You can find books by searching the Library Catalogue. We also have staff recommendations and resources such as Novelist which can help you find the perfect read. Overdrive and the Overdrive APP Libby which offer a selection of eBook and eAudiobooks which you can access from home!
Wordfest’s fall Imaginairium festival is back. Check out their books!
Read more about "Wordfest 2023"These books will leave you feeling just a little more super.
Read more about "eBooks for Superhero Fans"We want to welcome them to school with a tote bag filled with Library books.
Read more about "Is your child entering kindergarten this year?"Help your child build phonological awareness by practice rhyming, alliteration, and assonance with these books.
Read more about "Learning Speech Sounds"Books for gay, straight, cis, trans, queer and questioning youth.
Read more about "Teen Pride"Celebrate the diversity of Indigenous cultures with books by First Nations, Métis and Inuit authors.
Read more about "Indigenous Stories for Middle-Grade Readers"The more reading a student does (whether it’s over the summer or during the school year), the more opportunity they have to build and strengthen their comprehension, vocabulary, critical thinking skills, background knowledge and efficiency. Research has shown that children without summer reading and learning support may lose one to three months of the reading skills they built in the previous school year. This, in addition to a disrupted and stressful school year, might leave families wondering, how can we keep reading and learning this summer, while still having fun?Join the Ultimate Summer ChallengeBlast off to free summer fun with the Ultimate Summer Challenge at Calgary Public Library. Kids ages 0 – 12 can reach reading milestones, complete activities, and attend free interactive online programs. Those ages 13 – 17 can join the Teen Takeover. Registration automatically enters you to win prizes that are out of this world! Tracking your progress online helps you earn badges and qualify for weekly prizes.Sign up for Ultimate Summer ChallengeRead aloudA great way to expose kids to books that are slightly outside their range is by reading more difficult books aloud. Generally, it is good for kids to read things at their independent level and be read to at a higher level because it helps to build vocabulary and helps makes the listener a better reader.Do something unexpectedRead in unexpected places and ways, like a tent or around the campfire. Switch roles and have kids read to you at their bedtime!ListenListening to audiobooks counts as reading too! Listening to books can be a great way to immerse yourself in a series and can make a long car trip fly by. Download kids audiobooks for free with your Library card in our Digital Library.Browse audiobooksRead before you watchRead the book before you watch the movie. Why not start a family book club this summer and invite grandparents who live far away to read the book too? Check out great online videos of Canadian author readings and illustrator demos from the Canadian Children’s Book Centre.Go to Canadian Children’s Book CentreShare through a book swapKids love to read recommendations from friends. This summer ask a group of friends to bring three to five titles over for a book swap. Kids will ask each other about the books and you'll naturally get the same kind of conversations that go on in the classroom.Get recommendations from the LibraryNeed new ideas? The Library is always a good place to start looking for children’s books. Check out our recommended reads for summer.See the listThis blog post is published as part of The Kitchen Table Classroom: A Series to Support Learning from Home, a partnership with Edmonton Public Library. Visit our website for information on the next live, online workshop in the series and for more tips and tools to support learning from home.
Read more about "Stories Top Tips for Reading and Learning All Summer Long The Kitchen Table Classroom: Slide into Summer"100L, H, 4.6…OMG! Understanding Reading Levels Did you know that the children’s collection at Calgary Public Library includes thousands of books? With so many options, it can be intimidating to choose books for your growing reader.One way to choose reading material is based on a book’s reading level. Reading levels are common in a school setting but can be confusing for caregivers wondering how reading levels apply to their child’s learning-to-read journey.What are reading levels?Schools may use a variety of leveling systems to help guide the book choices children make when reading. “Leveled readers” allow students to be challenged enough by the book that they are growing as readers, but not so challenged that they have lost all meaning and enjoyment from it. Books organized by reading levels are a classroom tool, meant for schools and the school market. In some cases, leveled-readers series can only be purchased by schools and the rights are not available for public libraries.Using leveled readers is just one way for students to experience books and to support the learning-to-read journey. Reading levels do not always align with a child’s age or ensure that a reader at that level will be personally interested in the topic.