In a partnership with Circa ‘21 we will be hosting Junie B. Jones on Tuesday, December 6 from 4:15-5 p.m. Actress Sunshine Ramsey who portrays Junie B. in Circa’s production of “Jingle Bells, Batman Smells (PS So Does May)” will be reading portions of the book aloud to kids. No registration is required.  Be sure to bring your cameras for a closeup with Junie B.!

The Circa ‘21 production begins November 25 and runs through December 31. For more information about the show contact Circa ‘21 at 309-786-7733  extention 2.

In case you haven’t heard, one of the biggest programs the library offers for kids is taking place on Saturday, August 20 from 9:30 a.m. – 3 p.m. The Kids’ Experience is a day full of short classes on subjects of interest to kids. Families come and spend as much time as they want, moving from class to class or trying some of the other activities. We hope that these introductory classes will give kids enough of a taste of a subject that they will want to explore it more through the materials in the library’s collection. Everything is FREE this day including a hot dog lunch! Classes include: money matters, face painting, balloon sculpting, magic, sign language, watercolors, pencil drawing, storytelling, origami, string stories, juggling, paper rockets, and illustration. Other activities include Miller’s Petting Zoo, music by Jeff Smallwood, and bubbles with the Family Museum. New this year is a visit from the LemonAid car and crew plus readings of a new book by Mike Whalen and Bill Douglas about the car.

Kids’ Experience is sponsored by Quad City Bank and Trust and the Bettendorf Public Library Foundation. Additional partners for this year’s event are the Friends of the Bettendorf Library, Greenspace Associates, Tracy Wachal Naab, State Farm Insurance and Doyle and Keenan, PC. Their support of the event means we can continue to offer everything for FREE! Thanks to all of them for their support!

No registration is required. A complete listing of the class schedule will be posted the week of the event on this website. For more information contact the Youth Services Department at 344-4178.

CALLING ALL KIDS! Make plans to visit the Library on Saturday, August 21! It’s our third annual Kids’ Experience – a day full of learning and fun for kids of all ages!  This FREE event includes introductory classes on a wide range of subjects. We love to tie our collection to real life experiences and hope that kids will have their interests piqued enough to explore what the library has to offer. Classes begin at 9:30 a.m. and last for 30-minutes – please note that some are geared for certain age levels and some have limited participation. The last class will begin at 2 p.m. If a class is full – find another and then head back to your first choice – most are offered multiple times throughout the day.  We are adding a new area wioth activities for children five and under called “The Little Hands Site” as well as new classes in Money Matters, Rhythm Boot Camp and an Improv Theater Workshop. A complete schedule of events can be found here. 

Special thanks to Quad City Bank and Trust and the Bettendorf Public Library Foundation, the sponsors of this year’s event.