Animal Tales Library Programs

Our Park Naturalists and volunteers come to your local library each month to share a story about a native animal and a related craft or activity!

These programs are FREE to attend and are most appropriate for preschool to upper elementary age children.

Advance registration is required by contacting your local public library.

  • Avon-Washington Township Public Library:  (317) 272-4818
  • Brownsburg Public Library:  (317) 852-3167
  • Clayton – Liberty Township Public Library:  (317) 539-2991
  • Danville – Center Township Public Library:  (317) 745-2604
  • Jamestown – Tri-Area Public Library:  (765) 676-6190
  • Monrovia branch of Morgan County Public Library:  (463) 300-4085

Upcoming Stories

May: Vulture View by April Pulley Sayre

Turkey vultures soar on the balmy air, looking for their next stinky feast. These birds don’t hunt―they like their food to be already dead, and their eating habits serve a very important ecological role. Vultures are part of nature’s clean-up crew. In her signature poetic, energetic style, acclaimed nature writer April Pulley Sayre introduces young readers to the world of the turkey vulture. The gorgeous illustrations by Caldecott Honor-winning artist Steve Jenkins capture these birds in all their surprising majesty.

  • Brownsburg: Wednesday, May 3 at 4 p.m.
  • Jamestown: Thursday, May 4 at 3 p.m.
  • Avon: Friday, May 5 at 2 p.m.
  • Danville: Friday, May 5 at 4 p.m.

June: Fish is Fish by Leo Lionni

Two best friends, a minnow and a tadpole, are practically inseparable until the tadpole grows legs and decides to explore the world beyond the pond. When the tadpole, now a frog, returns to tell his friend of the extraordinary things he’s seen, the minnow, now a fish, tries to follow in his footsteps, but quickly finds that land is not what he expected. Friendship truly saves the day in this imaginative tale of a fish out of water.

  • Clayton: Tuesday, June 6 at 10:30 a.m.
  • Monrovia: Tuesday, June 6 at 1 p.m.
  • Brownsburg: Wednesday, June 7 at 4 p.m.
  • Jamestown: Thursday, June 8 at 3 p.m.
  • Roachdale: Thursday, June 8 at 4 p.m.
  • Avon: Friday, June 9 at 2 p.m.
  • Danville: Friday, June 9 at 4 p.m.

July: Lousy Rotten Stinkin’ Grapes by Margie Palatini

In Palatini’s humorous take on Aesop’s “The Fox and the Grapes,” Fox enlists Bear, Beaver, Porcupine, and Possum to help grab some out-of-reach fruit. Concocting an elaborate scheme, Fox ignores the other animals’ simpler, sounder solutions. Moser’s considered watercolors humorously show realistic-looking creatures displaying human responses, from calculating to exasperated.

  • Brownsburg: Wednesday, July 5 at 4 p.m.
  • Jamestown: Thursday, July 6 at 3 p.m.
  • Roachdale: Thursday, July 6 at 4 p.m.
  • Avon: Friday, July 7 at 2 p.m.
  • Danville: Friday, July 7 at 4 p.m.

August: In the Trees, Honey Bees by Lori Mortensen

Inside the hive views of a wild colony of honey bees offer close ups of the queen, the cells, even bee eggs. Simple verse will engage a young child, while sidebars with fascinating information satisfy the somewhat older child. Parents, teachers, and kids will love this picture book. The detailed art shimmers with life, highlighting each hair or grain of pollen on the bees. A wild hive in a tree in her own backyard served as a model for the artist!

  • Clayton: Tuesday, Aug. 1 at 10:30 a.m.
  • Monrovia: Tuesday, Aug. 1 at 1 p.m.
  • Brownsburg: Wednesday, Aug. 2 at 4 p.m.
  • Jamestown: Thursday, Aug. 3 at 3 p.m.
  • Roachdale: Thursday, Aug. 3 at 4 p.m.
  • Avon: Friday, Aug. 4 at 2 p.m.
  • Danville: Friday, Aug. 4 at 4 p.m.