Tag: Religion

A long, cold December night is a great time to share favorite Christmas stories! There are many holiday classics to choose from to get your family into the holiday spirit. You can listen to a video read aloud of the favorite, Llama Llama Holiday Drama, by Anna Dewdney, right now! More free video read alouds are listed below along with printable activities and Christmas favorites you can check out with your IndyPL library card. It’s Christmas storytime online! Have a wonderful holiday!

Talk!

After listening to the story, talk about some of the things that happened in it.

What does your family like to do during the holidays? Which thing is your favorite?
Does the llama on the cover look happy? Sad? Worried?
Have you ever had to wait a long time for something you were excited about? Was it hard to wait? Were there any things that you did to help pass the time?
Would you rather go to a quiet holiday event or a noisy and crowded holiday event?
Why is llama happy at the end of the story?

Read!

Use your indyPL Library Card to check out books about Christmas at any of our locations, or cheeck out Christmas e-books and audiobooks from OverDrive Kids right to your device. If you have never used OverDrive before, you can learn how to use it for both e-books and audiobooks.

Click on the book covers below to listen to more Christmas video read aloud stories right now! It’s Christmas storytime online! Did you like these? You can find more stories at Free Video Read Alouds and enjoy even more themed reading and activity fun at IndyPL’s DIY Online Storytimes at Home.

title - Merry Christmas From the Very Hungry Caterpillar

Favorite, Classic & New Christmas Stories for Kids

List Cover Images - Favorite, Classic & New Christmas Stories for Kids There are many holiday favorites to get your family in the holiday spirit from illustrated versions of the Bible to stories about family traditions to the silly antics of favorite book characters celebrating the holiday in their own unique way. Can Bad Kitty even get on Santa’s nice list? There are 25+ in all. That oughta last ya!

Sing!

Sing along with Abby, Elmo, a horse, and even some snowballs!

Write!

Find some crayons or makers to color a picture, practice writing the letters, or see if you can follow your way through a maze without getting stuck.

Play!

Take a walk and read a story as you go! We invite you to visit StoryWalk® in Ruckle Street Park at 3025 Ruckle Street. Stroll through the park and read a book displayed in mounted frames. Or Skip. Or gallop!

Instead of “Simon Says” play “Santa Says.” Practice the names of body parts and left and right.

Join Us for In-Person Storytime!

Event: Reading Ready Time – Nutcracker Fun
Date & Time: Wednesday, November 20, 12:00am
Location: Online
Description: Children 3-6 are invited to a virtual Library visit! The Indianapolis Ballet shares the story of The Nutcracker followed by a dance lesson.  On your toes, everyone!  Visit https://bit.ly/readingreadytime for this program.
No Registration Required.

Event: Storytime at Warren – Baby & Toddler
Date & Time: Wednesday, November 20, 10:15am
Location: Warren Branch
Description: Babies and toddlers up to 36 months and their adults are invited for stories, songs, toys, and more.
No Registration Required.

Event: Storytime at Fort Ben – Preschool
Date & Time: Wednesday, November 20, 10:30am
Location: Fort Ben Branch
Description: Preschoolers and their caregivers are invited for stories, songs, and fingerplays followed by an art and craft time.
No Registration Required.

Need Help?

Ask a Library staff member at any of our locations or call, text, or email Ask-a-Librarian. The Tinker Station helpline at (317) 275-4500 is also available. It is staffed by device experts who can answer questions about how to read, watch and listen on a PC, tablet or phone.

Tags Holidays & Seasons, Religion, Storytime Online

Hanukkah in Alaska, by Barbara Brown and winner of the 2014 Sydney Taylor Book Award, is the story of what Hanukkah is like for a little girl living during a long, cold Alaskan winter. For her, daylight only lasts for five hours each day and she doesn’t have squirrels or rabbits in her backyard, she has a moose! Can she convince the moose to leave her trees and swing alone by sharing a Hanukkah treat? You can listen to Hanukkah in Alaska right now, read aloud by Molly Ephraim. Enjoy Hanukkah storytime online!

Talk!

