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!
It's a bird, it's a plane! No, it's a list of picture books for kids in kindergarten to grade three all about things that fly.
Read more about "Things that fly"Scottie Grinton is a longtime Library member, a voracious reader who upped his visits when he became a father and started bringing his young son. Then in the mid ’90s, with his marriage on the rocks, the Library took on new meaning to him.“The Library deserves a bunch of credit for contributing to the saving of my sanity and my spirit,” he says.Scottie says he’s not the kind of guy that escapes to bars and clubs. Instead, the Library became his refuge.“It was a place I could go and feel safe and I could take time for myself, both in terms of escape, like reading fiction, and in terms of the sort of things I needed to keep my head on straight, like looking up counselling services,” he says.Scottie visited Nose Hill Library a few times a week. During those visits, Scottie remembers smiling Library staff who would always say hello. He found joy being in a comfortable place and devouring works of fiction. “There’s nothing safer than a book,” he says. Scottie gravitated to a diverse assortment of genres: cheesy spy thrillers, science fiction, classics he never read in high school (like Lord of the Flies), and summer reads.“I was lost,” he remembers. “When a marriage breaks down — even if a marriage ending is a good thing — your foundation is shaken up. I was looking for a place where I could feel emotionally safe and secure, and I found that at the Library.”Looking back now, Scottie says time, work, and creativity helped him get through a tough divorce. He also focused on being a good dad, and that meant lots of time spent reading with his son.In later years, when Scottie and his son moved to a south Calgary neighbourhood, the Giuffre Family Library (formerly Alexander Calhoun Library) became their home Library. “I really like this location because there’s an intimacy here,” he says.Scottie sees immense value in libraries, for being buildings full of books and resources, and welcoming places for people. “There’s such a need for community, for people coming together,” he says. He considers libraries valuable public spaces, quite unlike anywhere else in the city.Today, Scottie’s life is much different than it was in the ‘90s. He is happily remarried and works as a Realtor and a part-time actor. His wife, also a Realtor, is a writer with two books on the Library’s shelves.Now a grandpa, Scottie is proud that his three young grandchildren love reading. And Scottie still enjoys escaping into a good read; he loves plays, science fiction, mystery, and biographies, and is currently raving about The Essay.We want to know how the Library has made a difference in your life. Submit your own Library Story online.
Read more about "Stories ‘A Safe Place’ Scottie Grinton's Library Story helped him find hope during hard times"Indigenous languages have long been underrepresented in literature — especially in children's books. To honour the United Nations' International Year of Indigenous Languages in 2019, the Library worked with aspiring Treaty 7 writers to start changing that.
Read more about "Indigenous stories, written by Indigenous authors"Vanja is a Canadian illustrator, designer, and art educator known for her colourful and whimsical style. Her portfolio includes children's books and toys, public art, and commercial art. She teaches illustration workshops at her Kensington studio.
Read more about "Vanja Kragulj"Your free Calgary Public Library card is an important step in finding support in Calgary. At the Library, you can borrow books, movies, and music, use computers and Wi-Fi, print documents, attend programs to practise your English skills, and get connected to newcomer services agencies who can help you. It’s all free!
Read more about "Welcome to Canada and the Library"There are so many reasons to become a member Your Library card gives you free access to device borrowing, printing, creative spaces, and programs — not to mention our entire collection of books, movies and music. See what your free membership can do for you! Sign up online or at your closest Library location .
Read more about "There are so many reasons to become a member"Explore a rich collection of historical research databases including those related to First Nations and Indigenous peoples, as well as the Associated Press Collections, Smithsonian Collection Online, Archives of Human Sexuality and Gender, and Sabin Americana. You will find historical documents including books, manuscripts, photographs, newspapers, maps, magazines, and more.
