Dolly Parton's Imagination Library- Now in Fresno County

Free books for children under the age of 5! Sign your children up to receive a free book once a month until their 5th birthday. Visit lfcfresno.org/DPIL for more.

Win it Wednesday: Rez Dogs

Every Wednesday we will give away a new book. For a chance to win, just fill out the form at the bottom of the page and you'll be entered into a drawing. The drawing will run from Wednesday through 11:59 PM Sunday. Winners will be announced on Mondays. (Note: you must be a Fresno County resident to be eligible for Win it Wednesdays.)

Rez Dogs

By Joseph Bruchac

Malian loves spending time with her grandparents at their home on a Wabanaki reservation—she’s there for a visit when, suddenly, all travel shuts down. There’s a new virus making people sick, and Malian will have to stay with her grandparents for the duration.

Everyone is worried about the pandemic, but Malian knows how to keep her family safe: She protects her grandparents, and they protect her. She doesn’t go out to play with friends, she helps her grandparents use video chat, and she listens to and learns from their stories. And when Malsum, one of the dogs living on the rez, shows up at their door, Malian’s family knows that he’ll protect them too.

Told in verse inspired by oral storytelling, this novel about the COVID-19 pandemic highlights the ways in which Indigenous nations and communities cared for one another through plagues of the past, and how they keep caring for one another today.

Fill out this form for a chance to win our next Win it Wednesday! 

Win it Wednesday: We Move the World

Every Wednesday we will give away a new book. For a chance to win, just fill out the form at the bottom of the page and you'll be entered into a drawing. The drawing will run from Wednesday through 11:59 PM Sunday. Winners will be announced on Mondays. (Note: you must be a Fresno County resident to be eligible for Win it Wednesdays.)

We Move the World

By Kari Lavelle

Meet some of the world’s most beloved movers, shakers, scientists, activists, dreamers, and doers from the past and present who model what every childhood first can lead to! Neil Armstrong, Misty Copeland, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and more were once kids—they grew up to lead us to the moon, dance in the ballet, and break barriers.

From first steps to solving puzzles and learning the alphabet, all the small things are only the beginning: they can lead to future activism and innovation that just might change the world!

Congrats, Renae O.! You're this week's Win-it-Wednesday winner!

Win it Wednesday: Ahmed Aziz's Epic Year

Every Wednesday we will give away a new book. For a chance to win, just fill out the form at the bottom of the page and you'll be entered into a drawing. The drawing will run from Wednesday through 11:59 PM Sunday. Winners will be announced on Mondays. (Note: you must be a Fresno County resident to be eligible for Win it Wednesdays.)

Ahmed Aziz's Epic Year

By Nina Hamza

Ahmed Aziz is having an epic year—epically bad.

After his dad gets sick, the family moves from Hawaii to Minnesota for his dad’s treatment. Even though his dad grew up there, Ahmed can’t imagine a worse place to live. He’s one of the only brown kids in his school. And as a proud slacker, Ahmed doesn’t want to deal with expectations from his new teachers.

Ahmed surprises himself by actually reading the assigned books for his English class: Holes, Bridge to Terabithia, and From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler. Shockingly, he doesn’t hate them. Ahmed also starts learning about his uncle, who died before Ahmed was born.

Getting bits and pieces of his family’s history might be the one upside of the move, even as his dad’s health hangs in the balance and the school bully refuses to leave him alone. Will Ahmed ever warm to Minnesota?

Congrats, Rosa H.! You're this week's Win-it-Wednesday winner!

Write Your Own Story!

Beatrix Potter: "There is something delicious about writing the first words of a story. You never quite know where they'll take you."

You have probably read and told many stories. But have you ever sat down with a pencil and paper (or a computer and a keyboard) and written your own story?

It is fun to make up a story and tell it to family and friends. That is considered oral storytelling. For example, a lot of folk or fairy tales started as stories that were told out loud through generations and slowly changed through years. This is where we get stories like Snow White, King Arthur, Johnny Appleseed. Sometimes bedtime stories are told from parent to child and the child growing up and telling their child! Do you have a funny or dramatic story you like to tell? Have you considered writing it down?

The first part of writing a story is brainstorming. There are many ways to do this. One way is to story map. A story map is a tool that helps you understand the parts of a story. It shows you the characters (who is in the story), the setting (where and when the story happens), the plot (what happens in the story), the problem (what goes wrong), and the solution (how the problem is fixed).

There are different kinds of story maps. Some are simple and just show the beginning, middle, and end of the story. Others are more detailed and help you look at things like how the characters change or what the main idea of the story is.

Make an outline to plan out your story. Identify the main ideas you want to cover and list the details under each one. Is there a conflict? Arrange these points in the order you want to present them. This helps organize your thoughts and ensures your writing flows smoothly.

Write your opening! Hook in your readers with a cool idea or an interesting setting. Add dialogue that adds to the story as your characters interact. Include sensory elements- let your readers know what is happening around the characters. Are they inside a house or are they in a spaceship? Write an ending that resolves your story's conflict. Your readers want to know. Before you finish try reading out loud. It is a good way to help notice grammar errors. Make sure to edit your work. Nobody gets a story perfectly right the first time they write it, not even famous authors! 

Monthly Early Literacy Activities Calendar: March

Win it Wednesday: Beyoncé: Shine Your Light

Every Wednesday we will give away a new book. For a chance to win, just fill out the form at the bottom of the page and you'll be entered into a drawing. The drawing will run from Wednesday through 11:59 PM Sunday. Winners will be announced on Mondays. (Note: you must be a Fresno County resident to be eligible for Win it Wednesdays.)

Beyoncé: Shine Your Light

By Sarah Warren

Powerful text and beautiful illustrations make this dazzling picture book biography the perfect read for everyone ready to get in touch with and shine their inner light like Beyoncé.

Beyoncé is bold, talented, confident, and an inspiring voice and power to millions of people all around the world. This captivating picture book biography celebrates the icon's rise from a shy little girl to a world-famous superstar. Discover the story of Beyoncé as she finds her voice, through trials and triumphs, and understand that you, too, can shine your light like Beyoncé.

Congrats, Annelysee A.! You're this week's Win-it-Wednesday winner!