Check out our Bee & Butterfly Basecamp when you visit the library! Drop-in crafts, activities, and a seek'n'find game! Available all month long in the Children's Room! And don't forget to walk the Storywalk outside!
We are very excited to be a Free Comic Book Day giveaway site on May 4, 2024! We’ll be celebrating all day in the Riverfront Children's Department. Join us for free all-ages comics, available while supplies last.
All ages can enjoy learning how to use wire and tools to create a life-like figure. All materials will be provided in honor of the Yonkers Arts Weekend.
Disclaimer(s)
Free and open to public
It is assumed that all events are free and open to the general public. If admittance will be restricted in any way, that must be indicated on the application. The Library reserves the right to have staff and/or Board members in attendance even if the program is otherwise closed to the general public.
Parents must stay
Parents/Guardians must stay - this is not a drop-off program.
Storytime for young ones ages 2 and up with their accompanying grown up.
Disclaimer(s)
Children under 8
No person shall leave young children (ages eight and under) unattended anywhere on library premises. Parents or guardians are expected to look after their children while visiting the library with them.
Parents must stay
Parents/Guardians must stay - this is not a drop-off program.
Special guest Tati Sabrina reads and sings!
In-person at the Will Library for ages 0-5. Songs, Nursery Rhymes, finger plays, and stories. No registration.
The Child Development Institute at Sarah Lawrence College provides children opportunities to create their own play experiences out of recycled and found materials through Community Adventure Play Experiences, or CAPE.
News & Notes
No Missing Pieces: Autism Awareness Month at Yonkers Public Library
At Yonkers Public Library, we know that everyone has varying needs, in public spaces and in their private lives.
National Library Week: Things are Afoot
For this year's National Library Week, enjoy our first installment of: resources you might not have realized your library has!
Recommended Books For Kids
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White Fang
Jack London's adventure masterpiece is not only a vivid account of the Klondike gold rush and North American Indian life, but it is also an intriguing study of the effects different environments have on an individual. Celebrate the centennial anniversary of the classic tale of a wolf-dog who endures great cruelty before he comes to know human kindness.
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The Skin I'm In
Thirteen-year-old Maleeka, uncomfortable because her skin is extremely dark, meets a new teacher with a birthmark on her face and makes some discoveries about how to love who she is and what she looks like.
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The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
What would the genre of detective fiction be without the inimitable Sherlock Holmes? One can only speculate as to its state given the absence of its most famous character. "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes" was the first anthology of Sherlock Holmes stories and collected together the stories that were first serialized in "The Strand Magazine" between June 1891 and July 1892. The stories included in this reprint of that volume are as follows: "A Scandal in Bohemia", "The Red-Headed League", "A Case of Identity", "The Boscombe Valley Mystery", "The Five Orange Pips", "The Man with the Twisted Lip", "The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle", "The Adventure of the Speckled Band", "The Adventure of the Engineer's Thumb", "The Adventure of the Noble Bachelor", "The Adventure of the Beryl Coronet", and "The Adventure of the Copper Beeches". This edition is printed on premium acid-free paper.
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The Crossover
New York Times bestseller ∙ Newbery Medal Winner ∙Coretta Scott King Honor Award ∙2015 YALSA 2015 Top Ten Best Fiction for Young Adults∙ 2015 YALSA Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers ∙Publishers Weekly Best Book ∙ School Library Journal Best Book∙ Kirkus Best Book
"A beautifully measured novel of life and line."--The New York Times Book Review
"With a bolt of lightning on my kicks . . .The court is SIZZLING. My sweat is DRIZZLING. Stop all that quivering. Cuz tonight I'm delivering, " announces dread-locked, 12-year old Josh Bell. He and his twin brother Jordan are awesome on the court. But Josh has more than basketball in his blood, he's got mad beats, too, that tell his family's story in verse, in this fast and furious middle grade novel of family and brotherhood from Kwame Alexander.Josh and Jordan must come to grips with growing up on and off the court to realize breaking the rules comes at a terrible price, as their story's heart-stopping climax proves a game-changer for the entire family.
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The Devil's Arithmetic
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Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea
Retells the adventures of a French professor and his two companions as they sail above and below the world's oceans as prisoners on the fabulous electric submarine of the deranged Captain Nemo.
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Flipped
A classic he-said-she-said romantic comedy! This updated anniversary edition offers story-behind-the-story revelations from author Wendelin Van Draanen.
