The Rowan County Public Library offers a wide selection of learning materials, books, DVDs, video games, and music for children from birth through age 12. We also provide a variety of programs and events especially for our littlest patrons!
View our upcoming kids’ programs in the calendar on this page, or visit our full calendar of events to view all of them!
Join Miss Jess for stories, songs, and activities especially for little ones! Intended for ages 6-35 months.
This program is designed for children and accompanying adults. Please plan to attend and be engaged with your child for the duration. Dropoffs will not be permitted.
Join Miss Jess for stories, songs, and activities just for kids! Intended for ages 3-5 years.
This program is designed for children and accompanying adults. Please plan to attend and be engaged with your child for the duration. Dropoffs will not be permitted.
Join Miss Sandy for magical stories and a special matching craft! Intended for ages 12 and under.
This program is designed for children and accompanying adults. Please plan to attend and be engaged with your child for the duration. Dropoffs will not be permitted.
Build something wonderful with Miss Sandy and Atlanta as we bring out the LEGO® bricks! Let your imagination come to life through castles, cities, spaceships, and more. We'll even put your creations on display so they inspire others to add something great to the world! Intended for ages 5-12.
This program is designed for children and accompanying adults. Please plan to attend and be engaged with your child for the duration. Dropoffs will not be permitted.
The library makes every effort to ensure our programs can be enjoyed by all. If you have any concerns about accessibility or need to request specific accommodations, please contact us ahead of the program or event date.
This program is designed for children and accompanying adults. Please plan to attend and be engaged with your child for the duration. Dropoffs will not be permitted.
We cannot guarantee that food served at this program has not come into contact with tree nuts, soy, or other allergens.
Join Miss Jess for stories, songs, and activities especially for little ones! Intended for ages 6-35 months.
This program is designed for children and accompanying adults. Please plan to attend and be engaged with your child for the duration. Dropoffs will not be permitted.
Join Miss Jess for stories, songs, and activities just for kids! Intended for ages 3-5 years.
This program is designed for children and accompanying adults. Please plan to attend and be engaged with your child for the duration. Dropoffs will not be permitted.
Join Miss Sandy for magical stories and a special matching craft! Intended for ages 12 and under.
This program is designed for children and accompanying adults. Please plan to attend and be engaged with your child for the duration. Dropoffs will not be permitted.
Join Miss Jess for stories, songs, and activities especially for little ones! Intended for ages 6-35 months.
This program is designed for children and accompanying adults. Please plan to attend and be engaged with your child for the duration. Dropoffs will not be permitted.
Little readers can learn about a vehicle they see every day while strengthening reading skill. Complete with colorful and fun photographs that match the text, a picture glossary, and a fun "Parts of an School Bus" page.
In the tradition of School’s First Day of School, debut author Keith Calabrese and Pura Belpré Award winner Juana Medina share a sweet, universal story about a clever little girl whose shoes are nervous about the first day of school.
Today is a big day! Today, Lena starts kindergarten. She is very excited. But there’s just one problem…
Lena’s shoes are nervous.
Lena doesn’t want to miss out on her first day of school, but she can’t go without her favorite shoes! How can she convince them to be brave?
From the best-selling author of the hugely popular Kindergarten, Here I Come!, here's a guidebook in verse that shows children how to be kind in the new and exciting world of kindergarten.
Small enough to fit in a child's backpack, this collection of short poems--one to a page--spans the entire year of kindergarten, offering sweet and simple tips on how to be your best self--sharing your umbrella with a friend; taking turns on the swings, and inviting someone to join in a game. This is the perfect companion to DJ Steinberg's enormously successful Kindergarten, Here I Come!
A New York Times bestseller!
A confident little boy takes pride in his first day of kindergarten, by the Newbery Honor-winning author of Crown.
The morning sun blares through your window like a million brass trumpets.It sits and shines behind your head--like a crown. Mommy says that today, you are going to be the King of Kindergarten!
Starting kindergarten is a big milestone--and the hero of this story is ready to make his mark! He's dressed himself, eaten a pile of pancakes, and can't wait to be part of a whole new kingdom of kids. The day will be jam-packed, but he's up to the challenge, taking new experiences in stride with his infectious enthusiasm! And afterward, he can't wait to tell his proud parents all about his achievements--and then wake up to start another day.
