The Baby-Sitters Club Turns 40!
The Baby-Sitters Club is a series that brings back wonderful childhood nostalgia for me. There are many series in the books that follow 7 girls on their baby-sitting jobs, friendships,…
Celebrate America’s 250th Birthday With a Patriotic Read!
On Saturday, July 4th, 2026 the United States of America will be celebrating it's 250th Birthday. As our country celebrates this monumental Birthday it's important to look back at the…
Summer Library Challenge – Make a Stomp Rocket!
Explore the forces of flight and be a rocket scientist — with stuff you have at home!
Make a Red, White and Blue Dish to Share This Summer!
What is an Independence Day celebration without food? The USA’s national birthday party usually includes grilled burgers, hot dogs or maybe ribs – and other delectables. But for this year,…
Cat’s Picks! Look for Constellations
Friendly reminder: If you read this blog post or look for constellations in the night sky, it counts towards an activity badge for Summer Library Challenge. Make sure you go back to Beanstack or talk to a staff…
Share a Smile in Your Community with Dear Elders
Earlier this month, I wrote a blog post about one of my very favorite hobbies: letter writing. And today, I wanted to take that idea a step further and talk…
April is Card and Letter Writing Month!
One of my absolute favorite hobbies (ever since I was a little girl) was writing letters to friends and family. There was something so much fun about choosing a nice…
The 2026 Winter Olympics: Gold Medal Reads You’ll Want To Jump and Fall Right Into
This February marks the Winter Olympics in Milano Cortina, Italy from February 6-22, 2026. The Paralymics will be held in Italy from March 6-15, 2026. I always get so excited…
Celebrating Cover Artists
Can a book be judged by its cover? Well... yes. In fact, there is an entire industry of artists whose primary job is to convey something about the story within,…
31 Spine-Tingling Books I Want to Read This Halloween
I love Halloween time! Spooky stories, plastic pumpkins, scary skeletons...I love it all! And every year, I like to stock up on spooky books to help me get into the…
Andrew Lang’s Rainbow Fairy Books
There is nothing quite like settling in with a great collection of fairy tales. My colleague, Jessica, has written at length about the topic, and today, I'd like to throw…
STEAM Up Your Kitchen!
Science, technology, engineering, arts, and math - together, they make STEAM. And they also are important skills that you use in cooking. As a kid, I found science and math…
July Author Talks!
Every month, you can check out awesome author talks at your library! Thanks to our partnership with the Library Speaker's Consortium, readers of all ages can attend live webinars with…
Cat’s Picks! Pride Month!
June is "Pride Month"! This month is a celebration and acknowledgement of the history of folks in the LGBTQ+ community, their positive and lasting contributions to society, and acceptance of…
Cat’s Picks! Fan Convention Retrospective
Sunday afternoon, about 2PM. I enter the Doubletree Hotel in Westlake, people entering the building wearing big eye-catching costumes, and leaving with big brown bags heavy with loot. With a…
Classics Challenge: Children’s Classics
Hello, everyone and welcome to the next installment of the Classics Challenge! Now, just because these books are labelled as "children's literature", it doesn't mean that they couldn't also be…
Genre Journeys: Fairy Tales
When I was a child, there was nothing I enjoyed quite like reading fairytales. These stories of princesses and peasants and monsters and magic were so delightful to me, and…
My Favorite Reads 2024
I read a lot in a year. And I don't want to oversell it, but I'm talking at least 200-300 books in a wide variety of genres, age-levels, and styles.…
Eating the Rainbow is the New Black!
It seems that going to a Whole Foods, Plant-Based (WFPB) Diet is all the rage!So what does that mean? For some like myself, it means going vegan. For others, it…
My Favorite Books Ever
First, foremost, and forever, my answer is The Mysterious Benedict Society. When I first read this, I was just at the age where I started to notice how carelessly written some…
Monstrously Cute: Yokai Cats
My latest manga obsession is an adorable 4koma series that is super-easy to get into and sure to bring a smile to your face! Longtime readers of my blog posts…
Librarians in Books: Solvers of Mysteries, Savers of History, and Defenders of Information
Librarians aren't just found in libraries...they can be found as characters in many books! Begun in 1958 by the American Library Association (ALA), National Library Week is celebrated this year…
National Library Week: Libraries in the Movies
One of the many great things about Westlake Porter Library’s collection is its generous movie offerings. Let’s celebrate both National Library Week and WPPL’s movie collection with several entertaining movies…
The Classic of the Month: A Christmas Carol
Welcome to this month's Classic of the Month! Today, we're looking at an absolute classic of the Christmas season. The story in this book has been told and retold, again…