The first time she saw him, she flipped. The first time he saw her, he ran. That was the second grade, but not much has changed by the seventh. Juli says: “My Bryce. Still walking around with my first kiss.” He says: “It’s been six years of strategic avoidance and social discomfort.” But in the eighth grade everything gets turned upside down: just as Bryce is thinking that there’s maybe more to Juli than meets the eye, she’s thinking that he’s not quite all he seemed.
This is a classic romantic comedy of errors told in alternating chapters by two fresh, funny voices.
The updated anniversary edition contains 32 pages of extra backmatter: essays from Wendelin Van Draanen on her sources of inspiration, on the making of the movie of Flipped, on why she’ll never write a sequel, and a selection of the amazing fan mail she’s received.
Awards and accolades for Flipped:
SLJ Top 100 Children’s Novels of all time
IRA-CBC Children’s Choice
IRA Teacher’s Choice
Honor winner, Judy Lopez Memorial Award/WNBA
Winner of the California Young Reader Medal
“We flipped over this fantastic book, its gutsy girl Juli and its wise, wonderful ending.” — The Chicago Tribune
“Van Draanen has another winner in this eighth-grade ‘he-said, she-said’ romance. A fast, funny, egg-cellent winner.” — SLJ, Starred review
“With a charismatic leading lady kids will flip over, a compelling dynamic between the two narrators and a resonant ending, this novel is a great deal larger than the sum of its parts.” —Publishers Weekly, Starred review -
Wonder
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Millions of people have fallen in love with Auggie Pullman, an ordinary boy with an extraordinary face—who shows us that kindness brings us together no matter how far apart we are. Read the book that inspired the Choose Kind movement, a major motion picture, and the critically acclaimed graphic novel White Bird.
And don't miss R.J. Palacio's highly anticipated new novel, Pony, available now!
I won't describe what I look like. Whatever you're thinking, it's probably worse.
August Pullman was born with a facial difference that, up until now, has prevented him from going to a mainstream school. Starting 5th grade at Beecher Prep, he wants nothing more than to be treated as an ordinary kid—but his new classmates can’t get past Auggie’s extraordinary face. Beginning from Auggie’s point of view and expanding to include his classmates, his sister, her boyfriend, and others, the perspectives converge to form a portrait of one community’s struggle with empathy, compassion, and acceptance. In a world where bullying among young people is an epidemic, this is a refreshing new narrative full of heart and hope.
R.J. Palacio has called her debut novel “a meditation on kindness” —indeed, every reader will come away with a greater appreciation for the simple courage of friendship. Auggie is a hero to root for, a diamond in the rough who proves that you can’t blend in when you were born to stand out. -
Auma's Long Run
Auma is racing toward her dreams as fast as possible--but can she turn her back on her family when tragedy hits home? This acclaimed debut set in 1980s Kenya is a poignant story of loss, grief, and the power of resilience.
A track scholarship could put thirteen-year-old Auma one step closer to leaving her small village in Kenya. She is determined to become a doctor, and nothing--not her classmates, not her marrying age, and not the night runners who come by the house while she sleeps--will stop her.
But then a strange new sickness called AIDS starts ravaging the town, eventually spreading to her own father. How can she think of leaving when her mother and siblings need her? Determined Auma finds herself in a different kind of race: to find out if there's a cure and protect her family, all while keeping a hold on her dreams.
Based on the author's childhood in Kenya, Auma's story humanizes the AIDS epidemic and reveals hope amidst a devastating health crisis. Paperback edition includes a reading guide at the back! -
Inside Out and Back Again
Inside Out and Back Again is a New York Times bestseller, a Newbery Honor Book, and a winner of the National Book Award! Inspired by the author's childhood experience of fleeing Vietnam after the Fall of Saigon and immigrating to Alabama, this coming-of-age debut novel told in verse has been celebrated for its touching child's-eye view of family and immigration.
For all the ten years of her life, Hà has only known Saigon: the thrills of its markets, the joy of its traditions, and the warmth of her friends close by. But now the Vietnam War has reached her home. Hà and her family are forced to flee as Saigon falls, and they board a ship headed toward hope. In America, Hà discovers the foreign world of Alabama: the coldness of its strangers, the dullness of its food . . . and the strength of her very own family.
