Tales to Tails: Read to a Dog!
2025-07-16 11:30 - 12:30 (America/New_York) | Whiting Library, 117 Main St., CHESTER, VT, 05143, United States
Come read to a furry friend! 🐶
Kids are invited to boost their reading confidence by reading aloud to a gentle, trained therapy dog named Orla. Our Tales to Tails program provides a calm, playful, and nonjudgmental space where young readers can practice their skills, build fluency, and enjoy the company of a four-legged listener.
Reading to a dog makes learning feel like play—which is essential to literacy development! Through play, children engage their imagination, build language skills, and gain the confidence they need to become lifelong readers.
Perfect for emerging and reluctant readers—because dogs make the best audience! 📖
Kathleen Karl, a registered therapy dog handler and seasoned educator with over 20 years of experience helping children become successful readers, will be on hand to support young participants. Kids are welcome to bring their own book or choose one from the library.
When: July 2 – August 2📖 Wednesdays from 11:30 AM – 12:30 PM📖 Fridays from 11:30 AM – 12:30 PM
🐾 Prefer a different time? Appointments are welcome! Contact Carrie to request a time that works for you—we’ll do our best to accommodate your schedule.
🔖 Reserve your reading time with Orla:Email Carrie King at youthlibrarian@whitinglibrary.org

Summer Unplugged - Thrive & Survive: A Guide for New England’s Predators & Prey
2025-07-16 13:00 - 13:45 | Whiting Library, 117 Main St., CHESTER, VT, 05143, United States
From silent flights to super senses and kooky camouflage, animals have evolved to survive in a competitive world. Using observation, hands-on examination of bio-facts (animal furs, feathers, bones, and more) and other engaging activities, participants will enjoy learning about the incredible physical and behavioral adaptations that animals use to thrive in their habitats!
The Nature Museum aims to engage and educate in order to spark a lifelong connection and responsibility to the natural world. Our vision is that we help all people be inspired to explore the wonder, science, and beauty of the natural world and to protect the regional and global ecology.
Thanks to the generous support from Great River Hydro, The Nature Museum is excited to once again bring free environmental education programming to public libraries throughout the Middle Connecticut River Valley and at the Bellows Falls Fish Ladder and Visitor Center during the summer of 2025.
These programs aim to be engaging and highlight topics related to the unique ecology and landscape of Northern New England. These programs are geared towards youth ages Pre-K through elementary grades, but all are welcome! Programs will be approximately 45 minutes long with dedicated time for a story reading and any nature related questions you may have for our expert educators. Library programs will be both outdoors whenever possible and indoors as needed depending on weather and location. Join us to unplug, discover, and learn!

Summer Flicks: Moana 2
2025-07-17 14:00 - 16:00
“Moana 2” reunites Moana and Maui three years later for an expansive new voyage alongside a crew of unlikely seafarers. After receiving an unexpected call from her wayfinding ancestors, Moana must journey to the far seas of Oceania and into dangerous, long-lost waters for an adventure unlike anything she’s ever faced.
Starring Auli’i Cravalho, Hualālai Chung, Dwayne Johnson, Rose Matafeo, David Fane.
Walt Disney Pictures, 2024, 100 minutes, Rated PG

Discerning the Truth with Marie Lu (9th-12th Grade)
2025-07-17 14:00 - 16:00 | Zoom Online
To register for this online event, visit https://libraryc.org/whitinglibrary/upcoming
Explore the intricate world of Legend with Marie Lu as she encourages readers to look beyond the surface and reveal hidden secrets. Explore the depths of deceit, battle for power, and the lengths characters will go to unmask the Truth.
Legend is a dystopian novel where two unlikely characters, June and Day, cross paths in search for the Truth. Can they set aside their differences and preconceptions for the greater good? Readers will devour Marie Lu’s words as they are challenged to think critically about the world around them and reminded to never judge a book by its cover. Register now for an event you don’t want to miss!
About the Author: Marie Lu is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Legend trilogy and The Young Elites trilogy. She graduated from the University of Southern California and jumped into the video game industry, working for Disney Interactive Studios as a Flash artist. Now a full-time writer, she spends her spare time reading, drawing, playing Assassin’s Creed, and getting stuck in traffic. She lives in Los Angeles, California (see above: traffic), with one husband, one Chihuahua mix, and two Pembroke Welsh corgis.

