Children's Room News
The Rivertowns Chamber of Commerce to Honor Libraries
The Dobbs Ferry Library is proud to be part of the Rivertowns Chamber of Commerce’s Inaugural Gala,which will honor the four Rivertowns libraries.
The theme, Readers to Leaders, celebrates the role we play as “pillars of shared community learning”.
Sign Up For Summer Reading!
Kids, teens, and adults are invited to sign up for our summer reading challenge! Keep track of your reading progress and earn prizes between Wednesday, June 18th, and Friday, August 15th. Sign up for the kids’ challenge in the Children’s Room, the teen challenge using this linked form, and the adult challenge at the front desk.
Upcoming Programs
Lego Club in the Children’s Room
Friday, July 11
3:30 pm - 4:45 pm
Ages 3 +
Use your imagination to build something special with our giant stash of LEGOS!
Fridays all month long.
Take & Make Craft Kits for Kids: Flamingos – Limited Supply / First-come First-served
Saturday, July 12
All Day
Ages 3 and up.
Pick up a kit containing a craft that you can do at home. Supplies are limited — first come, first served!
This Week’s Craft – Flamingos
Paws for Reading (Registration) **CANCELLED** Buddy will be back August 9th
Saturday, July 12
12:00 pm - 1:00 pm
**CANCELLED** Buddy will be back Saturday August 9th
All Ages welcome.
Children read one-on-one with Buddy, a specially trained Reading Education Assistance Dog (R.E.A.D.) and his handler, Dobbs Ferry resident Marty Kanengiser. Children will select a book to read to Buddy before the program begins, and they will spend 10-15 minutes reading aloud. They are also welcome to ask questions about Buddy, a 12-year-old rescued black lab who loves children, other dogs, and reading.
Registration REQUIRED — email childrens@dobbsferrylibrary.
Add to our Community Mural in the Community Room
Sunday, July 13
All Day
Thirty two kids of all ages created this mural in collaboration with Scribble Art Workshop to mark the beginning of the Summer Reading Challenge. Use the tools on the table to add your piece.
Rules:
- Be cool, not offensive
- Be respectful to other’s art
- Be clean!
Children’s 2025 Summer Reading Game
Sunday, July 13
All Day
Summer Reading is June 18 through August 15!
This year’s theme is Color Our World!
Every year, the Dobbs Ferry Library joins libraries around the world encouraging kids to read during their school break. Kids ages 3 to 12 are eligible for our children’s summer reading game. Kids below the age of 3 are encouraged to sign up for our 1000 Books Before Kindergarten challenge.
How to Sign Up
Visit the Children’s Room (or the front desk, if the librarian isn’t there) to sign up for the Summer Reading Game. Receive a folder with everything you need to get started: reading logs, stickers, booklists, bookmarks, and more!
I have a question and/or I need help! Who should I contact?
Stop by the children’s room Monday-Friday to speak to Ms. Gina, call (914) 693-6615, or email her at childrens@dobbsferrylibrary.org.
For more info and a full list of programs, check out our website here!
Online Resources
| Comics Plus is provided by Westchester Library System. Access graphic novels for all ages from 80 publishers for free with your library card!
Click here to get started |
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Indigenous peoples are often overlooked by the dominant forces in contemporary American society. They’re a vital part of our past, but also of our present and future. Springhurst librarian Lauren Rodriguez, Middle/High School media specialist Ellen Elsen, and K-8 literacy coordinator Michelle Yang-Kaczmarek have teamed up with Dobbs Ferry Public Library children’s librarian Gina Elbert and teen librarian Allee Manning to create the below resource list to help you dive deeper into indigenous literature for kindergarten through 12th grade. While it focuses on the indigenous peoples of the United States, it also contains a short section acknowledging native peoples of other countries in the Americas. These stories span contemporary life as well as historical fact and are part of a growing movement in publishing to better represent marginalized voices. Many are about Native Americans of the continental United States, but Native Hawaiians and Alaskans appear too. This is a sampling of available resources and not an exhaustive list. If you would like help finding more, please contact your librarian(s).
Every year, from mid-September to mid-October, Americans recognize National Hispanic Heritage Month by honoring the culture, histories, and contributions of Americans whose ancestors came to the country from Spanish-speaking countries in Europe and the Americas. The first celebration took place during one week in mid-September of 1968, with the timeframe chosen to honor independence day celebrations in many Spanish-speaking countries, including Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua (all on September 15), Mexico (September 16), and Chile (September 18). In 1988, the celebration was expanded to last a month, from September 15-October 15 each year.
Springhurst Library Media Specialist Lauren Rodriguez, Middle/High School Library Media Specialist Ellen Elsen, and K-8 Literacy Coordinator Michelle Yang-Kaczmarek have teamed up with Dobbs Ferry Public Library Children’s Librarian Gina Elbert and Young Adult Librarian Allee Manning to create this resource list to help your families dive deeper into the contributions and culture of Latinx and Hispanic Americans.
AAPI Heritage Month recognizes the contributions and influences that Asian Americans and Pacific Islander Americans have made to the history, culture and achievements of the United States. This year, it is especially important to support, celebrate and advocate for the AAPI community who have been experiencing an increase in anti-Asian bias and violence. So this year’s theme is “Stop AAPI Hate: Solidarity, Community, and Celebration”. The month of May was chosen as a way to commemorate the first wave of Japanese immigrants to the United States on May 7, 1843 and to also mark the anniversary of the completion of the transcontinental railroad on May 10, 1869. The majority of the workers who laid the tracks were Chinese immigrants. It is important to remember that members of the AAPI community come from East Asia, South Asia, Southeast Asia, Western Asia, and the Pacific Islands of Melanesia, Micronesia and Polynesia. Each Asian country and Pacific Island nation has its own unique culture, language and traditions.
To celebrate this important community, Children’s Librarian Gina Elbert has collaborated with Springhurst Library Media Specialist Lauren Rodriguez, Dobbs Ferry Middle/High School Library Media Specialist Ellen Elsen, and Dobbs Ferry K-8 Literacy Coordinator Michelle Yang-Kaczmarek to make a resource list of books, social media accounts, and websites. Our hope is that these resources will help you to amplify, respect and make space for AAPI every single day, not just in May.