Read more about "Discover a world-class collection of historical documents"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"Val Lawton is an illustrator who has worked on more than 30 books. Ever since she was a kid, she dreamed about becoming an artist — and credits Calgary Public Library with helping her get there.“I owe Calgary Public Library a great deal, as it was there that I did all my research, where I discovered who my favourite illustrators are, where I determined what my favourite illustration style is, and where I researched the business side of the children’s book publishing industry,” she says.That journey started in 2000, when Val was a stay-at-home mom of a toddler son and infant daughter. A friend of Val’s was secretly writing a book, which she sold to a New York City publisher. Val remembers feeling encouraged when her talented friend told her, “If I could draw like you, I’d be illustrating books.”It was the push she needed. Val decided to start pulling together an art portfolio and market herself as a children’s book illustrator. To do that, she spent hours and hours at the Giuffre Family Library (then known as the Alexander Calhoun Library), poring over the children’s book collection.Val took out books illustrated by Quentin Blake, Simon James, and Charlotte Voake, and used them for inspiration as she practiced her own art over and over again. (Quentin Blake, best known for illustrating books written by Roald Dahl, remains Val’s favourite illustrator.)During her kids’ naptime or after their bedtime, Val would draw. “You just have to slog away at it,” she says. “With those practice pieces, I would find some pieces that I thought were particularly good, and I’d put them in my portfolio. Then I learned how to start approaching publishers.”For that, she used the Children’s Writer’s & Illustrator’s Market book in the Library’s collection, a directory with hundreds of listings for publishers. “Slowly but surely, I got the odd job here, then something would snowball into something else,” she says.Val’s illustrations start with pencil outlines in scratchy, black India ink. She lets that sit overnight, then paints with watercolours. Val describes her style as whimsical but not saccharine. “I like not too much detail. Sometimes I’ll do faces that only have eyes. You have to sort of fill in the blank. It’s a relaxed kind of style, not too fussy.”That’s the style Val has long found herself drawn to in other books. “I like illustrations that aren’t too clean, aren’t too polished, leave a little bit up to the imagination,” she says. “I just found my kids seemed to gravitate to that style of illustration as well, so that’s always what’s appealed to me.”Val went on to work full-time as an illustrator, specializing in children’s books. Seeing her illustrations in published books feels “out of this world,” she says. “It’s very exciting.” Her work as an illustrator opened other doors, too, like working as an artist-educator in classrooms through the Royal Conservatory’s Learning Through the Arts program.As the publishing industry changes, Val increasingly works on self-published projects. She enjoys the connections it brings. “I get to work with the author, the person who has actually created the story, whereas in the traditional world of publishing I never meet the author,” she says.One of those self-publishing projects happened a few years ago, with the Calgary Food Bank. Val illustrated the book Emma and the Food Bank, of which proceeds support Calgary Food Bank services and programs. That led Val to her newest gig, a part-time role with the organization as Food Industry Coordinator. Val continues to illustrate part-time, and continues to be an avid and appreciative Library user.“I just think the public Library is the greatest resource on the planet,” she says. “It’s astounding what it does.”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 Greatest Resource on the Planet’ Val Lawton Library Story's helped her share her art with the world"Whether you’re looking to help develop your student’s literacy skills or simply foster a lifelong love of books, you’ve come to the right place. Check out our list of free eResources to help your child discover the magic of reading and writing as they learn new things, read about their interests, and follow the adventures of their favourite characters. Use your free Library membership to access these great apps and resources in the Digital Library. No Library card? No problem. Sign up for free online and start using it now. Beanstack Need some help finding great reading material? Beanstack has you covered. Get personalized reading recommendations for every member of the family, sent weekly to your inbox. eReading Room for Kids Visit the eReading Room for Kids to borrow children’s eBooks for free with your Library card. Read or listen to eBooks on your computer or take them with you on your mobile device with the free Libby app. Check out our One Week Loans for Beginning Readers. There’s no wait time, and you can have two early readers checked out at once. When you're done, just return them and check out two more. Bookflix Cuddle up and read with Bookflix! Find your favourite picture book classics paired with related non-fiction books for early readers. Read aloud together or watch and listen to an animated version of the picture book. Enhance reading comprehension with quizzes and puzzles after the story. Does your early reader love big trucks? Check out the Imagination section, where you can read or listen along to the picture book I Stink (about a smelly garbage truck) paired with a Mighty Machines book (about real garbage trucks). (Ages 6 – 8) Canadian Encyclopedia Read and learn about Canadian history and culture in the Canadian Encyclopedia. Search for a specific topic or browse more than 30,000 multimedia items, including images, maps, games, audio, and video. For help with essays on important Canadians, try reading the special collection on women in Canadian history in the Canadian Encyclopedia. These short articles tell the stories of Canadian women — including 47 Indigenous women — who paved the way in music, art, politics, sports, suffrage, and leadership. (Ages 9 – 12) Learning Express Learning Express is a database offering practice tests and tutorials for students in Grades 4 and up, including reading comprehension and math. There are also helpful career exploration resources for high school students considering their next steps after graduation. Kanopy Kids Kanopy is a free movie and TV streaming app with a section just for kids. Your child can watch their favourite cartoon characters and educational shows from any device. Love a good story? Visit the kids’ section of Kanopy to watch animated versions of your child’s favourite books with beloved characters like Pigeon, Scaredy Squirrel, and Curious George. (Ages 5–10) TumbleBook Library Listen and read along with animated story books for young children, their parents, and teachers in TumbleBook Library. Read-alongs are a wonderful way to help improve your child’s reading skills as they hear the story read to them and follow the text at the same time. Check out their cute and colourful read-alongs that are perfect for beginner readers. (Ages 5 – 7) Older kids can enjoy read-alongs too! Browse a selection of chapter books that your older child will love, or check out their collection of read-along children’s classics like Anne of Green Gables.