Teen Community Service Club
2025-07-17 18:00 - 19:00, 2025-07-24 18:00 - 19:00
Thursdays, July 3 through August 21 at 6 p.m.

Want to make a difference in your community and earn service hours?

Drop by one of our Community Service Club meetings!

Exclusively open to students aged 13+, the Community Service Club’s mission is to promote and grow library services for teens and others by:

Planning and running teen events at the library;
Recommending books, movies, music, manga, and magazines for the library;
Promoting library events and services within the community and in schools;
Encouraging expression by and for teens via the creation of displays, flyers, and booklists.

Tales to Tails: Read to a Dog!
2025-07-18 11:30 - 12:30, 2025-07-23 11:30 - 12:30, 2025-07-25 11:30 - 12:30, 2025-07-30 11:30 - 12:30, 2025-08-01 11:30 - 12:30 | Whiting Library, 117 Main St., CHESTER, VT, 05143, United States
Come read to a furry friend! 🐶
Kids are invited to boost their reading confidence by reading aloud to a gentle, trained therapy dog named Orla. Our Tales to Tails program provides a calm, playful, and nonjudgmental space where young readers can practice their skills, build fluency, and enjoy the company of a four-legged listener.
Reading to a dog makes learning feel like play—which is essential to literacy development! Through play, children engage their imagination, build language skills, and gain the confidence they need to become lifelong readers.
Perfect for emerging and reluctant readers—because dogs make the best audience! 📖
Kathleen Karl, a registered therapy dog handler and seasoned educator with over 20 years of experience helping children become successful readers, will be on hand to support young participants. Kids are welcome to bring their own book or choose one from the library.
When: July 2 – August 1📖 Wednesdays from 11:30 AM – 12:30 PM📖 Fridays from 11:30 AM – 12:30 PM
🐾 Prefer a different time? Appointments are welcome! Contact Carrie to request a time that works for you—we’ll do our best to accommodate your schedule.
🔖 Reserve your reading time with Orla:Email Carrie King at youthlibrarian@whitinglibrary.org

Drop-in Friday Crafternoon: Victoria Villasana Inspired Art
2025-07-18 13:00 - 16:00
Unleash the artist within! Join us for crafting and fun. We will provide refreshments, craft materials, coloring books, and colored pencils; you bring the conversation. If you want, bring a craft you are working on or try something new! This week’s featured activity is altering photos by blending photography and fiber arts! Explore the techniques of artist Victoria Villasana and learn how to use needle and thread to enhance a photograph. Discover how to transform a simple photo into a stunning, textured piece of art.

Playgroup for Wee Littles (0-5) & Caregivers
2025-07-22 10:00 - 11:30, 2025-07-29 10:00 - 11:30 | Whiting Library, 117 Main St., CHESTER, VT, 05143, United States
Whiting Library is home to a weekly playgroup for the Wee Littles (0-5 years old) and their caregivers on Tuesdays at 10 a.m. until 11:30 a.m. This is a free, fun and relaxed gathering where little kids play while their grown ups supervise and socialize.
No need to pre-register, simply drop in to the library Community Room. Stay as long or as little as you like. Geared towards Caregivers who want to find friendship and build connections in the greater wee little people (0-5 years old) community.
Fun & games, plus art & craft projects in the community room downstairs!
Everyone learns best through play! Contact our Youth Librarian, for more information via youthlibrarian@whitinglibrary.org or call 802-875-2277.

