Families engage in challenging topics at Open Books, Open Minds...and have fun, too!

Presenter Crystal Elliott-O’Connor, MAT ECE, MDiv FCC, discusses the science of skin color with patrons at a Let's Learn Together program about racial literacy.

Librarian Sarah Jo talks with parents and educators about using picture books to talk with children about big topics at a Between the Lines event.

Find Let's Learn Together resources in the Youth Services Department.

Three generations create art together during Open Books Open Minds.

A young patron shows off the skin-colored paint he mixed at a Let's Learn Together Racial Literacy workshop. 

Presenter Crystal Elliott O'Connor shares family traditions and recipes with patrons at a Racial Literacy Family Workshop.

WPL and the McKenzie PTA partnered to host Dr. Courtney Wells and Lee Wells, authors of A Kids Book about Pronouns, as part of the Between the Lines parent-educator series. 

Youth Services librarians Eti and Sarah Jo discuss LGBTQIA+ representation in children's literature with children's bookseller Gus at a Between the Lines parent/educator event on Using Kids Books to Learn about Pride. 

In Art for Big Feelings, we read Don't Hug Doug (He Doesn't Like It) written by Carrie Finison with drawings by Daniel Wiseman. We made high-fivers and talked about personal space, consent, and alternative ways to show we like you. Don't Hug Doug celebrates the neurodiversity in our community with humor, sensitivity and a bit of practicality. 

In Art for Big Feelings, kids made their own sensory tools. We read My Parents Won't Stop Talking! by Emma Hunsinger and talked about what we can do to cope with unpredictable situations (like waiting). 

In Art for Big Feelings, we read Window Fishing by D.K. Dyson, and talked about how art can help us connect with others. 

During our Between the Lines event I Hate Politics: How to Explain to Kids (and Ourselves) why Civic Engagement Matters, we discussed how empathy builds foundations for political discourse and civic participation. Panelists included Village Board President Senta Plunkett, Library Board Secretary Maria Di Lorenzo, civics teacher Michael Pond, and League of Women Voters President Kirsten Stadheim.