Come for the books and programs and stay to play and visit!

Young children have their own area at the Mahomet Public Library, with kid-friendly furniture, books, puzzles, and train and light tables. Comfortable seats for parents and caregivers and a family restroom make this truly a family-friendly space. 

Firm Foundations

Firm Foundations is a community-based program for families with children ages 0-5.

• Free book for your child on each birthday through age 5

• Special programs for children and caregivers

• Community support through networking with other families

Fall Story Time on the Lawn (August 24 - October 28)

• Baby Story Time (ages 0-2): Tuesdays, 9:30-9:50 am

• Preschool Story Time (ages 3-5): Tuesdays, 10:00-10:40 am

• Toddler Story Time (ages 2-3): Thursdays, 9:30-9:50 am

• All Ages Story Time (ages 0-5): Thursdays, 10:00-10:40 am

Family Evening Story Time on the Lawn (August 25 - October 27)

• Story Time for the Whole Family (ages 0-10): Wednesdays, 6:30-7:00 pm

• October 20 and October 27, we will meet at the Barber Park pavilion.

Virtual Story Time on Facebook (November 2 - December 16)

• ​Baby and Toddler Story Time: Tuesdays, 10:00 am

• Preschool Story Time: Thursdays, 10:00 am

Other Information About Outdoor Story Time

• Weather and temperature-permitting, all story times will take place outside. In case of inclement weather, story time will be canceled.

• Please bring a lawn chair/blanket to sit on.

Other Kid-Friendly Programs (Fall 2021)

Picture Book Bundles: Tell us what your child loves and we'll create a stack of books for you to check out and read.

Take and Make Craft Kits: available for pick up at the library every other Monday (beginning August 30) on a first-come, first-served basis

LEGOs at the Library: every Tuesday in September and November, 3:30-4:30 pm

For a complete list of all library programs, please see our Events Page.

Reading Aloud Matters!

Research shows that reading aloud is the single most important thing you can do to help a child prepare for reading and learning in school. 1000 books sounds like a lot of reading! But if you ready only one book per day, you'll read 1000 books in less than 3 years! 

We've kept the process very simple:

• Each time your child has heard 100 books, stop by the library for a sticker and a milestone photo.

• Once your child has read 1000 books, stop by the library for a free book and a final milestone photo. 

Red Clover Readers

Red Clover Readers allows you to read online with friends and family across the globe!

• See your reading partner face to face, turn the pages of the same book, circle words, point to a picture or share a doodle no matter how far apart you are.

• Choose from a unique selection of fun stories focusing on diversity, social-emotional learning and inclusion.

World Book Online and Homework Help Links

Our World Book Online subscription service includes tools for young children as well as grade school students.

We also recommend several outside resources for homework help:

• cK-12: lessons and practice exercises for math and science

• Crash Course: John and Hank Green's YouTube channel covering a wide range of topics

• Discovery Education: instructional videos and learning games for math, English, science, and social studies

• EasyBib: bibliography generator

• Lexile.com: book searches by lexile score

• Kahn Academy: a library of thousands of instruction videos on math, science, economics, history, and more

• Science and Arts Gateway for Education by Cornell University: links to learning resources in science, mathematics, and the arts