“A level is a teacher’s tool, not a child’s label.” (Fountas and Pinnell) There are several reading level book series you may come across, including these common systems:Fountas and Pinnell is one of the most widely used leveled reader series in the classroom. This publisher assesses the text of a book on criteria including word count, high frequency words, and sentence complexity. There are 27 Fountas and Pinnell reading levels.The Accelerated Reader (or AR) program was developed by Renaissance Learning, Inc. and uses quizzes to assess a reader’s skill. Their system of leveling books is called the ATOS® reading formula, which evaluates the text of a book based on average sentence length, average word length, vocabulary grade level, and number of words in the book. ATOS levels are numerical — the lower the ATOS® score, the easier the text should be.The Lexile Framework measures both an individual’s reading ability and a text’s readability. The Lexile levels are based on reading comprehension tests taken by students across the United States. The Lexile ranges change when new test scores are reported. Generally, the lower the number, the simpler the text. The letters before the Lexile numbers are “Lexile codes,” two-letter designations to give more information about the book. For example, AD stands for Adult-Directed, which is for books meant to be read to children by an adult.Publisher leveled readers are usually a series of books with their own system of leveling that vary from publisher to publisher. These books can be purchased at a bookstore or found at the Library and may also be used in a classroom. At Calgary Public Library, these books are called “X Books” or “Easy Readers.” For example, HarperCollins produces the popular “I Can Read!” series, which has six levels. The title Batman: Dino Dilemma is a level 2 reader, which the publisher says is geared towards kids who can read on their own but still need a little help.Should I use reading levels at home?While it may be helpful to understand what reading levels mean, recent best practice in education and public libraries is to focus on fostering a love for reading first. Children learn to love reading when they are allowed to read what they want and families read together often in English and/or in their home language. Public libraries have books published in a wide range of world languages.Reading above or below the level that corresponds with the student’s grade or age is fine and often encouraged. A reader may be drawn to a challenging or “stretch” book if it’s about a particular topic that they enjoy. This is a great workout for their reading brain and an opportunity to share a good book together. A reader may also find it enjoyable and relaxing to read a book that is easier and familiar. Building positive associations with reading can help a child become a reader for life.Tip to Try When Choosing A New Book:Have your child choose a book that they will enjoy. Invite them to read the second page. Together, hold up a finger for each word they are not sure of or do not know. If there are five or more words they did not know, consider an easier book. If your child needs support to help them become a stronger reader, consult an education professional.Where should I start?The Library’s children’s collection complements kids that are learning to read and aims to support them by encouraging a love of reading. While the X Book or “Easy Reader” collection is targeted for kids learning to read, there are other collections that children enjoy, such as Z picture books, audio books, and nonfiction. Choose books with high interest characters, great illustrations, and humour to help keep readers engaged. An interested reader who is having fun is more likely to keep reading.The most important thing to do is to encourage any reading. All reading is good reading, whether fiction, nonfiction, comic books, chapter books, audio books, or picture books. Library staff are happy to help recommend amazing stories that are a great fit for your growing reader, whether in print or digital format. See a list of staff recommendations of Easy Readers for every reader.Easy readers and other collections are also available in digital format through OverDrive and TumbleBook Library, with audio options and accessibility features. Exploring a variety of formats helps children experience the joy of reading in different ways.Additional Resources:Reading Rockets Scholastic Family Literacy Brochure from the Calgary Board of Education This blog post is published as part of The Kitchen Table Classroom: A Series to Support Learning from Home, a partnership with Edmonton Public Library. Visit our Programs page to register for the next live online workshop in the series, coming up in January.
Read more about "Stories"When Susan Calder’s husband was transferred to Calgary for work in 1996, she was happy to make the move with her young family. But, unfamiliar with her new city, she struggled to find reasons to get out of the house.“I wasn’t working when we first moved here — I was just writing, and spending time with the kids. So I really needed something to keep me active, keep me social,” she says.Her solution came during a trip to Fish Creek Library, when she picked up a copy of the Library’s program guide and noticed a listing for a book club. “I’d never been in a book club before, but I’d always been interested in the concept. It seemed the logical thing to do as a book lover,” she says.Susan fell in love with the club immediately. Not only did it give her a way to make new friends in Calgary, but she discovered that the group was full of people who shared her interest in and love of stories. They offered her a different way of looking at the written word, which helped her to improve her craft as an aspiring author.“It’s been incredibly useful to me as a writer,” she says, “because it’s a look at writing from the reader’s perspective. I can see how almost no book is loved by everybody — no matter how well written. You start to understand that it's really all a matter of taste, and you feel a lot better when people don’t like your work.”At 23 years, Susan is one of the longest-attending members of the book club. While her book club has since become too popular to accept new members, the Library offers other book discussion groups. “What’s really nice about the group is that we often disagree heartily, but there’s never any ill-will about it,” she says of her tight-knit reading community. “We respect each other, and the divergence of opinions is quite lovely. People come away with a bit more of an appreciation for the book, and each other's point of view. You feel like you’ve stretched a bit, and grown, for having read outside of your comfort zone."A New Book Club MemberLittle