Newbery Honor-winning author Derrick Barnes's empowering story will give new kindergarteners a reassuring confidence boost, and Vanessa Brantley-Newton's illustrations exude joy.
Written by kindergarten teacher and Instagram influencer affectionately known as the Tutu Teacher, comes a picture book about a class that creates a kindness pledge to ensure that their class is the kindest it can possibly be.
It’s the first day of Kindergarten and Leo isn’t at all ready. Leo is a quiet kid and would prefer to stay home. Over the summer, his new teacher, Ms. Perry sent a letter asking her students to think about how to show kindness in school. She explained that they would be making a kindness pledge, and each student should bring one way to show kindness on the first day.
As it turns out, Leo’s classmates have lots of ideas about kindness: like raising your hand, never leaving anyone out, and apologizing if you hurt someone’s feelings. At the end of the first day, Ms. Perry asks if anyone witnessed something they’d like her to add to the kindness pledge? Lots of hands shoot up in the air. Several classmates say they noticed Leo returning crayons to the box, holding the door for everyone, and helping a friend who fell. Leo smiles as he realizes he really does know a lot about kindness after all.
A story reassuringly told by Vera Ahiyya and brought to exuberant life by illustrator Joey Chou, this story about a classroom coming together to make a kindergarten into a KINDergarten is sure to calm the nerves—and offer inspiration—to new kindergartners and the adults in their lives.
Join the call for a better world with this New York Times bestselling picture book about a school where diversity and inclusion are celebrated. The perfect back-to-school read for every kid, family and classroom!
In our classroom safe and sound.
Fears are lost and hope is found.
Discover a school where all young children have a place, have a space, and are loved and appreciated.
Readers will follow a group of children through a day in their school, where everyone is welcomed with open arms. A school where students from all backgrounds learn from and celebrate each other's traditions. A school that shows the world as we will make it to be.
“An important book that celebrates diversity and inclusion in a beautiful, age-appropriate way.” – Trudy Ludwig, author of The Invisible Boy
Elmo loves his teachers! They help make his community smarter, stronger, and kinder. Favorite Sesame Street Muppets invite you along to learn all about teachers in this friendly approach to key curricular content.
Ride along to school with the #1 New York Times best-selling Little Blue Truck and meet Blue's new friend: a bright yellow school bus. Beep-beep!
Little Blue Truck and his good friend Toad are excited to meet a bright yellow school bus on the road. They see all the little animals lined up in the school bus's many windows, and Blue wishes he could be a school bus too. What a fun job--but much too big for a little pickup like Blue. Or is it? When somebody misses the bus, it's up to Blue to get his friend to school on time. Beep! Beep! Vroom!
Also enjoy Blue's bedtime ride in Good Night, Little Blue Truck and his trip to the city in Little Blue Truck Leads the Way.
Why does the Pigeon have to go to school? He already knows everything! And what if he doesn't like it? What if the teacher doesn't like him? What if he learns TOO MUCH!?!
Ask not for whom the school bell rings; it rings for the Pigeon!
What would you do if a very large Ceratosaurus stomped into your classroom? And what if he student sitting next to you was a gigantic Silvisaurus--who decided to jump on top of his desk? Come along and join the fun as dinosaurs ride the bus, read their favourite books, and have fun on the playground with all their friends. Filled with entertaining details and familiar scenes, each illustration includes the name of the featured dinosaur hidden in the picture. Going to school has never been so much fun!
Pete the Cat is back—and this time he’s rocking in his school shoes. Pete discovers the library, the lunchroom, the playground, and lots of other cool places at school. And no matter where he goes, Pete never stops moving and grooving and singing his song . . . because it’s all good.
They can stand in line (sort of), use indoor voices (perhaps), and are capable of sharing (rumor has it), so the Click Clack critters are ready for school…but is school ready for them? A charming addition to the award-winning Click, Clack series from the New York Times bestselling and Caldecott winning team who brought you Click, Clack, Moo and Click, Clack, Surprise!
