Youth Services Department
The Youth Services Department’s goal is to meet the information needs of young people from infants to teens as well as their parents, caregivers, and teachers. In addition to an excellent book collection, the department offers an extensive selection of DVDs, books on CD, magazines, and online databases for children, teens, families, and teachers. The department also offers a full spectrum of fun and educational programs for all ages and interests.
Award Winners
Have you checked out this year’s award winners? To see the current and past award winners, click here.
Library Lists
Need help finding something to read? Take a look at NoveList, ask our staff for recommendations, and check out our library lists for kids.
STEAM Team
STEAM Team is a program for children ages 8 to 12 who have an interest in science, technology, engineering, art, and math. Join us for our monthly program where STEAMers will have the chance to be active, build fun things, and maybe even make a mess. Learning is fun with the Library’s STEAM Team! Looking for STEAM projects that you can do at home with supplies you already have? Click here for a list of the projects.
What's New for Kids
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The Monarch
View Catalog EntryA gorgeous, lively picture book companion to Kirsten Hall and Isabelle Arsenault’s beloved and acclaimed The Honeybee that celebrates the inspiring journey of the monarch butterfly. What’s that? In the air! Over here? Over there! It’s the start of a brand-new story… With sweetly fluttering verse and lush, gorgeous illustrations, this brightly beautiful picture book celebrates the wonders of monarch butterflies—a treasured species in need of care and preservation!
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Growing Home
View Catalog EntryAn unlikely team of talkative plants, a curious spider, and a grumpy goldfish use their newfound magical abilities to defend their family from a greedy human in this charming middle grade novel from New York Times bestselling author Beth Ferry, with illustrations from the award-winning Fan brothers. Ivy is the beloved houseplant of young Jillian Tupper of Number 3 Ramshorn Drive, much to the constant dismay of Toasty the goldfish, who is technically the family pet—swimming in his special place of honor, the antique octagonal fish tank—and should be the most loved.
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What Was the Tulsa Race Massacre Of 1921?
View Catalog EntryBefore May 31, 1921, the Greenwood District of Tulsa, Oklahoma, was a flourishing neighborhood of 10,000 Black residents. Then, in one weekend, all of this was lost. A racist mob tore through the streets, burning everything to the ground and killing scores of innocent residents.
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My Friend with Autism
View Catalog EntryIn this title about autism, young readers will learn how the condition affects their peers. Using sensitive everyday examples and easy-to-understand text, autism symptoms and adaptions that may need to be implemented for people with autism are explained. The book includes QR codes throughout to assist with learning. Cody Koala is an imprint of Pop!, a division of ABDO. Aligned to Common Core standards & correlated to state standards.
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Sona and the Golden Beasts
View Catalog EntryFrom Newbery Honor and Walter Award-winning author Rajani LaRocca comes a gripping middle grade fantasy perfect for fans of The Serpent's Secret and The Last Mapmaker. Though music is outlawed in the land of Devia, Sona hears it everywhere. Sona is a Malech, a member of the ruling class that conquered Devia centuries ago. Malechs forbade music to prevent the native Devans from using their magic, and Sona hides her abilities lest they put her in danger. Then Sona discovers an orphaned wolf pup.
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Scat
View Catalog EntryDiscover how poop can actually help protect our planet in this nonfiction book on the nutrient cycle and scientific problem solving. What could be more revolting, useless, and downright disgusting than poop? But in nature’s endless and complex cycles, there’s no such thing as waste. The poop of wild animals is full of surprising power: it can be food, shelter, a way for creatures to communicate, and more. For scientists, scat can reveal clues about how animals are responding to climate change threats.
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Buffalo Fluffalo
View Catalog Entry#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Introducing a sweet and silly buffalo who tries to bluff and fluff his way into being bigger than he really is. This laugh-out-loud story by an Emmy-nominated comedy writer shows it’s okay to be yourself. I’m the Buffalo Fluffalo I heave and I huffalo Leave me alone because I’ve had enuffalo. Buffalo Fluffalo arrives on the scene puffed up with self-importance. Stomping around and raising billows of dust, Buffalo Fluffalo proclaims his superiority to the other creatures—the ram, the prairie dog, and the crow—who just want to be his friend.