Story Time
2025-07-23 10:00 - 11:00 | Whiting Library, 117 Main St., CHESTER, VT, 05143, United States
Story Time is geared toward preschoolers, but all ages are welcome to join the fun! Each session runs from 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM, with approximately 15-30 minutes of focused storytime, where children will enjoy engaging stories, hand plays, music, and occasional new book previews from the library. The remaining time is free choice, allowing children to explore hands-on learning through play, crafts, and social interaction.
Whether listening to a story, making a craft, or engaging in imaginative play, kids are strengthening the skills they need for future reading success!
Look for us in the Community Room downstairs, or, if the weather is nice, we may be outside in the backyard.
Preregistration is appreciated but not required—drop-ins are always welcome! To sign up, call the library at 802-875-2277 or email Carrie at youthlibrarian@whitinglibrary.org.

Summer Unplugged - Fuzzy, Flying, & Misunderstood: Bats!
2025-07-23 13:00 - 13:45 | Whiting Library, 117 Main St., CHESTER, VT, 05143, United States
Bats often get a bad rap even though they’re incredibly important, and special, animals. Several species of these night-flying fuzzy mammals call New England home. Come join us to dispel bat myths and learn more about these misunderstood winged wonders. Explore bat biofacts, stick around for a bat story, and join the hunt in a special bat activity!
The Nature Museum aims to engage and educate in order to spark a lifelong connection and responsibility to the natural world. Our vision is that we help all people be inspired to explore the wonder, science, and beauty of the natural world and to protect the regional and global ecology.
Thanks to the generous support from Great River Hydro, The Nature Museum is excited to once again bring free environmental education programming to public libraries throughout the Middle Connecticut River Valley and at the Bellows Falls Fish Ladder and Visitor Center during the summer of 2025.
These programs aim to be engaging and highlight topics related to the unique ecology and landscape of Northern New England. These programs are geared towards youth ages Pre-K through elementary grades, but all are welcome! Programs will be approximately 45 minutes long with dedicated time for a story reading and any nature related questions you may have for our expert educators. Library programs will be both outdoors whenever possible and indoors as needed depending on weather and location. Join us to unplug, discover, and learn!

Illuminating Hope and Grace in the Face of Hardship with Rex Ogle (5th-8th Grade)
2025-07-23 14:00 - 16:00 | Zoom Online
This online event will be 45 minutes in length. Register here: https://libraryc.org/whitinglibrary/upcoming
You’re invited to join us online with award-winning author Rex Ogle as he talks to viewers about his struggles to navigate sixth grade as written about in his book Free Lunch.
Instead of giving him lunch money, Rex’s mom has signed him up for free meals. As a poor kid in a wealthy school district, better-off kids crowd impatiently behind him as he tries to explain to the cashier that he’s on the free meal program. The lunch lady is hard of hearing, so Rex has to shout.
Free Lunch is the story of Rex’s efforts to navigate his first semester of sixth grade—who to sit with, not being able to join the football team, Halloween in a handmade costume, classmates and a teacher who take one look at him and decide he’s trouble—all while wearing secondhand clothes and being hungry. His mom and her boyfriend are out of work, and life at home is punctuated by outbursts of violence. Halfway through the semester, his family is evicted and ends up in government-subsidized housing in view of the school. Rex lingers at the end of last period every day until the buses have left, so no one will see where he lives.
Unsparing and realistic, Free Lunch is a story of hardship threaded with hope and moments of grace. Rex’s voice is compelling and authentic, and Free Lunch is a true, timely, and essential work that illuminates the lived experience of poverty in America. Register now to join the conversation!
About the Author: Rex Ogle is the author of Free Lunch, winner of the YALSA Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults Award; Punching Bag, a New York Public Library Best Book; Abuela Don’t Forget Me, finalist for the YALSA Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults Award; and Road Home, which received a Printz Honor and a Stonewall Book Award Honor. He lives in Los Angeles, California.

