Join us in the Storytime Room for Summer Storytime on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday mornings at 10:30am. The Storytime librarian will vary each week, and every day is open to all ages! Catch the all-ages Thrilling Thursday programs...
Summer Reading Program
Color our world this summer
May 27 - August 9, 2025
Stay busy this summer reading and attending events!
Available to readers of all ages and abilities, babies through adults. Participants will receive a gamecard to track their summer reading goals.
Prizes available starting Monday, June 9, 2025. Children's prizes include gift certificates for Blank Park Zoo and the Iowa Children's Museum as well as a free book! Adults and teens can get a coupon for a free book at The Book End bookstore and be entered into the grand prize drawings for a downtown gift card.
If you have time for a quick question, let us know how did you hear about the summer reading program?
Downloads
Resources
- Watch past programs on The Library Channel
- Learn how to log books with Beanstack's mobile app
Sponsors
A big thank you to the Iowa City Public Library Friends Foundation for sponsoring the prizes!
Color your world!
Upcoming Events
All library patrons, regardless of age or neurodiversity can participate in our Summer Reading Programs. We will be happy to customize reading programs and activities to meet the individual needs of our patrons. Please contact Angela Pilkington for more information.
Upcoming events
Tuesday, July 1, 2025 - 1:00pm
Teen Center
All supplies will be provided to create a firework painting just in time for Independence Day.
Tuesday, July 1, 2025 - 1:00pm
Meeting Room A, Meeting Room B, Meeting Room C
Elementary-age kids are invited to join us each Tuesday at 1:00 to learn a little bit about a fun skill or hobby that maybe they haven’t tried before! We have experts from the community here to teach you the basics! Mark Capron, recent inductee into...
Wednesday, July 2, 2025 - 10:30am
Storytime Room
Join us in the Storytime Room for Summer Storytime on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday mornings at 10:30am. The Storytime librarian will vary each week, and every day is open to all ages! Catch the all-ages Thrilling Thursday programs...
Wednesday, July 2, 2025 - 1:00pm
Meeting Room A, Meeting Room B, Meeting Room C
Color our world, and celebrate diverse cultures from around the globe! Every Wednesday during our Summer Reading Program, elementary-age kids are invited to join us for a new event where they can explore and experience unique cultures and traditions...
Wednesday, July 2, 2025 - 1:00pm
Teen Center
Johnson County Ambulance will have qualified staff to cover ‘hands only’ CPR, AED instruction, stop the bleed, Narcan administration and an overview of the PulsePoint app. This will not result in certification. This program is a repeat of the June...
Wednesday, July 2, 2025 - 2:30pm
Meeting Room A, Meeting Room B, Meeting Room C
Known for her vibrant paintings of landscapes, plants, and animals, Maud Lewis' iconic folk art is celebrated around the world. In addition to creating paintings for sale, Lewis also covered the inside of her 100-square-foot tiny home with...
Wednesday, July 2, 2025 - 4:00pm
Storytime Room
Calling all science lovers in 3rd-6th grade! Every Wednesday from June 11 - July 16, join West High students Flora and Tina for hands-on activities about physics, the scientific study of matter and energy. Figure out how gravity works, experiment...
Thursday, July 3, 2025 - 10:00am
Meeting Room A, Meeting Room B, Meeting Room C
Join Mike Schneider as he takes you on a musical, magical, and humorous journey around the world! Uncle Mike's music will have all ages singing, clapping, and dancing along to such polka-fied classics. But this program is so much more than just...
Thursday, July 3, 2025 - 1:00pm
Meeting Room A, Meeting Room B, Meeting Room C
Join Mike Schneider as he takes you on a musical, magical, and humorous journey around the world! Uncle Mike's music will have all ages singing, clapping, and dancing along to such polka-fied classics. But this program is so much more than just...
Tuesday, July 1, 2025 - 10:30am
Storytime Room
Join us in the Storytime Room for Summer Storytime on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday mornings at 10:30am. The Storytime librarian will vary each week, and every day is open to all ages! Catch the all-ages Thrilling Thursday programs...
Tuesday, July 1, 2025 - 1:00pm
Teen Center
All supplies will be provided to create a firework painting just in time for Independence Day.
