Singing goes hand-in-hand with reading aloud to a child as one of the five practices that help children get ready to read and write. Many authors have created engaging, beautiful and educational picture books that are also set to music.

Author/illustrator Jane Cabrera has published some wonderful versions of classic nursery rhymes like Old MacDonald Had A Farm, Ten in the Bed and The Wheels on the Bus.

Sandra Boynton has created original songs in her fun and entertaining books like Dog Train, which includes a CD.

Check out this list for more suggestions of books that will have you and your child singing together!

This article originally appeared in our Early Lit Bits eNewsletter. Read the most recent issue online or sign up to receive this monthly update highlighting early literacy tips and resources for parents and caregivers.

It’s a snow day for lots of kids in the area,
but KDL branches remain OPEN!
All programs will take place as scheduled.
Please drive carefully if you choose to visit us today.

Now there’s even more Mango to choose from! Our online language learning resource, Mango Languages, recently announced that they’ve added even more new languages to their program:

• Arabic (Egyptian)
• Arabic (Modern Standard)
• Romanian
• Swahili

Mango Languages is FREE to all KDL cardholders, and is an easy, effective way to learn to speak a foreign language. Courses are currently available in 49 foreign languages and 15 English as a Second Language (ESL) courses:

Once you’ve signed up for an account through KDL, you can even access Mango Languages on-the-go with free mobile apps for iOS and Android!

Watch the video below to see Mango Languages in action, then start using it today!

There is a heap of information and activities for young children to be found on the KDL website. The PLAY-GROW-READ! section of the KDL website can be found under the “Parents & Kids” tab.  There you will find a goldmine of “Printable Activities.”

From sequencing cards to puzzles to a rhyming game, there are many fun educational activities for young minds to explore. There are also some printable cutting pages that are great for developing fine motor skills. So the next time you are stuck inside on a rainy day, make sure to explore this great supply of early literacy activities created by KDL Youth Librarians!

Printable Rhyming Cards

This article originally appeared in our Early Lit Bits eNewsletter. Read the most recent issue online or sign up to receive this monthly update highlighting early literacy tips and resources for parents and caregivers.

Good news for eAudiobook lovers — HarperAudio titles are now available in MP3 format! This means that these eAudiobooks can now be downloaded directly to a much wider variety of devices, including Mac, iPhone and Android.

Popular HarperAudio authors include:

• Mary Kay Andrews
• Rob Bell
• Ray Bradbury
• Agatha Christie
• Beverly Cleary
• Neil Gaiman
• Eloisa James
• J.A. Jance
• Dennis Lehane
• C. S. Lewis
• Patricia MacLachlan (Sarah, Plain and Tall)
• Peggy Parish (Amelia Bedelia)
• Anne Patchett
• Katherine Paterson
• James Rollins
• Lynsay Sands
• L. J. Smith
• Kerrelyn Sparks
• Rebecca Wells

Visit http://ebooks.kdl.org and download one today!

Andrew Drew and Drew by Barney Saltzberg

This article originally appeared in our Early Lit Bits eNewsletter. Read the most recent issue online or sign up to receive this monthly update highlighting early literacy tips and resources for parents and caregivers.

All Kent District Library branches will be closed Monday, January 21 for an All Staff professional development day. We’re taking a day to make sure we’re the best library system we can be for all of our customers. Please pardon our absence, and we’ll all be back on Tuesday, January 22!

As you may have noticed, OverDrive has updated our eBook website (http://ebooks.kdl.org) to a whole new look! Since there are a number of changes, we’ve been highlighting some tips for navigating the new site here on the KDL blog. Here’s our topic today:

It doesn’t ask me to select a checkout period anymore — how do I change this?

In order to simplify the checkout process and reduce the required number of clicks, OverDrive now automatically selects the checkout period that is set in your individual account. You can set your default lending period to 7, 14, or 21 days  by logging into your account and clicking on Settings:

Note that based on user feedback of the new site, OverDrive does plan on adding back the option to choose your checkout period for each individual title at the time of checkout. We should see this option again within the next few weeks.

Learn more about the eBook website changes by reading the FAQ page, which also includes a helpful demo video.

Questions? Give us a call at 616-784-2007 or fill out the Support Request Form.

Happy Downloading!

As you may have noticed, OverDrive has updated our eBook website (http://ebooks.kdl.org) to a whole new look! Since there are a number of changes, we’ve been highlighting some tips for navigating the new site here on the KDL blog. Here’s our topic today:

All the big book covers are very pretty, but how do I tell if something is an eBook or an eAudiobook?

Look at the top right corner – it will have either a book icon or a headphone icon. In addition, if the icon is dark gray, it means that there are copies immediately available for checkout. If the icon is light gray, it means that all copies are currently checked out and you’ll have to place a hold: (Note that you’ll have to click on the book to go to the full details page to see exactly how many copies we own vs. how many are available.)

You can also use the new Filtering options to the left of any search results screen to narrow by format:

What is the bookmark for underneath the book covers?

Click on this to add the title to your Wish List.

Learn more about the eBook website changes by reading the FAQ page, which also includes a helpful demo video.

Questions? Give us a call at 616-784-2007 or fill out the Support Request Form.

Happy Downloading!

As you may have noticed, OverDrive has updated our eBook website (http://ebooks.kdl.org) to a whole new look! Since there are a number of changes, we’ve been highlighting some tips for navigating the new site here on the KDL blog. Here’s our topic today:

I love Inspirational Fiction, but I don’t see this category listed anymore — where did it go?

Inspirational Fiction is not one of OverDrive’s “standard” categories for eBooks and eAudiobooks, so they previously had added it as a custom category especially for KDL’s site. With all the recent updates, this custom category has not been integrated into the new site quite yet, although OverDrive is working on it.

Until they have finished added the category to the new site’s overall category menu, you can scroll down to the very bottom of the site and look for the purple “Inspirational Fiction Featured Collection” box. This will pull up a list of all of our Inspirational titles. You can also search individually for your favorite authors, such as Karen Kingsbury or Beverly Lewis.

Learn more about the eBook website changes by reading the FAQ page, which also includes a helpful demo video.

Questions? Give us a call at 616-784-2007 or fill out the Support Request Form.

Happy Downloading!