Read more about "Stories Reading and Writing eResources for ages 5 – 12"Frank O’Keeffe has lived all over the world, but no matter where he travels one thing never changes — how close he stays to his local library.“I’ve always gone to the library wherever I’ve lived. They are invaluable places in our communities, and have always brought such joy to my family,” he says. “We went to live in Australia for a year when our daughter was two, we even had a library card there as well.”Frank signed up for his first Calgary Public Library card about 50 years ago. Born in Dublin, Ireland, Frank immigrated to Canada when he was 19 years old. Memorial Park Library provided him with a place to visit during the day on his way to and from work.When Frank began university, the library became a place to find free resources on the Canadian history he was studying. He eventually became a teacher, passing on the love of learning libraries instilled in him to students and his own family.“My daughter got her first Library card when she was just a little girl. She was always wanting us to take her to Memorial Park Library and read books — new books, more books,” he says. “And it was so convenient, because you could borrow as many books as you liked.”An Accomplished AuthorFrank is more than just a lover of libraries, though; he’s also an author with books on library shelves, including eight young adult novels. His ninth book is Woodbine, an adult historical fiction novel that follows a young girl and her father as they travel from Paris across Africa in the 1890s, eventually visiting Ireland as the First World War breaks out.Frank says this most recent novel, published in August 2018, could not have crossed the finish line without the help of staff at Shawnessy Library.“Three of the ladies at Shawnessy Library — Olga Tanailova, Kirsten Pedersen, and Nelli Boutchev — were instrumental in that last book being published. Those three read my last manuscript as I was writing it. They helped me research it. I even acknowledged them in the book. It couldn’t have happened without their help.”As a retired teacher and avid history buff, Frank says he enjoys the opportunity writing gives him to inject a bit of realistic humour into everyday life, “because the world can always use more of that.” His next book, The Grand Getaway, set to be published this spring, focuses heavily on that aspect.“It starts with an old folks’ home, and a homeless man. One of the patients at the home is living with dementia, and she wants to go see the Grand Canyon one last time, because she went there when she was young on the back of a motorcycle. And so, this homeless man is accidentally let into the home one day and ends up sort of hiding out there, and the two of them form a sort of unlikely friendship that leads to adventure.”‘Chitchat and Good Company’The characters explore themes that hit particularly close to home for Frank. His wife Patricia was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s 10 years ago. As the couple has grown older and their family’s needs have changed, how they use the Library has changed too.“I certainly used to read a lot, but I don’t have as much time for it now. I try to keep as active as I can, but my life involves a lot of worrying about my wife these days. Helping care for her is the most important thing,” Frank says.The Library has become a part of Patricia and Frank’s weekly routine. On Fridays, Frank takes Patricia out from the care facility where she lives and the pair go to the ESL Coffee and Conversation program at Shawnessy Library, for some “chitchat and good company.” Once a newcomer to Canada himself, Frank empathizes with the people who attend the program.“Many of the folks I meet at the Library are immigrants, just like me,” he says. “As an older patron, what I get out of the Library now is companionship. I’m still pretty active, and I don’t have any health problems, but it can be hard to meet new people. The Library is an important means of communication for me.”We want to know how the Library has made a difference in your life. Submit your own Library Story online.