Tuesday, July 1, 2025 - 1:00pm
Meeting Room A, Meeting Room B, Meeting Room C
Elementary-age kids are invited to join us each Tuesday at 1:00 to learn a little bit about a fun skill or hobby that maybe they haven’t tried before! We have experts from the community here to teach you the basics! Mark Capron, recent inductee into...
Wednesday, July 2, 2025 - 10:30am
Storytime Room
Join us in the Storytime Room for Summer Storytime on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday mornings at 10:30am. The Storytime librarian will vary each week, and every day is open to all ages! Catch the all-ages Thrilling Thursday programs...
Wednesday, July 2, 2025 - 1:00pm
Meeting Room A, Meeting Room B, Meeting Room C
Color our world, and celebrate diverse cultures from around the globe! Every Wednesday during our Summer Reading Program, elementary-age kids are invited to join us for a new event where they can explore and experience unique cultures and traditions...
Wednesday, July 2, 2025 - 1:00pm
Teen Center
Johnson County Ambulance will have qualified staff to cover ‘hands only’ CPR, AED instruction, stop the bleed, Narcan administration and an overview of the PulsePoint app. This will not result in certification. This program is a repeat of the June...
Wednesday, July 2, 2025 - 2:30pm
Meeting Room A, Meeting Room B, Meeting Room C
Known for her vibrant paintings of landscapes, plants, and animals, Maud Lewis' iconic folk art is celebrated around the world. In addition to creating paintings for sale, Lewis also covered the inside of her 100-square-foot tiny home with...
Wednesday, July 2, 2025 - 4:00pm
Storytime Room
Calling all science lovers in 3rd-6th grade! Every Wednesday from June 11 - July 16, join West High students Flora and Tina for hands-on activities about physics, the scientific study of matter and energy. Figure out how gravity works, experiment...
Thursday, July 3, 2025 - 10:00am
Meeting Room A, Meeting Room B, Meeting Room C
Join Mike Schneider as he takes you on a musical, magical, and humorous journey around the world! Uncle Mike's music will have all ages singing, clapping, and dancing along to such polka-fied classics. But this program is so much more than just...
Thursday, July 3, 2025 - 1:00pm
Meeting Room A, Meeting Room B, Meeting Room C
Join Mike Schneider as he takes you on a musical, magical, and humorous journey around the world! Uncle Mike's music will have all ages singing, clapping, and dancing along to such polka-fied classics. But this program is so much more than just...
There are no upcoming events.
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Saturday, August 9, 2025 - 1:00pm
Meeting Room A
Shannon Downey (aka Badass Cross Stitch and author of Let's Move the Needle: an activism handbook for artists, crafters, creatives, and makers) will join us via Zoom on the big screen to share everything we need to know to start stitching staggering...
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Thursday, July 31, 2025 - 1:00pm
Meeting Room A, Meeting Room B, Meeting Room C
Come learn about some of Iowa's largest birds and even meet a couple! Joan and other volunteers from Raptology will bring some birds of prey and talk about their habitat, diet, size and any other questions you bring about owls, falcons,...
Thursday, July 31, 2025 - 4:00pm
Meeting Room A, Meeting Room B, Meeting Room C
Kathy and other volunteers from the our local K9 Ambassador program, sponsored by the lowa City Dog Obedience Club, will use handpicked dogs to help teach attendees about dog safety and etiquette. Following an educational presentation, enjoy tricks...
Friday, August 1, 2025 - 1:00pm
Storytime Room
Disney and Pixar’s “Inside Out 2” returns to the mind of newly minted teenager Riley, just as headquarters is undergoing a sudden demolition to make room for something entirely unexpected: new Emotions! Joy, Sadness, Anger, Fear, and Disgust, who’ve...
Tuesday, August 5, 2025 - 1:00pm
Meeting Room A, Meeting Room B, Meeting Room C
Elementary-age kids are invited to join us each Tuesday at 1:00 to learn a little bit about a fun skill or hobby that maybe they haven’t tried before! We have experts from the community here to teach you the basics! For our last How-To Tuesday of...
