Library News
We are all about holiday spirit at the library this December with our Holiday Happenings! Everyone in the family can put their detective skills to the test during “Character Quest” our scavenger-hunt-with-a-twist, which runs December 2-21 and will have one youth and one adult prize pack winner each week. We are giving the gift of fine forgiveness this year between December 16-23; simply stop by with your library card! Stop in every Monday December 2, 9, and 16 for a small surprise Take-and-Make craft available at checkout for both adults and youth. Support a staff wish by browsing our wish tree where you can take home an ornament in exchange for a donation. Is your sweet tooth calling? Give into the temptation by grabbing a candy cane from any of our three trees throughout the building. And don’t leave the library without stopping by the front desk for our Holiday Prize Wheel Extravaganza, where every visit between December 9-23 you go home with something new. Happy Holidays from the Portland District Library!
Brrrrrrr, baby, it’s cold outside! Winter is the perfect time to cuddle up with a blanket in your favorite reading spot for Portland District Library’s Winter Reading Program. Register the whole family for our all-ages program starting Saturday, December 21. Patrons can decide between using the virtual reading tracker Beanstack or picking up a traditional paper tracker at the library. Adult readers will be entered to win a grand prize for each badge they earn and then can collect a prize from the library after earning all five badges. Youth readers, ages 18 and under, will be competing for weekly prizes for each age group: Littles (ages 0-5), Middles (ages 6-12), and Teens (ages 13-18). Program will run until Saturday, February 1.
For the Love of Food
We’re kicking off the holiday season with a traditional cookie exchange. Bring a batch of your favorite festive cookies and a copy of the recipe to the Portland District Library on Wednesday, December 4 at 6:00 p.m. and share the taste of the season with other cookie loving folks!
Holiday Table Showstoppers
Do you make a magnificent fruitcake or a delicious appetizer every holiday season, but lack an appropriately festive serving dish for it? Solve that problem by making your own holiday platter out of beautiful old dishes on Monday, December 9 at 6:00 p.m. Registration is required, ages 15 and up.
Children’s and Teen
Tiny Tots
Choo-choo! Roar! Shhhhhh! Get ready to make some noise, Tiny Tots (ages 2 & under) and caregivers! This winter’s storytime session will be anything but quiet while we read, sing, and move our bodies to make all sorts of sounds. Raise a ruckus with Miss Eileen at the library every other Friday at 10:00 am starting January 3. Can’t make it to in-person storytime? Grab one of our monthly caregiver packets and follow along to our storytime videos to create sounds from your own living room! Register beginning Monday, December 16.
Book Cubs
5-4-3-2-1 BLAST OFF with Miss Jamie this winter during storytime! Book Cubs (ages 3-5) and their caregivers will explore planets, stars, astronauts, and aliens! Rocket into space at the library every other Wednesday at 10:00 am beginning January 8. Journey into our galaxy December through February from home by watching our storytime videos. Sign up for Take-and-Make bag supplies starting Monday, December 16.
Write On
Pick your project! Writers, ages 8-12, will get to choose their own project to work on during Write On!’s winter meetings. Curious about poetry? Want to find a penpal? Feeling crafty about cards? Want to create a comic strip? Always wanted to write a short story? Meetings will be Mondays from 6:00-7:30 pm December 16, January 20, and February 17. Sign up today at the Youth Desk!
Wintry Birds finds us using different materials to create a fun winter scene featuring brightly colored birds. Middles (ages 6-12) can stop by the Youth Desk starting Friday, December 13 for a Take-and-Make bag.
Do you have what it takes to be a warrior in this year’s Ionia County Battle of the Books? Read books, answer trivia questions, and have fun, all while competing against other teams. Registration starts on Thursday, January 2 for students in 4th & 5th grade. Sign up as a team of up to 4, or register individually – each team must be led by an adult or teen team leader. Read all 3 battle books and be one of the best at answering book trivia questions to take your team to the final battle between the Ionia County libraries in April. Information and registration sheets can be picked up at the Youth Desk and must be completed by Monday, February 3.
Teen Art Hour
Whether you are an expert sketch artist, a novice, or somewhere in between, PDL's Teen Art Hour has a December craft for you: Sketching Made Easy! Learn different sketching techniques to draw a picture of a lone wolf or a pair of majestic horses. Our Take-and-Make bags have everything you need. Grab yours at the Youth Desk beginning Monday, December 2. Space is limited to 15 teens, ages 13-18.
T.A.B.
Portland District Library's Teen Advisory Board, will have their first meeting of the winter quarter Tuesday, December 10 at 6:30 pm in the Quiet Study Room. We are working hard to put together a monthly YouTube newscast! To join the fun, register at the Youth Desk. We welcome all teens, ages 13-18.