Farmer Brown has been invited to be a guest at the elementary school’s Farm Day! The animals excitedly practice their best classroom behavior: standing quietly in line, using their inside voices, and learning how to share. But then they find out that farm animals aren’t actually allowed in school (who knew they were considered a health code violation?!). Rules are rules, so Farmer Brown goes to school solo—or so he thinks…for while our favorite barnyard bunch don’t get high marks in rules, they do excel in disguise.
Join Mouse from If You Give a Mouse a Cookie as he hunts for his homework in a comic getting-ready-for-school adventure.
Mouse searches high and low for his homework, finding lots of other things in the process. Time for School, Mouse! teaches kids new words while celebrating the fun of going to school!
This lap edition is 10 1/2 x 10 1/2 inches, perfect for sharing with preschoolers, who will enjoy the simple introduction to school.
A Netflix Original series
From bestselling author and storyteller Anna Dewdney comes a back-to-school story featuring the beloved Llama Llama!
Summer days are getting shorter and it's almost time for the first day of school for Llama! But Llama Llama isn’t ready for summertime to end. It's been full of backyard camping, family picnics, and ice cream with friends. All he wants is for summer to go on forever! He’s anxious about his first day back at school but maybe, with some help from his friends and Mama Llama, going back to school will be fun after all!
With over 30 million copies in print, Anna Dewdney's New York Times bestselling Llama Llama books have provided hours of comfort with catchy rhymes, effortless rhythm, and adorable artwork.
Have some monstrous fun going back to school!
Celebrate the first day of school with hilarious, energetic monsters in Monsters Love School by author-illustrator Mike Austin.
Summer is over, and now it's time for the biggest adventure of all...Monster School! Join these colorful monsters as they go to school for the first time. Reading and writing and learning your monster history has never been so much fun!
Fans of Monsters Love Colors and others will love this exciting picture book.
Fancy Nancy is back in New York Times bestselling team Jane O'Connor and Robin Preiss Glasser's picture book series. Fancy Nancy loves fall—the fashion, the weather, and especially the colors of the leaves! As Fancy Nancy helps Mom and Dad rake the leaves outside in Fancy Nancy and the Fall Foliage, she gets a stupendous idea to do something unique with the most beautiful leaves she finds. Join Nancy as she celebrates the changing of the seasons in this storybook adventure—complete with a fabulous set of stickers!
From New York Times–bestselling author Deborah Diesen and illustrator Lucy Fleming, Hello, Fall! is a touching story of the autumn season.
Fall is here! Colorful leaves whisper to each other. Geese honk as they flock across the sky. Pumpkins listen patiently from their patch. The season announces itself in all sorts of ways—if you stop to say hello! A grandfather and his granddaughter welcome fall in this sweet, whimsical story about finding beauty and wonder in every moment.
In Weather in Fall, early readers will learn how the weather changes during the fall season. Vibrant, full-color photos and carefully leveled text will engage early readers as they discover how people adapt to changing weather conditions. A labeled diagram shows different temperatures on a thermometer, while a picture glossary reinforces new vocabulary. Children can learn more about fall weather online using our safe search engine that provides relevant, age-appropriate websites. Weather in Fall also features reading tips for teachers and parents, a table of contents, and an index. Weather in Fall is part of the What Happens in Fall? series.
In Animals in Fall, early readers will discover what animals do in fall to get ready for winter. Vibrant, full-color photos and carefully leveled text will engage beginning readers as they learn how animals adapt to changing seasons. A labeled diagram shows how an animal changes throughout the seasons, while a picture glossary reinforces new vocabulary. Children can learn more about animal behavior in fall using our safe search engine that provides relevant, age-appropriate websites. Animals in Fall also features reading tips for teachers and parents, a table of contents, and an index. Animals in Fall is part of Jump!'s What Happens in Fall? series.
A visually stunning book of outdoor activities and crafts that ties into the burgeoning interest in forest schools and "rewilding the child," with the aim of reconnecting children to nature and the outdoors. Focusing on fall, this beautifully illustrated and informative book provides a resource of inspiration for families, designed to spark children's imagination. While all crafts and activities are designed to be carried out outside, these are interspersed with factual pages about forest flora and fauna, which can be enjoyed at home or used as a field guide while out and about. With crafts, activities and outdoor exploration there is always with something new to see and learn about.
Carefully leveled text and fresh, vibrant photos engage young readers in learning about the changes and adaptations fall brings. Age-appropriate critical thinking questions and a photo glossary help build nonfiction learning skills.