did Susan realize that her passion for the club wasn’t going unnoticed. Although her husband was an avid reader, she never would have imagined him wanting to join a book club. It came as a total shock when, shortly after he retired in 2007, he asked her if he could tag along to a meeting. “I’d go out on book club day, come home and tell him about some of the discussions — the people, what they had to say. I didn’t really realize that all these years I had basically been selling the book club to him.” Unsure if her husband, who mostly read murder-mystery novels, would be on the same page as her literary-loving friends, Susan was hesitant to allow him to join her, but eventually, she gave in. Luckily for both Susan and her husband, her fears never materialized. Her husband has been a member of the club for over a decade now, even volunteering to lead discussions on the occasion that the group pursues a murder-mystery.“We don’t often talk about the books before the club meets, because we don’t want to influence each other’s opinions,” she says, “We’re able to approach it as individuals. But we do sometimes like to talk about them after, and it’s a social event as well, so it gives us something extra in common that we can do together.”More PossibilitiesThe Library is about much more than books for Susan and her family. “When we moved to Calgary, the opportunities just opened up. There were more possibilities for me to engage with the Library. There was more offered to me,” she says.Aside from attending her monthly book club, she also sharpens her writing skills with workshops and writing programs, attending several each month. She and her husband frequently borrow DVDs and CDs to watch movies and listen to music, and once attended Tech Mentors for three weeks in a row to get help fixing their computer.“Right now, we’re planning a trip to Italy,” she says, “so I’ve just taken out a series of audiobooks and things to try to learn a few essential words of Italian before we go.”Susan also likes to give back to the Library, and frequently shares her talents through panel discussions and readings of her work. Now an accomplished local author, Susan discussed her latest book, To Catch a Fox, in May at the Writing as Medicine program, and will discuss her contributions to the literary art exhibit Print(ed) Word: The Salon Series, which is displayed in the Central Library's TD Great Reading Room, in August.We want to know how the Library has made a difference in your life. Submit your own Library Story online.
Read more about "Stories 'The Opportunities Just Opened Up' A book club at the Library was the beginning of Susan Calder's Library Story"Three Ways to Celebrate Freedom to Read Week Even in 2018, books are still being challenged and facing formal attempts of removal from schools and libraries. Freedom to Read Week, running from Sunday, February 25 to Saturday, March 3, 2018, is an annual event encouraging Canadians to think about and reaffirm their commitment to intellectual freedom, which is guaranteed under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Here are three ways Calgarians can participate:1. Pick up a Challenged BookOn Monday, Feburary 26, Bill Ptacek, Calgary Public Library CEO, will launch Freedom to Read Week in Calgary by presenting Mayor Naheed Nenshi and City Council with a copy of This One Summer. Written by Mariko Tamaki and illustrated by her cousin Jillian Tamaki, the award-winning graphic novel is a coming of age story set in Ontario’s cottage country about two preteen friends.This One Summer was named the most challenged book in 2016 by the American Library Association. The book includes LGBT characters, drug use and profanity, and is considered sexually explicit with mature themes. School libraries in Florida and Minnesota have removed the book from shelves, a move protested by free-speech groups.2. Celebrate Rebel Readers On Monday, February 26, from 5:30 to 7 pm, join us for Freedom to Read Week activities at Memorial Park Library. Discover an assortment of “rebel” activities on the Main Floor, including banned books trivia and mugshots, readings from censored LGBTQ content by local drag queen royalty, and a curated collection of books and videos from the Calgary Outlink LGBTQ Library and Fairy Tales Presentation Society. Ages 16 and up. Doors open at 5 pm. The collection will be on display until Sunday, March 4.Then, from 7 to 8 pm, Wordfest, the Writers’ Guild of Alberta, and Calgary Public Library are teaming up to present a surprise, incendiary program on This One Summer. Head to the Second Floor for a discussion about the censorship and controversy surrounding Mariko Tamaki and Jillian Tamaki’s This One Summer. Anne Logan, of the website I’ve Read This, hosts the discussion.3. Flaunt Banned BooksShop the Calgary Public Library Foundation’s Library Store and flaunt banned books. Put a sock in censorship with banned books socks, pour your favourite hot drink into the banned books mug and watch as banned book titles begin to appear, stay warm with a banned books scarf, and brighten up your restricted reading section with a banned books matchbox set. Plus, every purchase through librarystore.ca supports the essential work of Calgary Public Library and enhances programs, services, and collections.
Read more about "Stories"2021 gave us some excellent books for youngsters under five. Check out our top picks!
Read more about "Top 10 Titles for Little Readers"Longer nights means ample time for moon gazing! Share the wonder of the night sky with these beautiful picture books.
Read more about "Harvest Moon"Get excited about this snowy season by cuddling close and diving into these delightful picture books.
Read more about "Wonderful Winter!"Get excited about this snowy season by cuddling close and diving into these delightful picture books.
Read more about "Wonderful Winter"Books on gardening, foraging, and cooking that celebrate traditional Indigenous foods.
Read more about "From the Land to the Table"