully rendered novel-in-verse, Mae Respicio explores how growth can take many forms, offering both the challenges and joy of new beginnings.

Congrats, Tanya R.! You're this week's Win-it-Wednesday winner!