After listening to the story, talk about some of the things that happened in it.

What animals do you think live in Alaska?
Why do people in Alaska have to look out for moose? What should they do if they come across one?
There is only five hours of daylight in Alaska in the winter. Would you like it to be dark that much?
What do they call everywhere else that is not Alaska?
What does the moose do in the backyard?
What things does she try to get the moose to leave?
What holiday is the family celebrating?
What do they see up in the sky?

Read!

Use your indyPL Library Card to check out books about Hanukkah at any of our locations, or check out Hanukkah e-books and audiobooks from OverDrive Kids right to your device! If you have never used OverDrive before, you can learn how to use it for both e-books and audiobooks.

Click on the book covers below to listen to more Hanukkah video read aloud stories right now! It’s Hanukkah storytime online! Did you like these? You can find more stories at Free Video Read Alouds and enjoy even more themed reading and activity fun at IndyPL’s DIY Online Storytimes at Home.

Stories for Hanukkah to Check Out with your IndyPL Library Card

List Cover Images - 8 Nights of Bedtime Stories for Hanukkah Here are 50+ wonderful Hanukkah stories – so many you can read more than one each night! These selections come from The Sydney Taylor Book Award that recognizes the best Jewish children’s books each year, as well as the PJ Library, and the Association of Jewish Libraries.

Sing!

Join Robert and the Theatre Troupe at the Miami Children’s Museum to learn about Hanukkah traditions, “the festival of lights”, and the dreidel – then sing along with them to celebrate!

Write!

Find some crayons or makers to color a picture, practice writing the letters, or see if you can follow your way through a maze without getting stuck.

Play!

Make a glowing pathway to lead visitors to your Menorah, build a Lego dreidel and play a game with your friends or family, or make this DIY Menorah Craft Using Cardboard.

Join Us for In-Person Storytime!

Event: Reading Ready Time – Nutcracker Fun
Date & Time: Wednesday, November 20, 12:00am
Location: Online
Description: Children 3-6 are invited to a virtual Library visit! The Indianapolis Ballet shares the story of The Nutcracker followed by a dance lesson.  On your toes, everyone!  Visit https://bit.ly/readingreadytime for this program.
No Registration Required.

Event: Storytime at Warren – Baby & Toddler
Date & Time: Wednesday, November 20, 10:15am
Location: Warren Branch
Description: Babies and toddlers up to 36 months and their adults are invited for stories, songs, toys, and more.
No Registration Required.

Event: Storytime at Fort Ben – Preschool
Date & Time: Wednesday, November 20, 10:30am
Location: Fort Ben Branch
Description: Preschoolers and their caregivers are invited for stories, songs, and fingerplays followed by an art and craft time.
No Registration Required.

Need Help?

Tags Holidays & Seasons, Religion, Storytime Online

In Binny’s Diwali by Thrity Umrigar, Binny’s class is learning about different holidays. It is Binny’s turn to share, and she is planning to talk about Diwali, a festival of lights Binny’s Hindu family celebrates. When it is Binny’s time to speak…she can’t! She is so nervous she can’t remember what she wanted to say! Everyone laughs and stares, but Binny manages to find her words anyway! She talks about diyas and jalebis and pedas. Do you know what those are? Watch this video to listen to the story and learn about Diwali, just like the kids in Binny’s class. After watching the video you can learn more from Binny’s printable learning sheet, The Diwali Story. Enjoy Diwali storytime online!

Talk!

After listening to the story, talk about some of the things that happened in it.

What did Binny have for breakfast instead of cereal on her special day?
What advice did Mr. Boomer give Binny to help her relax?
How many days do people celebrate Diwali?
Can you think of another holiday when kids are allowed to carry sparklers?

Read!

Use your indyPL Library Card to check out books about Diwali at any of our locations, or check out Diwali e-books and audiobooks from OverDrive Kids right to your device. If you have never used OverDrive before, you can learn how to use it for both e-books and audiobooks.