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Wheetle
View Catalog EntryWALL-E meets THE RABBIT LISTENED in this tender picture book about a little wagon who learns to set his own boundaries, by Caldecott Honor-winning creator Cindy Derby. Wheetle just wants to help. He's a wagon after all, and that's what he's meant to do. So when his friends ask him to carry slimy things, fragile things, heavy things, even squiggly-wiggly things, he always says yes. But one morning he wakes up with a wobbly wheel. Oh no! he thinks, but decides he can still help his friends. When he hears a loud POP, he suddenly finds he is the one who needs help.
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The Arguers
View Catalog EntryA delightfully preposterous and original fairy tale about a community that forgets how to get along, by the celebrated creator of The Book of Mistakes The first argument was over a brush and a comb, and which would be better for taking a tangle out of the king's beard. Next came the argument over letters, and then over spoons . . . and soon they argued all the time, and no one could remember when the arguing had started or over what or by whom. They only knew that they had always argued, and that they did it well. Very, very well.
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Seeds of Discovery
View Catalog EntryThe quirky and singular Nobel Prize winner Barbara McClintock, a founder of modern genetics who did things her own way, is honored in this lively young STEM biography by Sibert Honor winner Lori Alexander. Celebrating the power of curiosity and the rewards of tenacity, this engaging and highly illustrated biography introduces young readers to the field of genetics. As a rare female botanist in early twentieth-century America, Barbara McClintock never let other people's notions of what was proper slow her down.
Kids' Blog Entries
STEAM Kits for Babies and Toddlers are now available!
Even our littlest library users can dig deep into science, technology, engineering, arts, and math with our new Penworthy S.T.E.A.M. to Go kits. Designed for 1+ and 2+ years, these kits feature books and games that will have your kiddos learning a lot. Stop by the Youth Services Depar...
Upcoming Events for Kids
A bottled water drive for the Day Room at Next Step Homeless Services will be held during the month of August at all Fort Smith Public Library locations. Bottled water is essential for Next Step clients, especially those who are unsheltered.
Let’s play some games! Add some FUN to your Saturday with Game On! Team games, board games, video games, which will YOU choose?
Children and their caregivers are invited to the Windsor Drive Branch Library to enjoy books, songs, movement, and more. Storytime is held every Monday at 10:00 AM.
Disclaimer(s)
This program is designed for children and accompanying adults. Please plan to attend and be engaged with your child for this program. Drop offs will not be permitted.
Kids, Tweens, and Teens are invited to the Main Library to design, create, and build unique creations with the LEGO Club! Everyone loves LEGOs; this event is free and supplies are provided – just bring your imagination!
Now at the Main Library! A love of reading starts early. Babies and their caregivers are invited to join the Main Library for this special storytime geared toward children 0 to 24 months old. There will be rhymes, songs,
Disclaimer(s)
This program is designed for children and accompanying adults. Please plan to attend and be engaged with your child for this program. Drop offs will not be permitted.
Storytime at the Dallas Street Branch is for children and their adults. Lasting about 30 minutes, children and their families will enjoy stories, books, music, snacks, and crafts. Storytime will often have themes reflecting the s
Storytime at the Dallas Street Branch is for children and their adults. Lasting about 30 minutes, children and their families will enjoy stories, books, music, snacks, and crafts. Storytime will often have themes reflecting the s
Children and their caregivers are invited to the Main Library for storytime every Thursday at 10:00 AM. Lasting about 35 minutes, storytimes feature stories, songs, puppetry, finger plays, manipulatives, and crafts.
Disclaimer(s)
This program is designed for children and accompanying adults. Please plan to attend and be engaged with your child for this program. Drop offs will not be permitted.
Children and their caregivers are invited to the Miller Branch Library to enjoy stories, songs, rhymes, and crafts. No registration is necessary for this fun and FREE program. Storytime is held every Friday at 10:00 AM.
Disclaimer(s)
This program is designed for children and accompanying adults. Please plan to attend and be engaged with your child for this program. Drop offs will not be permitted.
Databases for Kids
ABC Mouse
ABCmouse.com offers the most comprehensive online curriculum for children ages 2-8+, including reading and language arts, math, beginning science, social studies, art, and music.
