Book It to the Library the Spooktacular Edition!

October is here, and with the cooler temps your local library is celebrating everything Fall. We’ll offer FREE live animal shows with the popular Animal Tales, art classes, Fall Break staycation with Disney activities, puppet shows and of course, Trick-or-Treating!

Grab your costumes, treat pails and library cards and head to your local library branch to check out all the fun!

Storytime Scoop

Monrovia Storytimes

BRANCH: Monrovia Public Library
DATE: Mondays and Thursdays, 10:30 a.m.
INFO: Stories, songs, crafts and more for children birth to age five. Themes for October include: firefighters, picnics, pumpkins and not-so-scary monsters. For more information contact Mandee Farley at 256-489-3392 or [email protected].

Hazel Green Storytime

BRANCH: Tillman Hill Library
DATEs and INFO: October 26-Spooky games for all ages-4pm October 27-Spooky stories and costume contest for all ages-6pm October 28-Decorate a pumpkin like your favorite story character contest-bring your own pumpkin. You will have one hour to decorate or bring it decorated. 4pm with Judging at 5pm October 29-Spooky Science for all ages-4pm October 30-Halloween Story Time for preschoolers-11am-wear your costume 256-828-9529 for more information.

Madison Storytimes

BRANCH: Madison Public Library
DATE: Toddler Storytime, Tues. Wed. Thurs. at 9:30 AM; Preschool Storytime Tues. Wed. Thurs. at 10:30 AM; Baby Sign Storytime Mondays at 9:30 AM; Family Storytime, 2nd & 4th Saturdays at 10:00 AM.
INFO: The Madison Library hosts nine storytimes a week!

Bailey Cove Storytimes

BRANCH: Bailey Cove Public Library
DATE: Wednesdays – Book Buddies at 9:!5 AM, Mother Goose Storytime at 10:30 AM; Thursdays – Mother Goose Storytime at 9:15 AM, Book Buddies at 10:30 AM; Fridays – Little Bits Lapsit at 9:30 AM.
INFO: There’s always a fun story to be had at Bailey Cove!

Main Storytimes

BRANCH: Huntsville Public Library
DATES: Wiggles & Walking, Tuesdays at 10:30; Rockin’ Storytime, Wednesdays at 10:30; Tremendouse Toddlers, Thursdays at 10:30
INFO: There’s a storytime for every child’s age at the Main Library Downtown!

More HMCPL weekly Storytimes for kids can be found HERE.

Special Library Events in October

Cooking at the Library: Children’s Cooking Workshop

BRANCH: Main Branch-Youth Services
DATE: Thursdays at 3:30pm from Oct. 1st-Oct.29th
INFO: We’re cooking up something awesome in Youth Services! Does your little one fancy him or herself the next Emeril or Rachael Ray? We’ve got the after school class you need! Join experienced cook and former educator Miss Lorena as she teaches kids how to dish up some tasty treats and covers the basics of the kitchen. We’ll meet each Thursday for five weeks of culinary cool. Sign-ups are required and space is limited, so please stop by Youth Services or call us at 256-532-5949. Recommended for grades 3rd-5th. For more information contact Annie Matthys at 256-532-5982 or [email protected].

A Night Dark & Grim

BRANCH: Bailey Cove Library
DATE: Friday, October 2, 5:30 pm—8:00 pm
INFO: A fun after hours family party featuring Animal Tales Program, crafts, and snacks.

Scavenger Hunt in Hazel Green

BRANCH: Tillman Hill Library
DATE: October 5-9
INFO: During Library hours look for all the mini pictures of things in the library. Prize for the most pictures correctly identified. Call 256-828-9529 for more information.

Teen Painting Studio

BRANCH: Madison Public Library
DATES: October 4; November 8
INFO: Join Miss LeAnna in the Meeting Room to paint a new scene or topic each month. No need to bring anything; canvases and paint will be provided! For more information, contact [email protected].

Free Flicks for Fall Break

BRANCH: Main Branch-Youth Services
DATE: Monday, Oct. 5th-Friday, Oct. 9th at 2pm
INFO: Staying in town for Fall Break? Need something fun to do? Join us in Youth Services for a Disney Staycation! Each day at 2pm we’ll watch a classic Disney animated film and make a themed craft. Oct. 5th: Little Mermaid; Oct. 6th: Robinhood; Oct. 7th: Tangled; Oct. 8th: Jungle Book; Oct. 9th: Aladdin.
For more information contact Annie Matthys at 256-532-5982 or [email protected].

Putt-Putt in the Library

BRANCH: Tillman Hill Library
DATE: October 6-8
INFO: During library hours try your hand at our putt putt course. Call 256-828-9529 for more information

Homeschool Hour

BRANCH: Monrovia Public Library
DATE: Wednesday, October 7, 2:00 P.M.
INFO: Home School students from Kindergarten to Fourth grade enjoy stories, games, crafts and more, while we learn how to use the library. For more information contact Mandee Farley at 256-489-3392 or [email protected].