Click on the book covers below to listen to more Diwali video read aloud stories right now! It’s Diwali storytime online! Did you like these? You can find more stories at Free Video Read Alouds and enjoy even more themed reading and activity fun at IndyPL’s DIY Online Storytimes at Home.

Help kids celebrate/learn about Diwali – The Festival of Lights.

Diwali is the five-day Festival of Lights, celebrated by millions of Hindus, Sikhs and Jains across the world. Diwali, which for some also coincides with harvest and new year celebrations, is a festival of new beginnings and the triumph of good over evil and light over darkness. It is the most important holiday of the year for the millions who celebrate it. The dates change every year, but it usually falls between mid-October to mid-November. If you are interested in learning more about it, here are just a few of many books that you can share.

Sing!

Sing along with The Let’s Go Club to find out all about Diwali.

Write!

Find some crayons or makers to color a Diwali picture or find Diwali words.

Play!

Spend an enjoyable afternoon learning how to Make Your Own Diwali Candle or Make Diya Streamers.

Watch this video to see children crafting paper lanterns to celebrate the Hindu Festival of Lights called Diwali and then Make Your Own Diwali Lantern.

Join Us for In-Person Storytime!

Event: Reading Ready Time – Nutcracker Fun
Date & Time: Wednesday, November 20, 12:00am
Location: Online
Description: Children 3-6 are invited to a virtual Library visit! The Indianapolis Ballet shares the story of The Nutcracker followed by a dance lesson.  On your toes, everyone!  Visit https://bit.ly/readingreadytime for this program.
No Registration Required.

Event: Storytime at Warren – Baby & Toddler
Date & Time: Wednesday, November 20, 10:15am
Location: Warren Branch
Description: Babies and toddlers up to 36 months and their adults are invited for stories, songs, toys, and more.
No Registration Required.

Event: Storytime at Fort Ben – Preschool
Date & Time: Wednesday, November 20, 10:30am
Location: Fort Ben Branch
Description: Preschoolers and their caregivers are invited for stories, songs, and fingerplays followed by an art and craft time.
No Registration Required.

Need Help?

Tags Holidays & Seasons, Religion, Storytime Online

Here are tips to help you find your next read as well as a convenient clickable list of authors linked directly to our catalog for placing requests or checking out e-books or audiobooks. See also If You Like Amish and Mennonite Fiction.

1. Find award winning Christian fiction.

The Christy awards are presented annually to recognize novels of excellence written from a Christian worldview. See Christy Award winners in our collection here.

2. Borrow e-books or downloadable audiobooks.

Browse our OverDrive Christian Fiction Collection of e-books and downloadable audiobooks you can borrow with your IndyPL library card.

3. Get reading recommendations from IndyPL staff.

4. Make a selection from one of these Christian fiction authors.

5. Use your IndyPL Library card to login to Novelist Plus.

On Novelist Plus you’ll find reading recommendations, read-alikes, series lists, reviews, and lists of award-winning historical romance books. Once you login with your IndyPL library card, Once you login with your IndyPL library card, choose the “Christian fiction” category from the genre list on the left. Click on a book to read a brief description or see a star rating. Click “Check Availability” to see if the book is available to borrow from IndyPL.

6. Subscribe to a Christian fiction email newsletter.

Subscribe to NextReads to receive romance reading recommendation in your inbox monthly. Book suggestions are linked to our catalog for easy requesting. It’s FREE! See a Christian fiction sample issue. Subscribe to NextReads!

7. Find a book discussion near you!

You are invited to join in one of our many in-person or online book discussions that take place several times each month. In our book discussion groups we read and talk about both fiction and non-fiction books. We express our opinions (both likes and dislikes!) with other avid readers in the city.

Event: Virtual Author Talk: Native Rights and Culture in Fiction
Date & Time: Wednesday, November 20, 7:00pm
Location: Online
Description: You’re invited to join us as Mona Susan Power chats about her newest novel A Council of Dolls. This conversation highlights how her work explores Native Rights and Native American culture, in particular using an important symbol that anchors comfort and companionship in Native life: dolls.
Register Here

Event: WitLITS Book Discussion Group
Date & Time: Friday, November 22, 10:00am
Location: Spades Park Branch
Description: A read aloud group exploring classic literature in a group reading.
No Registration Required.

