Top Menu FAQ Membershipts etc

Search the catalog above.

HPL Kids

The Kidzone has programs galore as well as books, movies, and other cool stuff. Read our blog below for more information and check out our upcoming events to get an idea of what's happening at the Kidzone! Our main phone number is 205.444.7830.

Recent Book Reviews

Horten's Incredible Illusions: Magic, Mystery & Another Very Strange Adventure
Lula Bell on Geekdom, Freakdom & the Challenges of Bad Hair
A Mutiny in Time
Starry River of the Sky
Pickle: The (Formerly) Anonymous Prank Club of Fountain Point Middle School
Iron Hearted Violet
Jake and Lily
Paris Pan Takes the Dare
Me and the Pumpkin Queen
Read All About It!
The Boy on Cinnamon Street
Nerd Camp
The Classroom
Smells Like Dog
Mission Unstoppable
On the Road to Mr. Mineo's
The Mark of Athena
A Whole Lot of Lucky
Alien on a Rampage
One for the Murphys

More of our favorite books on GoodReads »

Kidzone Blog

2019 Boston-Globe Horn Book Awards

Looking for some award-winning titles to add to your summer reading log?  Have you checked out any of the Boston-Globe Horn Book Award winners?  Since 1967, they have celebrated excellence in children’s and young adult literature by awarding in three categories: Picture Book, Fiction and Poetry, and Nonfiction.   The winning titles must be first U.S. editions of books published between June 2018 and May 2019, but may be written or illustrated by citizens of any country.   Here are the winners (and honors) for 2019.  

Gummi Worm Day

So, I spent most of my childhood in Germany, home of Haribo.  I am a gummi connoisseur.  I prefer traditional bears and anything that has German on the packaging.  It's just better, guys.  Have I been known to slurp down a gummi worm?  Of course.  Do I prefer the worms that are also sour?  Definitely.  I love Trolli Sour Brite Crawlers.  So I'm celebrating a lesser-known holiday today.  July 15, 2019 is National Gummi Worm Day!  My celebration will include eating gummi worms (naturally) and reading a new picture book that just begs to be brought to life via gummi worms.

I Can Only Draw Worms by Will Mabbitt (March 19, 2019)
E  MAB  NEW BOOK
This is part counting book, part introduction to worms, but all superbly silly. The fact that the author/illustrator can only draw worms will not take anything away from the laugh-out-loud adventure readers will have as they turn the pages of this slightly subversive story.  This hilarious picture book in bright, neon colors is perfect for fans of The Book With No Pictures and The Day the Crayons Quit.

Lunar Landing

On July 20, 1969, millions of people gathered around their televisions to watch two U.S. astronauts do something no one had ever done before. Wearing bulky space suits and backpacks of oxygen to breathe, Neil Armstrong and Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin became the first human beings to walk on the moon.  After the two stepped onto the lunar surface, Armstrong proclaimed these famous words: “That's one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind."

We will be making one giant leap for library-kind at our Lunar Landing event on July 20, 2019 at 10:30 a.m.  We will celebrate the 50th anniversary of this major accomplishment by dodging asteroids and navigating the darkside of the moon in a Moon Walk Obstacle Course. We'll also sort moon rocks, create a tinfoil moon, and launch straw rockets.  We'll even send cows sling-shotting over the moon.  (Can I get a Hey Diddle Diddle, y'all?)

To learn more about this historic moment, take a look at the always awesome DK Findout!  You can also check out fact-filled books in the Kid Zone.  Look for Dewey Decimal numbers 629.4 and 629.45.  Biographies about Armstrong and Aldrin can be found under JB ARM and JB ALD.  Want to find out how our state is celebrating?  See what the U.S. Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, AL has planned.

Ready to Fly with Roger Day

You've been watching his music videos in the picture book room all summer long.  Now you get to see the one and only Roger Day in the Library Theatre!  Sing and dance along to Roly Poly, Mosquito Burrito, and the rest of your favorites.  And remember that you can find Roger Day at the Hoover Public Library every single day!  We have his CDs in the PERFORMERS section of the Kid Zone music collection, and we have his DVDs under ROG in the Kid Zone's entertainment movie collection.

Roger Day
Tuesday, July 16, 2019
10:30 a.m., 2:00 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.

Wednesday, July 17, 2019
10:30 a.m. and 2:00 p.m.

Thursday, July 18, 2019
10:30 a.m. and 2:00 p.m.

* IMPORTANT SEATING GUIDELINES *
Seating in the Library Theatre is restricted to 250 guests.  All guests will be seated on a first come, first served basis by library staff.  All parties must be present to be seated.  Saving seats is not allowed.  Please arrive early to ensure your spot!

Under the Sea Reads

I live off the tank farm exit on I-65, so I know exactly how many people have been heading to the beach this summer.  A LOT.  Maybe you're one of them.  Or maybe you haven't had a chance to see the sea.  Either way, you can experience the wonders of the underwater world with these 2019 titles.

Pages