More Than One Story
More Than One Story is a card game designed to build bridges between people of all ages, backgrounds and cultures. Our staff checked out some of the questions posed in…
Andy Serkis Reads Lord of the Rings
I've been a Lord of the Rings fan for years--in that I've seen the movies (extended editions!) at least half a dozen times, and I quote it often enough. But,…
Suma Vacation
Hello everyone! Suma the Puma here. I love being the beautiful face of the Westlake Porter Library's Youth Services department, but sometimes I wish for a little more adventure in…
The Classic of the Month: Don Quixote
Welcome to the Classic of the Month-- an ongoing series dedicated to putting the right classic into the hands of the right reader! This month, we're looking at a really…
Make a Jump Rope with Plastic Bags
plastic bag jump rope Let's be kind to our planet by thinking of ways to use less plastic and finding creative uses for the plastics that we already have. Making…
Libby, Hoopla, and ComicsPlus: Which Should I Use and When?
Westlake Porter Public Library has a whole host of excellent Download and Stream options. From ebooks to movies, we have a little something for everyone. But, sometimes with this much…
Folklore Fun! Indigenous Tales of North America
This post was updated in May 2026 to reflect WPPL’s current collection. I did a lot more reading than usual while I was prepping for this blog post. Until now,…
Egg Drop Challenge
The last two years saw the annual WPPL Egg Drop Challenge as a streamed event. This year, we are back in person and the splatters will be heard live in…
STEAM Week: Sand and Shells
My favorite place in the world has to be the beach. The warmth of the morning, the heat of the afternoon, and the cool of the night--it's always a lovely…
Spineless, Brainless, Beautiful, and Deadly: The World of the Jellyfish
If you ask me, the jellyfish is one of the most beautiful animals in nature. These gorgeous creatures, which do not possess brains, spines, or even eyes or ears, come…
Graphic Novels and the Fate of Literacy
Visit my webcomic, No Pizza After Midnight, for more fun comics! Don't make the same mistake I did! Check out all these great graphic novels: Bone, American Born Chinese, Robot…
The Sherlock Holmes Canon: A Celebration for Sherlock Holmes Day (May 22, 2022)
For the longest time, I've considered myself a Sherlock Holmes fan. But, until very recently (within the last two years or so) I would be forced to admit that I…
Fun and Ridiculous Adventures at Wayside School
Summer is almost here, and the last thing anyone wants to talk about is school. Summer is a time for relaxing, having fun, and forgetting all about getting up for…
Beautiful Portraits of Our Animal Friends
Whether they're our companions or something we watch in awe from afar, animals are such an important part of our lives (and such a fascinating topic of interest). The books…
A Small List of Giant Books
What is it about giants that capture our imaginations? Perhaps it's just that they're so big. There's something awe-inspiring, frightening, and exciting about a creature that is so much bigger…
Author Spotlight: Lewis Carroll
I still remember the illustrations from when I first read Alice in Wonderland. They were done in beautiful gouache, and the book was so big that I had to prop…
Using the NoveList Appeal Mixer
Today, let's talk about NoveList! This is one of my favorite databases offered at the library. It's a great resource for finding your next favorite read. From author, title, and…
Follow the Yellow Brick Road: The Complete Series of The Wizard of Oz books
I was a very avid reader as a child, and my grade school library had a lot of old books. So, I very quickly developed a passion for reading older…
What I’m Reading: March 2022
I don't know about you, but when it comes to books, it appears that my eyes are bigger than my stomach (or rather, my library bag is bigger than my…
Ichabod Crane and the Headless Horseman: The Legend of Sleepy Hollow Adaptations
If you've been reading my blog posts long enough, you'll know that I enjoy a good scary story, a good folktale, and a good classic. So, I guess it's a…
Seeing Double: Twenty-Two “Twos” Books for Tuesday, 2/22/2022
Today is February 22, 2022. It is also Tuesday. Which means, today is an excellent day for anyone whose favorite number is two, as it's two-two-two-two-two-two...you get the idea. So,…
Arawi’s Art of the Absurd: Nichijou, Helvetica Standard, & City
I read a lot of manga (Japanese comics) and there are a ton of different series that I just love to sink my proverbial teeth into. I tend to read…
What I’m Reading: February 2022
Last month, I gave you all a glimpse into what was on my to-read list for January. This month, I'd like to try that again. I have a lot of…
What I’m Reading: January 2022
It's the start of a new year, and already my resolution to only check out 5 books at a time has completely failed. If you're curious about some of the…