Summer Flicks: A Minecraft Movie
2025-07-24 14:00 - 16:00
Four misfits are suddenly pulled through a mysterious portal into a bizarre, cubic wonderland that thrives on imagination. To return home, they’ll have to master this world while embarking on a quest with an unexpected, expert crafter.
Jack Black, Emma Myers, Jason Momoa, Jennifer Coolidge, Danielle Brooks
Warner Bros.. 2025, 101 minutes, Rated PG

Drop-in Friday Crafternoon: Sharpie-dyed Silk Scarves
2025-07-25 13:00 - 16:00
Unleash the artist within! Join us for crafting and fun. We will provide refreshments, craft materials, coloring books, and colored pencils; you bring the conversation. If you want, bring a craft you are working on or try something new! The featured activity this week involves dying scarves.

Last Day to Report Reading and Summer Reading Challenge Accomplishments
2025-07-30 | Whiting Library, 117 Main St., CHESTER, VT, 05143, United States
Dear Summer Readers and Their Grown Ups,
As I prepare for our exciting Summer Reading Awards Party on 8/2/25, I kindly ask all participants to turn in their summer reading challenge accomplishments and the final tally of hours they have read by July 30th. This will help us ensure that everyone’s hard work is recognized and celebrated.
Please submit your reading logs and any additional challenge materials to the Youth Library by this deadline. I can’t wait to honor your dedication and celebrate your achievements!
Thank you for your participation and happy reading!
Carrie King, Youth Services Librarian
Screenshot

Story Time
2025-07-30 10:00 - 11:00 | Whiting Library, 117 Main St., CHESTER, VT, 05143, United States
Story Hour is geared toward preschoolers, but all ages are welcome to join the fun! Each session runs from 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM, with approximately 15-30 minutes of focused storytime, where children will enjoy engaging stories, hand plays, music, and occasional new book previews from the library. The remaining time is free choice, allowing children to explore hands-on learning through play, crafts, and social interaction.
Whether listening to a story, making a craft, or engaging in imaginative play, kids are strengthening the skills they need for future reading success!
Look for us in the Community Room downstairs, or, if the weather is nice, we may be outside in the backyard.
Preregistration is appreciated but not required—drop-ins are always welcome! To sign up, call the library at 802-875-2277 or email Carrie at youthlibrarian@whitinglibrary.org.

Summer Unplugged - Super Scat! Species & Their Feces
2025-07-30 13:00 - 13:45 | Whiting Library, 117 Main St., CHESTER, VT, 05143, United States
What’s for dinner? We learn a lot from the natural world by investigating the scat that animals leave behind! Get ready to digest information on identifying excrement from our local fauna, and participate in creating your own oatmeal-based “scat” for identification! Please note, this activity involves touching food items.
The Nature Museum aims to engage and educate in order to spark a lifelong connection and responsibility to the natural world. Our vision is that we help all people be inspired to explore the wonder, science, and beauty of the natural world and to protect the regional and global ecology.
Thanks to the generous support from Great River Hydro, The Nature Museum is excited to once again bring free environmental education programming to public libraries throughout the Middle Connecticut River Valley and at the Bellows Falls Fish Ladder and Visitor Center during the summer of 2025.
These programs aim to be engaging and highlight topics related to the unique ecology and landscape of Northern New England. These programs are geared towards youth ages Pre-K through elementary grades, but all are welcome! Programs will be approximately 45 minutes long with dedicated time for a story reading and any nature related questions you may have for our expert educators. Library programs will be both outdoors whenever possible and indoors as needed depending on weather and location. Join us to unplug, discover, and learn!