Persistence and creativity can lead to amazing things, as Leif the leaf discovers in this lovely storybook from Allison Sweet Grant and Adam Grant, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Originals.
Leif is a leaf. A worried leaf. It is autumn, and Leif is afraid to fall. "All leaves fall in the fall," say the other leaves. But Leif is determined to find a different way down, and with his friend Laurel, he uses the resources around him to create a net, a kite, a parachute in hopes of softening his landing. The clock is ticking, the wind is blowing. What will happen when a gust of wind pulls Leif from his branch?
In a culture that prizes achievement, kids are often afraid to fail--failing to realize that some of the very ideas that don't work are steps along the path to ones that will.
Bella loves the sights and sounds of fall--the crinkle-crackle of fallen leaves, the crunch of crisp, red apples, the honking and flapping of migrating geese. She wants the season to last forever. She also wants her fall coat--the one her Grams made especially for her--to last forever. But the coat is worn-out and too small. . . . With a snip and a whir, Grams makes sure Bella will be warm when the first snowflakes fall. And Bella finds a perfect use for her old favorite coat--on the first snowman of the season. Adorned with beautiful fall oranges, reds, and yellows, and sprinkled with fun sound words, this read-aloud will help families celebrate both fall and winter.
Readers can explore a harvest of bright colors on a tour of a farm filled with big orange pumpkins, shiny purple eggplants, juicy red apples, and lots more. Inviting rhymes describe the antics of a boy and his pets as they celebrate the fall season on a farm. Full color.
Ride the wind and drift east with Leaf Man in this autumnal classic by Caldecott Honor-winning author-illustrator Lois Ehlert, perfect for young readers returning to school in the fall.
Fall has come, the wind is gusting, and Leaf Man is on the move. Is he drifting east, over the marsh and ducks and geese? Or is he heading west, above the orchards, prairie meadows, and spotted cows?
No one's quite sure, but this much is certain: A Leaf Man's got to go where the wind blows.
Ehlert crafts each illustration out of actual fall leaves on every spread to reveal gorgeous landscapes. This playful and whimsical book celebrates the natural world and the rich imaginative life of children.
"It's the first day of autumn, and Pete the Cat isn't ready for the change of season... Until he discovers all the wonderful things about autumn. From pumpkin pie to corn mazes, hay rides, and apple picking, Pete enjoys the different delights that autumn brings. He realizes change may not be that bad after all, espeically if you experience it with family and friends." -- page 4 of cover.
As trees sway in the cool breeze, blue jays head south, and leaves change their colors, everyone knows--autumn is on its way!
Join a young girl as she takes a walk through forest and town, greeting all the signs of the coming season. In a series of conversations with every flower and creature and gust of wind, she says good-bye to summer and welcomes autumn.
“This exquisite picture book will inspire youngsters to get outdoors and observe the world around them.”—School Library Journal (starred review)
From Caldecott Medalist and Newbery Honor author Kevin Henkes and acclaimed painter Laura Dronzek, the bestselling and award-winning creators of Birds and When Spring Comes, In the Middle of Fall is perfect for the very youngest readers.
In the middle of fall, it takes only one gust of wind to turn the whole world yellow and red and orange. Caldecott Medalist and award-winning author Kevin Henkes’s striking text introduces basic concepts of language and the unique beauty of the fall season. Laura Dronzek’s expressive paintings illuminate pumpkins, apples, falling leaves, busy squirrels, and the transformation from colorful autumn to frosty winter.
Take babies and toddlers on an active, rhyming jaunt through changing seasons and falling leaves in this sweet board book.
Fuzzy squirrels, sly foxes, and little bunnies romp through the forest as the trees' leaves change from summery greens to amber fall colors and finally to the bare branches of early winter.
This board book will help children get excited for autumnal fun: collecting leaf after leaf, trips to the pumpkin patch, and cozying up as the weather changes.
Amber Hendricks' short expressive lines with repeated action words make this poem perfect for sharing with babies and toddlers, and Gavin Scott's warm, cozy illustrations encourage all ages to appreciate nature.
For fans of The Happy Pumpkin, The Very Hungry Caterpillar's First Fall, and Little Acorn.