Wednesday, August 6, 2025 - 1:00pm
Meeting Room A, Meeting Room B, Meeting Room C
Color our world, and celebrate diverse cultures from around the globe! Every Wednesday during our Summer Reading Program, elementary-age kids are invited to join us for a new event where they can explore and experience unique cultures and traditions...
Wednesday, August 6, 2025 - 2:30pm
Meeting Room A, Meeting Room B, Meeting Room C
We’ll start with a dance party, including following along to “Just Dance” choreography on the big screen; then shift gears way down with some relaxing, sensory craft stations, including play-doh, coloring, and scratch art. All Abilities Club...
Thursday, August 7, 2025 - 10:00am
Wetherby Park
All good things must come to an end, but that doesn’t mean we can’t go out with splash…or blast! Join us anytime between 10am-12pm at Wetherby Park (2400 Taylor Dr, Iowa City, IA) outdoor area to play with bubbles, experience a mega foam blaster...
Thursday, August 7, 2025 - 4:00pm
Meeting Room A, Meeting Room B, Meeting Room C
Create a sparkling, mosaic-like keychain by following a pattern to place tiny rhinestones.
Friday, August 8, 2025 - 1:00pm
Storytime Room
“Disney’s Snow White” is a live-action musical reimagining of the classic 1937 film. The magical music adventure journeys back to the timeless story with beloved characters Bashful, Doc, Dopey, Grumpy, Happy, Sleepy, and Sneezy.Take a break from the...
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Thursday, July 17, 2025 - 1:00pm
Meeting Room A, Meeting Room B, Meeting Room C
Get ready to sing, dance, and rock with St. Louis based children's musician, Celia! !Celia's world-famous, one-woman show is a rockin', stomping', hollering good time. Wear your dancing shoes to this all-ages party because Celia...
Friday, July 18, 2025 - 10:30am
Children's Room
Join us in the Storytime Room for Summer Storytime on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday mornings at 10:30am. The Storytime librarian will vary each week, and every day is open to all ages! Catch the all-ages Thrilling Thursday programs...
Friday, July 18, 2025 - 1:00pm
Storytime Room
Paddington returns to Peru to visit his beloved Aunt Lucy, who now resides at the Home for Retired Bears. With the Brown family in tow, a thrilling adventure ensues when a mystery plunges them into an unexpected journey. Take a break from the summer...
Saturday, July 19, 2025 - 10:30am
Storytime Room
Join us in the Storytime Room for Summer Storytime on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday mornings at 10:30am. The Storytime librarian will vary each week, and every day is open to all ages! Catch the all-ages Thrilling Thursday programs...
Sunday, July 20, 2025 - 2:00pm
Storytime Room
Create a colorful and delicious (looking) ice cream cone that won't melt in the heat! We'll have lots of fun craft supplies to make the paper ice cream treat of your dreams! Sunday Fun Days are suitable for all-ages, but younger children...
Monday, July 21, 2025 - 10:30am
Children's Room
Join us in the Storytime Room for Summer Storytime on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday mornings at 10:30am. The Storytime librarian will vary each week, and every day is open to all ages! Catch the all-ages Thrilling Thursday programs...
Monday, July 21, 2025 - 1:00pm
Storytime Room
Every Monday in the summer we will be hosting games and activities! Join us today to play BINGO! 暑期周一活动日：宾果游戏
Tuesday, July 22, 2025 - 10:30am
Children's Room
Join us in the Storytime Room for Summer Storytime on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday mornings at 10:30am. The Storytime librarian will vary each week, and every day is open to all ages! Catch the all-ages Thrilling Thursday programs...
Tuesday, July 22, 2025 - 1:00pm
Meeting Room A, Meeting Room B, Meeting Room C
Elementary-age kids are invited to join us each Tuesday at 1:00 to learn a little bit about a fun skill or hobby that maybe they haven’t tried before! We have experts from the community here to teach you the basics! Learn a few easy stitches that...
Wednesday, July 23, 2025 - 10:30am
Children's Room
Join us in the Storytime Room for Summer Storytime on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday mornings at 10:30am. The Storytime librarian will vary each week, and every day is open to all ages! Catch the all-ages Thrilling Thursday programs...