FORT MADISON - In honor of Dr. Seuss’ birthday on March 2, March has been designated as National Reading Month. Dr. Seuss, the pen name of Theodore Geisel, helped increase childhood literacy by creating picture and early reader books that were fun to read. He used rhythmic phrasing, imaginative pictures and even made-up words to catch and hold the attention of young readers. How can you celebrate National Reading Month? Here are a few ideas.
Set yourself a reading challenge. One option could be to challenge yourself to read 15 minutes a day for the whole month. Start a reading streak and see how long you can keep it going. If you need help tracking your reading, pick up a bookmark at the library or use the Beanstack app to track your reading. You can also join the Iditaread challenge.
Follow the Iditarod race from Anchorage to Nome and read one minute for every mile of the race, about 1,000 minutes or almost 17 hours. Following the traditional freight route to Nome, the race commemorates the role sled dogs have played in Alaskan history, including the 1925 serum run that brought lifesaving medication to Nome during a devastating diphtheria outbreak.
Explore the world through books. Find a work of fiction set in a place you’ve never gone or see what you can find in the non-fiction section. There are some great travel books in the 900s, along with history from around the world. You could even check out a travel guide and plan a vacation. In time, you could make that dream a reality.
Read the book that inspired a movie or tv show and then watch the movie or tv show. There are so many books that are being brought to the large, and small, screen these days, you have a lot of choices. I just added “A Man Called Ove” to my to-be-read list after watching “A Man Named Otto”. Want to read a book or watch a movie that we don’t have at the library? We may be able to borrow it from another library for you.
Community Calendar
We have begun adding community events to the online library calendar at https://FortMadisonEvents.org. Events are added to the calendar as they are submitted by community organizations using the form found here https://tinyurl.com/547jam3h. Does your group have an upcoming community event? Let us know by submitting it through the form. Most community events open to the public are eligible for inclusion in the community calendar.
March Into a New Series
Upcoming Events at the Fort Madison Public Library –
Book Giveaway – March 4, 10:00am-3:00pm - A book giveaway for kids and young adults from birth through high school seniors to celebrate National Reading Month. In addition to giving away books, we will have a balloon sculptor from 11-2, crafts and snacks and an escape room activity. Registration is strongly recommended for the escape room, though walk-ins will be allowed if there are available spots.
Pre-School/Toddler Story Hour –Wednesday morning at 10:30.
Hang Teen – Tuesday, 3:30-5:00 for ages 12-19, except for March 28.
Minecraft –3:30-5:00, all ages on Mondays.
Once Upon a Wednesday –Join us from 1:30-2:30 for a variety of adventures. March 1 will be a craft day and March 15 will be a St. Patrick’s Day craft. We will be playing Bingo on March 22 and have another game day on March 29.
Thursday Crafternoon –Thursday, 3:30-5:00, for ages 14-adult. This program is an opportunity to spend some time working on an in-depth project for the whole month.
All Booked Up! - The library's book discussion group meets on the first Thursday of the month at 1:30 p.m. On Thursday, March 2, we will be discussing "How the Word is Passed” by Clint Smith. April’s book will be “The Last Days of Café Leila” by Donia Bijan.
Cook the Book –March 14, at 6:00 pm, we will be sharing recipes selected from “ “Cook What You Have” by Christopher Kimball.
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