Need help?

Ask a Library staff member at any of our locations or call, text or email Ask-a-Librarian. The Tinker Station helpline at (317) 275-4500 is also available. It is staffed by device experts who can answer questions about how to read, watch and listen on a PC, tablet or phone.

Tags If You Like, Religion

e-Books & Audiobooks

Browse OverDrive’s Amish and Mennonite fiction collection of e-books and downloadable audiobooks you can borrow with your IndyPL library card.

Amish & Mennonite Fiction Authors

Find a book discussion near you!

Event: Virtual Author Talk: Native Rights and Culture in Fiction
Date & Time: Wednesday, November 20, 7:00pm
Location: Online
Description: You’re invited to join us as Mona Susan Power chats about her newest novel A Council of Dolls. This conversation highlights how her work explores Native Rights and Native American culture, in particular using an important symbol that anchors comfort and companionship in Native life: dolls.
Register Here

Event: WitLITS Book Discussion Group
Date & Time: Friday, November 22, 10:00am
Location: Spades Park Branch
Description: A read aloud group exploring classic literature in a group reading.
No Registration Required.

Need help?

Tags If You Like, Religion

In, The Easter Egg, Hoppi’s friends and neighbors are all working on creating eggs for an Easter contest. Each friend he visits is making a different kind of egg. It is fun to see the different ways Hoppi’s friends are making eggs. Some are predictable like the egg made of chocolate, but others are surprising, like an egg made of wood and a mechanical egg that has moving parts. Hoppi wants to make an egg to enter in the contest, but he gets sidetracked by kindness and becomes an Easter hero instead…at least mama Robin thinks so! You can listen to Hoppi’s story right now! It’s Easter storytime online!

Talk!

After listening to the story, talk about some of the things that happened in it.

What color was the egg Hoppi found?
Where do you think the egg was before Hoppi found it?
What was your favorite part of Hoppi’s story? Why?
Would you want to help hide Easter eggs?

Read!

Use your indyPL Library Card to check out books about Easter at any of our locations, or check out Easter e-books and audiobooks from OverDrive Kids right to your device. If you have never used OverDrive before, you can learn how to use it for both e-books and audiobooks.

Click on the book covers below to listen to more Easter video read aloud stories right now! It’s Easter storytime online! Did you like these? You can find more stories at Free Video Read Alouds and enjoy even more themed reading and activity fun at IndyPL’s DIY Online Storytimes at Home.

Easter Favorites for Kids to Check Out with your IndyPL Library Card

List Cover Images - Easter Favorites for Kids Enjoy these e-book and audiobook favorites for kids that highlight Easter traditions from family dinners, reading a child’s version of the Easter story in the Bible, or attending Easter services to dyeing and hiding Easter eggs.

Sing!

In this version of the traditional lullaby “Hush Little Baby” a father rabbit comforts his little baby bunny and keeps it safe. Listen to the music and sing along as the words appear on the screen. A tiny bunny hops along the words to help you with the rhythm. Based on the book Hush Little Bunny by David Ezra Stein.

Now singalong as Raffi sings “Five Little Ducks.” Would you like to make the sound of the mother duck? Raffi will sing “Mother duck says….” and you make the sound for him!

Write!

Find some crayons or markers to color an Easter picture, practice writing the letters in Easter words, or see if you can follow your way through a maze without getting stuck.

Play!

Here are six play ideas about rabbits from Kevin Henkes, the author of Little White Rabbit and Egg. Scroll to the section Moving, Making, and Playing for several ideas to get your little bunny jumping.

Join Us for In-Person Storytime!

Event: Reading Ready Time – Nutcracker Fun
Date & Time: Wednesday, November 20, 12:00am
Location: Online
Description: Children 3-6 are invited to a virtual Library visit! The Indianapolis Ballet shares the story of The Nutcracker followed by a dance lesson.  On your toes, everyone!  Visit https://bit.ly/readingreadytime for this program.
No Registration Required.