When accessing ABCmouse from home via the library website, you will need to create an account. Your account can be shared by up to three children in a household, each with their own avatar, profile, and progress-tracking on the ABCmouse Step-by-Step Learning Path.
American History
Surveys American history from the Colonial era and American Revolution through to the nation's rise to eminence as a global superpower. Analyzes American political conflict, economic development, and changing culture.
“The Traveler Statewide Resource project is made possible by a grant from U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services to the Arkansas State Library under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act.”
American Mosaic: The African American Experience
Includes student learning modules related to African American studies; includes biographies, scholarly articles, primary sources, and images.
“The Traveler Statewide Resource project is made possible by a grant from U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services to the Arkansas State Library under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act.”
CultureGrams
Primary sources, statistics, and cultural reports covering the countries of the world, states, and Canadian provinces. Explore the United States and discover state flags, maps, sports teams, recipes, symbols, songs, and more.
“The Traveler Statewide Resource project is made possible by a grant from U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services to the Arkansas State Library under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act.”
eLibrary: Academic
A general reference collection of periodical and digital media content specifically tailored for K-12 schools and libraries of all kinds, covering a variety of subjects including business, education, general interest, health, language arts, sciences, social sciences, and many other curriculum-specific subject areas.
“The Traveler Statewide Resource project is made possible by a grant from U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services to the Arkansas State Library under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act.”
eLibrary: Guided Research
Provides access to eLibrary’s periodical and digital media collection through a user interface specifically designed for student researchers.
“The Traveler Statewide Resource project is made possible by a grant from U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services to the Arkansas State Library under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act.”
Hoopla
Hoopla is a digital media service that allows you to borrow movies, music, audiobooks, ebooks, comics and TV shows to enjoy on your computer, tablet, or phone – and even your TV! With no waiting, titles can be streamed immediately, or downloaded to phones or tablets for offline enjoyment later. We have hundreds of thousands of titles to choose from, with more being added daily. Hoopla is like having your public library at your fingertips. Anytime. Anywhere.
Learning: Literature
Students can find author biographies, contemporary criticism, reviews, and multimedia resources from medieval times to the present.
“The Traveler Statewide Resource project is made possible by a grant from U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services to the Arkansas State Library under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act.”
NoveList K-8
NoveList K-8 Plus is a trusted source of read-alike recommendations specifically for younger readers. It helps kids find books that are just right for their reading level and interests.
SIRS Discoverer
General reference database for elementary and middle school learners, researchers, and educators covering curriculum areas and content sets such as reading, language arts, current events, science, social studies, history, health, and technology. SIRS Discoverer provides editorially-selected, indexed, and curated materials from over 2,100 newspapers, magazines, and websites offering guided research for young researchers.
“The Traveler Statewide Resource project is made possible by a grant from U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services to the Arkansas State Library under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act.”
TumbleBook
Fun and interactive library of animated, talking story books for preschoolers, beginner readers, and older independent readers. Read along and listen, or read on your own.
World Book Early World of Learning
Emergent learners will engage in an interactive and playful environment that encourages reading comprehension and mastery of phonetic skills. Early World of Learning is full of stories, videos, songs, and games to provide a firm foundation for 21st-century learning and digital citizenship.
“The Traveler Statewide Resource project is made possible by a grant from U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services to the Arkansas State Library under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act.”
World Book eBooks
eBooks contain something for all ages and all subjects. This digital library includes highly illustrated, engaging titles that span the curriculum and reading levels. Some books include interactive games, quizzes, and activities to enrich learning.
“The Traveler Statewide Resource project is made possible by a grant from U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services to the Arkansas State Library under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act.”
World Book Kids
Search thousands of articles, multimedia content, and a collection of biographies.
“The Traveler Statewide Resource project is made possible by a grant from U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services to the Arkansas State Library under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act.”
World Book Student
Find thousands of articles and multimedia aligned to curriculum. Contains numerous tools to engage users in 21st-century education and blended-learning practices.
“The Traveler Statewide Resource project is made possible by a grant from U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services to the Arkansas State Library under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act.”
