Youth Services

Babytime is Moving Inside!

Babytime is moving inside for the rest of the summer!

Between the UV rays, heat, humidity, and air quality, storytime attendees and Miss Hannah have decided to make the switch and hold Babytime in the Children’s Room. We’ll still meet on Wednesdays at 10:30am for songs, rhymes, scarves, and stories with Koko Koala.

While Babytime is intended for infants and pre-walkers, bigger kids are welcome as well, and they’re invited to bring a doll or stuffie along to use as their own baby!

Summer Reading for Teens: Books, Prizes, and Programs!

Easton students, find your school-assigned summer reading at the Ames Free Library! Oliver Ames High School students can find their books on the cart in the Teen Den, Southeastern Regional students can find their books on the display shelves outside the Teen Den, and Easton Middle School students can find their books in the Children’s Room. If ebooks or audiobooks are your thing, check Libby or Hoopla, where you can use your library card to check out your books in one of those formats.

Storytime Survey Results

The results of our recent Storytime Survey, meant to determine where storytime attendees would like Wiggleworms, Babytime, and Family Storytime to be held in the spring and summer, are in! Your voices came through loud and clear! Over 90% of attendees selected our outside garden space as the preferred location, citing sunshine, fresh air, and room to breathe as primary motivating factors. While we love our cozy window nook, we’re excited to greet a new season with open arms!

16th Annual Bruins PJ Drive

From February 1st through March 15th, 2023, the Boston Bruins, Cradles to Crayons, the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners, and Wonderfund came together for the 16th annual Pajama Drive. Every year, the drive collects donations of new pajamas for children living in low-income and homeless situations. It aims to ensure that all children in Massachusetts can get a warm night’s sleep so that they are rested for the day ahead of them. The goal for 2023 was 10,000 pairs of PJs.

Storytime: Here, There, and Everywhere

As the days grow longer, crocuses bloom, and the temperature slowly climbs, your friendly Children's Librarians are thinking about spring. Specifically, we're thinking about what the new season might mean for storytime.

Snow Slime!

Were you dreaming of a White Christmas but experienced a bitterly cold one instead? Are you dreading the snow and slush that the rest of this winter may have in store for us? Do you wish you could pick up a cloud and squish it?

Join the Hunt!

I spy with my little eye…something totally fun!

Did you know that the Children’s Room now offers themed Scavenger Hunts? You can find them in-room during the last week of every month. Decode a riddle by hunting for images posted around the room. If you need a helpful hint, ask the librarian for a clue! When you solve the puzzle, turn in your sheet for a small prize.

So far, we’ve asked:

He, She, They, & JK: A Pride Post

I have a complicated relationship with JK Growling – not with the bear herself, of course (she’s my BFF!), but with her name. First, a bit of history:

Nature Bingo Booklist: Rainbow

This Summer, families can "Read Beyond the Beaten Path" and play Nature Bingo! We have five themed bingo cards waiting for you in the Children's Room: Flora, Fauna, Sky, Water, and Rainbow. You can check off at least one square on each card by reading a book from the list on the back of your bingo sheet. This is the "Rainbow" list, which includes fun titles about the things you see when you look up.

Nature Bingo Booklist: Water

This Summer, families can "Read Beyond the Beaten Path" and play Nature Bingo! We have five themed bingo cards waiting for you in the Children's Room: Flora, Fauna, Sky, Water, and Rainbow. You can check off at least one square on each card by reading a book from the list on the back of your bingo sheet. This is the "Sky" list, which includes fun titles about the things you see when you look up.

Ames Free Library

"Where the Community Connects"