Event: Storytime at Warren – Baby & Toddler
Date & Time: Wednesday, November 20, 10:15am
Location: Warren Branch
Description: Babies and toddlers up to 36 months and their adults are invited for stories, songs, toys, and more.
No Registration Required.

Event: Storytime at Fort Ben – Preschool
Date & Time: Wednesday, November 20, 10:30am
Location: Fort Ben Branch
Description: Preschoolers and their caregivers are invited for stories, songs, and fingerplays followed by an art and craft time.
No Registration Required.

Need Help?

Tags Holidays & Seasons, Religion, Storytime Online

Passover is an eight day festival that commemorates the freeing of Jewish people from slavery in Egypt. During Passover, families retell the Passover story and eat symbolic food from a Passover Seder plate. To learn more about the Seder plate, watch this video prepared especially for kids by the PJ Library, an organization that helps children learn about the Jewish experience through storytelling and other educational materials. Then read on for more Passover storytime online!

Our featured video read aloud story about Passover is called Welcoming Elijah a Passover Tale With a Tail by Lesléa Newman, winner of the Sydney Taylor Book Award in 2021 for excellence in Jewish children’s literature. When the story opens a family has begun their Passover Seder and have gathered around their dinner table. While they prepare to welcome Elijah indoors, a hungry stray kitten waits outside in the cold.

The story is read aloud by the author. In the opening minutes she explains all the special foods that are eaten during Passover from the Seder plate. She begins reading the story at the five minute mark.

Talk!

After listening to the story, talk about some of the things that happened in it.

Can you name one of the foods that is put on the seder plate?
What did the family dip in salt water?
Whose cup is on the table?
Why does the boy open the door? What is waiting when the door is opened?

Read!

Use your indyPL Library Card to check out books about Passover at any of our locations, or check out Passover e-books and audiobooks from OverDrive Kids right to your device! If you have never used OverDrive before, you can learn how to use it for both e-books and audiobooks.

Click on the book covers below to listen to more Passover video read aloud stories right now! It’s Passover storytime online! Did you like these? You can find more stories at Free Video Read Alouds and enjoy even more themed reading and activity fun at IndyPL’s DIY Online Storytimes at Home.

Passover Books for Children to Check Out with your IndyPL Library Card

List Cover Images - Passover for Children The Jewish holiday Passover centers around the Seder, a ritual meal at which the family gathers to retell the biblical story of how, in ancient times, the Jewish people escaped slavery in Egypt. This list includes fiction and non-fiction books and online information for children to learn about the meaning of the holiday and the symbolic, but fun Seder meal.

Sing!

Learn the words to this silly classic Passover song featuring Jason Mesches. Listen to more Passover songs like it here.

Write!

Find some crayons or markers to draw the foods you might find on a Seder plate, or draw a scene from the Passover story.

Play!

Here are some ideas for making Passover crafts and projects for kids. From the Jewish Children’s Museum of New York try making your own Afikoman bag, craft a beautiful Elijah cup, or try the printable card game: Who Knows About Passover?

Join Us for In-Person Storytime!

Event: Reading Ready Time – Nutcracker Fun
Date & Time: Wednesday, November 20, 12:00am
Location: Online
Description: Children 3-6 are invited to a virtual Library visit! The Indianapolis Ballet shares the story of The Nutcracker followed by a dance lesson.  On your toes, everyone!  Visit https://bit.ly/readingreadytime for this program.
No Registration Required.

Event: Storytime at Warren – Baby & Toddler
Date & Time: Wednesday, November 20, 10:15am
Location: Warren Branch
Description: Babies and toddlers up to 36 months and their adults are invited for stories, songs, toys, and more.
No Registration Required.

Event: Storytime at Fort Ben – Preschool
Date & Time: Wednesday, November 20, 10:30am
Location: Fort Ben Branch
Description: Preschoolers and their caregivers are invited for stories, songs, and fingerplays followed by an art and craft time.
No Registration Required.

Need Help?

Tags Holidays & Seasons, Religion, Storytime Online