This moving story of one girl's year of change, dreams, grief, and healing received four starred reviews, including one from Kirkus which proclaimed it "enlightening, poignant, and unexpectedly funny." An author's note explains how and why Thanhha Lai translated her personal experiences into Hà's story.
Supports the Common Core State Standards
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When Stars are Scattered
Omar and his younger brother, Hassan, have spent most of their lives in Dadaab, a refugee camp in Kenya. Life is hard there : never enough food, achingly dull, and without access to the medical care Omar's nonverbal brother needs. So when Omar has the opportunity to go to school, he knows it might be a chance to change their future...but it would also mean leaving his brother, his only family member remaining, every day. Heartbreak, hope, and gentle humor exist together in this graphic novel about a childhood spent waiting, and a young man who is able to create a sense of family and home in the most difficult of settings. It's an intimate, important, unforgettable look at the day-to-day life of a refugee, as told to New York Times bestselling author/artist Victoria Jamieson by Omar Mohamed, the Somali man who lived the story and went on to help so many other refugees. --
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Ojiichan’s Gift
A heartwarming story about the relationship between a girl and her grandfather. When Mayumi was born, her grandfather built her a garden. It had no flowers or vegetables in it. Instead, Ojiichan made it out of stones: “big ones, little ones and ones in-between.” Every summer, Mayumi visits her grandfather in Japan, and they tend the garden together. Raking the gravel is her favorite part. But then one summer, everything changes. Ojiichan has grown too old to care for his home and the garden. He has to move. Can Mayumi find a way to keep the memory of their garden alive? Children will be moved by Mayumi’s devotion and ingenuity.
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The Trumpet of the Swan
Swan Song
Like the rest of his family, Louis is a trumpeter swan. But unlike his four brothers and sisters, Louis can't trumpet joyfully. In fact, he can't even make a sound. And since he can't trumpet his love, the beautiful swan Serena pays absolutely no attention to him.
Louis tries everything he can think of to win Serena's affection -- he even goes to school to learn to read and write. But nothing seems to work. Then his father steals him a real brass trumpet. Is a musical instrument the key to winning Louis his love?
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Charlotte's Web Read-Aloud Edition
In his classic and beloved novel, E. B. White tells the memorable story of Wilbur, a little pig who becomes famous with the help of his clever friend Charlotte and their chatty animal neighbors. As the runt of the litter, Wilbur struggles to survive from the very beginning. Fern fights her father, Mr. Arable, to raise Wilbur and nurse him to health. Fern succeeds and Wilbur moves to the Zuckerman farm, where he learns the true meaning of friendship from the wise grey spider Charlotte. When it becomes apparent that Wilbur is being well fed for a reason, Charlotte and Wilbur are determined to foil Mr. Zuckerman's plans. With the help of Charlotte and her "terrific" webs, Templeton the rat, and other colorful barnyard friends, Wilbur becomes the prizewinning pig of the County Fair and the most famous pig ever.
Lessons of friendship, loyalty, and truth bind this story together and show readers that friends come in all shapes and sizes.
Illustrations by the artist Garth Williams bring to life these lovable characters. He is also the illustrator of E. B. White's Stuart Little.
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Stuart Little 60th Anniversary Edition
A hardcover edition of this treasured story, for which Garth Williams's original black-and-white line drawings for the jacket of Stuart Little have been colorized by the celebrated illustrator Rosemary Wells.
Stuart Little is no ordinary mouse. Born to a family of humans, he lives in New York City with his parents, his older brother George, and Snowbell the cat. Though he's shy and thoughtful, he's also a true lover of adventure.
Stuart's greatest adventure comes when his best friend, a beautiful little bird named Margalo, disappears from her nest. Determined to track her down, Stuart ventures away from home for the very first time in his life. He finds adventure aplenty. But will he find his friend?
Digital Resources
Biblioteca Tumblebooks
Biblioteca Tumblebooks tiene libros animados, con ilustraciones que hablan, para enseñar a losniños los placeres de la lectura en un formato que les encantará.
Britannica School
Brtiannica School offers encyclopedias and related materials for all grades (Pre-K-12) and all reading abilities.
Comics Plus
Comics Plus offers online digital graphic novels and comics available for free with your library card.
Elementary (Gale in Context)
Family Search
Freading
eBooks available in ePub and/or PDF format. Currently, it can be used with PCs, iDevices, Androids, Nooks, Sony Readers, Kobo readers, and Kindle Fire. Freading specializes in romance and children’s books.