On the Strangeness and Wonder of Our Brains with Pria Anand
2025-07-31 14:00 - 15:00 | Zoom Online
You’re invited to a fascinating conversation with neurologist and author Pria Anand to chat about her new book The Mind Electric: A Neurologist on the Strangeness and Wonder of Our Brains (forthcoming June 10, 2025). Register for this online event here: https://libraryc.org/whitinglibrary/upcoming.
The Mind Electric speaks to the stories we tell ourselves about our brains, and the stories that our brains tell to us.
A girl believes she has been struck blind for stealing a kiss. A mother watches helplessly as each of her children is replaced by a changeling. A woman is haunted each month by the same four chords of a single song. In neurology, illness is inextricably linked with narrative, the clues to unraveling these mysteries hidden in both the details of a patient’s story and the tells of their body.
Stories are etched into the very structure of our brains, coded so deeply that the impulse for storytelling survives and even surges after the most devastating injuries. But our brains are also porous—the stories they concoct are shaped by cultural narratives about bodies and illness that permeate the minds of doctors and patients alike. In the history of medicine, some stories are heard, while others—the narratives of women, of Black and brown people, of displaced people, of disempowered people—are too often dismissed.
In The Mind Electric, neurologist Pria Anand reveals—through case study, history, fable, and memoir—all that the medical establishment has overlooked: the complexity and wonder of brains in health and in extremis, and the vast gray area between sanity and insanity, doctor and patient, and illness and wellness, each separated from the next by the thin veneer of a different story.
Moving from the Boston hospital where she treats her patients, to her childhood years in India, to Isla Providencia in the Caribbean and to the Republic of Guinea in West Africa, she demonstrates again and again the compelling paradox at the heart of neurology: that even the most peculiar symptoms can show us something universal about ourselves as humans. Register now to join this intriguing virtual conversation!
About the Author: Pria Anand is a neurologist at the Boston Medical Center and an Assistant Professor at the Boston University School of Medicine. She is a graduate of Yale University and Stanford Medical School, and she trained in neurology, neuro-infectious diseases, and neuroimmunology at the Johns Hopkins Hospital and the Massachusetts General Hospital.

Summer Reading Ice Cream Party: Celebrate Summer Readers at the Youth Library!
2025-08-02 11:30 - 12:30 | Whiting Library, 117 Main St., CHESTER, VT, 05143, United States
This event will honor the fantastic readers who took on the summer reading challenge! Everyone is invited, whether you read or not, and all summer readers will be recognized for their efforts and receive special awards. Let’s give them a round of applause and fabulous recognition for their commitment to reading and the library!
Join us for an Ice Cream Social to honor all of our Summer Reading Champions!
RSVP by emailing youthlibrarian@whitinglibrary.org or calling 802-875-2277. Join us for this delightful celebration of reading!
All families with young children are invited to sign up for the 1000 Books Before Kindergarten program at Whiting Library. We will be registering new participants on-site!

The Stories, Science, and History of Birds with Smithsonian Biologist Jay Falk
2025-08-05 14:00 - 15:00 | Zoom Online
Register for this online event here: https://libraryc.org/whitinglibrary/upcoming.
Delve into the fascinating world of birds through astonishing photography and clear explanations in this absorbing global guide, The Bird Book: The Stories, Science, and History of Birds.
Birds are dinosaurs with a history going back millions of years. Our fascination with them runs deep in history, and our close association is reflected in creation stories, myths, legends, songs, and children’s stories.
This book and presentation explore:

Both the natural history of birds and that deep cultural connection. From their evolution and anatomy to their behavior and diversity.

Hawks, finches, swans, or birds of paradise, moving the focus away from a predictable species-by-species account and allowing for truly global coverage.

The bold nature of European Robins and why they are associated with Christmas; the mythical Phoenix, which rises from the ashes; and learn about eagles, from their hunting prowess to their myriads of stories and symbolism.