Read more about "Stories ‘Invaluable Places in Our Communities’ Frank O'Keeffe has been writing his Library Story for over 50 years"Indigenous languages have long been underrepresented in literature. In 2019, the Library worked with aspiring Treaty 7 writers and illustrators to help them create children's books in their traditional languages.
Read more about "Learn the original languages of this land"Eleven-year-old Esandi Babaranda loves Calgary’s libraries. She has been visiting libraries weekly for the past four years, ever since her family moved to Calgary from Vancouver.Esandi goes to Crowfoot Library, in the city’s northwest, most often. “It’s beautiful here,” she says.It’s hard for Esandi to pick her favourite thing about Crowfoot Library, because there is so much she likes to do.She enjoys reading, especially the Magic Tree House and Dragon Masters series. Her preferred reading nook at Crowfoot Library reminds her of the comfy leather couch she likes to read on at home.“I like that you can read quietly in those little cubicles,” Esandi says. “It’s my little secret hideout.” She also loves to play at the Library. “The best thing here is the family zone. I spend time with my brother, dad, and mom, making puzzles, playing on the play structures, and participating in Library activities,” she says. Esandi’s six-year-old brother Warun likes playing games on the play structure, joining Library programs, and reading books. Their father Lanka is also a big fan of libraries. Originally from Sri Lanka, he appreciates that Calgary’s libraries are about much more than books.“There’s tremendous opportunities here, for connecting with people, for joining programs,” he says. He has joined a Toastmasters club that meets at Crowfoot Library and taken online classes with Gale Courses.Esandi also gets weekly visits from the Library to her elementary school, thanks to the Book Truck. Esandi likes that she can return books she checked out from Crowfoot Library to the Book Truck, or sign out new books inside the mobile Library.Crowfoot Library is also a good place to study for school, Esandi says. Sometimes she studies at home using Solaro, an online Library resource that has course lessons, reviews, and practice tests. “It’s helped me lots,” she says.For Esandi, the Library is like a good friend. “I’m proud to be a friend of the Library,” she says.We want to know how the Library has made a difference in your life. Submit your own Library Story online.
Read more about "Stories ‘A Friend of the Library’ Esandi Babaranda explores everything a library can offer in her Library Story"Eleven-year-old Esandi Babaranda loves Calgary’s libraries. She has been visiting libraries weekly for the past four years, ever since her family moved to Calgary from Vancouver.Esandi goes to Crowfoot Library, in the city’s northwest, most often. “It’s beautiful here,” she says.It’s hard for Esandi to pick her favourite thing about Crowfoot Library, because there is so much she likes to do.She enjoys reading, especially the Magic Tree House and Dragon Masters series. Her preferred reading nook at Crowfoot Library reminds her of the comfy leather couch she likes to read on at home.“I like that you can read quietly in those little cubicles,” Esandi says. “It’s my little secret hideout.” She also loves to play at the Library. “The best thing here is the family zone. I spend time with my brother, dad, and mom, making puzzles, playing on the play structures, and participating in Library activities,” she says. Esandi’s six-year-old brother Warun likes playing games on the play structure, joining Library programs, and reading books. Their father Lanka is also a big fan of libraries. Originally from Sri Lanka, he appreciates that Calgary’s libraries are about much more than books.“There’s tremendous opportunities here, for connecting with people, for joining programs,” he says. He has joined a Toastmasters club that meets at Crowfoot Library and taken online classes with Gale Courses.Esandi also gets weekly visits from the Library to her elementary school, thanks to the Book Truck. Esandi likes that she can return books she checked out from Crowfoot Library to the Book Truck, or sign out new books inside the mobile Library.Crowfoot Library is also a good place to study for school, Esandi says. Sometimes she studies at home using Solaro, an online Library resource that has course lessons, reviews, and practice tests. “It’s helped me lots,” she says.For Esandi, the Library is like a good friend. “I’m proud to be a friend of the Library,” she says.We want to know how the Library has made a difference in your life. Submit your own Library Story online.
Read more about "Stories ‘A Friend of the Library’ Esandi Babaranda explores everything a library can offer in her Library Story"Rooms can be booked when the Library is open, up to 30 minutes before closing. Exceptions: Early access for bookings that start right when the Library opens is unavailable. Quarry Park Library's Program Room and Meeting Room 1 can be booked outside of Library hours, when the YMCA is open.
Read more about "Rooms can be booked when the Library is open, up to 30 minutes before closing."