Movies In Monrovia

BRANCH: Monrovia Public Library
DATE: Friday, Oct. 9, 6:00 p.m.
INFO: Join us for a free family-friendly movie in a comfortable setting. Popcorn and water available for 25 cents each. For more information contact Cindy Hewitt at 256-489-3392 or [email protected].

Science Hour

BRANCH: Monrovia Public Library
DATE: Thursday, Oct. 15, 4:00 p.m.
INFO: Students from 2nd to 5th grades enjoy hands-on science experiments and more. Heat is our theme for October. For more information contact Mandee Farley at 256-489-3392 or [email protected].

Monthly Crafts

BRANCH: Eleanor E. Murphy
DATE: October 17th at 3:00 – 4:30pm
INFO: Drop-in with the whole family for our monthly craft. This month we’re making book-munching Bookmark Monsters. Don’t worry, this really is easy origami! All ages are welcome! Please arrive no later than 4:10 to allow enough time. Contact Ms. Haley at [email protected] for more info.

Get Your Game On

BRANCH: Monrovia Public Library
DATE: Saturday, Oct. 17, 12:00-4 p.m.
INFO: Games, games and more games. For more information contact Kat Carroll at 256-489-3392 or [email protected].

Jack Ushers In Fall

BRANCH: Main Branch-Youth Services
DATE: Friday, October 23rd at 2pm
INFO: It’s a half day of school for Huntsville City Schools! Watch Nightmare Before Christmas and make a fall-themed craft. For more information contact Annie Matthys at 256-532-5982 or [email protected].

Where the Wild Things Are Puppet Show

BRANCH: Eleanor Murphy
DATE: October 27, 4pm
INFO: It’s a wild rumpus! Puppets will lead you on a journey to the far corners of your imagination and back in time for supper at the Murphy Library’s presentation of the Wild Things Puppet Show. Grab a seat and howl with the other wild things. It’ll be a smashing good time! Great for kids of all ages! This not-so-scary monster show features 3 stories, rhymes, music and will be followed by a simple craft.

Halloween at Monrovia Library

BRANCH: Monrovia Public Library
DATE: Tuesday, Oct. 27, 6-7 p.m.
INFO: Children of all ages are invited to enjoy a night of Halloween fun at the library. We will have games, crafts, and treats! Come in costume if you would like and enjoy this family-friendly event.

Not So Scary Puppet Show

BRANCH: Bailey Cove Library
DATES: Wednesday, October 28 at 9:15 am & 10:30 am
Thursday, October 29 at 9:15 am & 10:30 am
INFO: This fun puppet show features wild things and monsters! It highlights the books Where the Wild Things Are and The Little Old Lady Who Wasn’t Afraid of Anything. There will be puppets, songs, rhymes, and a craft.

Halloween at the Library

BRANCH: Bessie K. Russell
DATE: Thursday, October 29th @ 3:00pm
INFO: Come enjoy this pre-Halloween party! Dress in your favorite costume, get treats, and do a scavenger hunt around the library! All ages.

Halloween Party in Madison

BRANCH: Madison Public Library
DATE: Oct 29th @ 6pm
INFO: MPL’s librarians will present a brand new puppet show at 6pm. Everyone is invited to wear Halloween costumes, and children will be able to ‘trick or treat’ through the library after the puppet show. Contact [email protected] or [email protected] for more info!

Trick or Treat at the Library

BRANCH: Main Branch-Youth Services
DATE: Friday, October 30th from 9am-4:30pm
INFO: Halloween is here again, which means it’s time to trick-or-treat your library! Visit all 3 floors for some tasty treats and enjoy a scavenger hunt in Youth Services. For more information contact Annie Matthys at 256-532-5982 or [email protected].

Spooktacular Puppet Show

BRANCH: Main Branch-Youth Services
DATE: Friday, October 30th at 4pm
INFO: It’s a Halloween Spooktacular Puppet Show, featuring fun tales pulled from some of our favorite books, rhymes, and songs! Bring along the whole family to enjoy your Halloween treats and a show.
For more information contact Annie Matthys at 256-532-5982 or [email protected].

Pumpkin Fun

BRANCH: Eleanor E. Murphy
DATE: October 30th & 31st – All day
INFO: Kids of all ages can stop in and enjoy pumpkin themed Fall Activities. We’ll have candy at the desk, a pumpkin scavenger hunt, a pumpkin make-and-take craft, and pumpkin coloring sheets. Not so in to Halloween? That’s okay just come to enjoy the pumpkin fun!

[themify_box style=”lavender rounded” ]We feel that we can’t emphasize enough the critical importance that a great library system plays in the educational and mental health of the area it serves. Both children and adults benefit from the classes, story times, and events that occur within its walls. Each month we’ll bring you highlights of upcoming family events from the libraries within HMCPL.[/themify_box]