Packed with information, beautiful photography, and illustrations, The Bird Book is a must-have for nature enthusiasts. Register today to learn more about your very own backyard friends!
About the Author: Dr. Jay Jinsing Falk is a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute and the University of Colorado. He is an evolutionary biologist and behavioral ecologist fascinated by the diversity that can be found within species, especially in sexual traits. During his PhD, he began studying White-necked Jacobin hummingbirds as a STRI Short-Term Fellow, and later as a Smithsonian Predoctoral Fellow. His findings, that some females of this species look like males while others do not, has become the cornerstone of his research program. He is inspired by the dizzying array of feather coloration that can be found in hummingbirds. After completing his PhD at Cornell University, he moved to the University of Washington to study hummingbird movement and metabolism. Now at the University of Colorado, he is investigating the genetics and development of feather coloration. Jay currently lives in Gamboa, Panamá, where he studies the hummingbirds that visit the feeders at his house on the edge of the forest.

*Note: While the book will be discussed, please be aware the presenter may explore other topics in the related fields suiting their additional expertise. Presenters can be expected to be experts in the field; however, for the Smithsonian and Library Speakers Consortium Collaboration they may not always be the author of the book being highlighted.

Feeding the Family Without Losing Your Mind
2025-08-06 10:30 - 11:15
Say goodbye to mealtime battles and hello to realistic, nourishing meals the whole family will actually eat. In this class, you’ll learn how to build balanced plates for kids and adults alike, creative ways to sneak in nutrient-dense foods, and strategies to reduce stress and guilt around food. Perfect for busy parents who want to raise healthy eaters without becoming short-order cooks.

Summer Unplugged - Fairy Houses!
2025-08-06 13:00 - 13:45 | Whiting Library, 117 Main St., CHESTER, VT, 05143, United States
Calling all Fairies, Elves & Imps! Fire up your imaginations by creating your own Fairy Village. We inspire students by teaching them some building basics, showing them some inspiring examples and reading a fairy story. Then, students take to the outdoors to create fairy houses, parks, gardens, or whatever they’re inspired to build! We will take a look at each other’s magical creations, hear what inspired each creator, and explore what they learned in their building process. This collaborative outdoor experience encourages creativity, problem solving, and taking a fresh look at nature’s small wonders. Some materials may be provided but bringing your own is encouraged! Note: Fairy houses will be built to remain where they are with natural materials that you bring and we provide. Please only bring biodegradable and native materials.
The Nature Museum aims to engage and educate in order to spark a lifelong connection and responsibility to the natural world. Our vision is that we help all people be inspired to explore the wonder, science, and beauty of the natural world and to protect the regional and global ecology.
Thanks to the generous support from Great River Hydro, The Nature Museum is excited to once again bring free environmental education programming to public libraries throughout the Middle Connecticut River Valley and at the Bellows Falls Fish Ladder and Visitor Center during the summer of 2025.
These programs aim to be engaging and highlight topics related to the unique ecology and landscape of Northern New England. These programs are geared towards youth ages Pre-K through elementary grades, but all are welcome! Programs will be approximately 45 minutes long with dedicated time for a story reading and any nature related questions you may have for our expert educators. Library programs will be both outdoors whenever possible and indoors as needed depending on weather and location. Join us to unplug, discover, and learn!

Susan Schwake's Art Lab: Japanese Paper Dyeing for all ages!
2025-08-08 13:00 - 14:30
Discover hands-on, engaging art projects from Art Lab for Kids by Susan Schwake.
Susan Schwake has written six books about creating art with children (and daring adults). She runs a gallery/studio/art academy called Artstream Studios in Rochester, New Hampshire, where she’s been teaching art to children and adults since 1993.

Sleep, Stress & That Second Cup: A Real Talk for Tired Parents
2025-08-13 10:30 - 11:15
Still wired at bedtime but dragging all day? Relying on coffee to survive? This class explores the science behind your sleep cycles, stress response, and caffeine habits—especially for parents and busy professionals. You’ll leave with simple strategies to improve your sleep, reduce cortisol spikes, and feel more energized without another latte.

Closed for Staff Day
2025-08-15
We’re working to make sure our staff can serve you best…
CLOSED FOR STAFF DAY
on Friday, August 15
