Originally an accidental invention by an 11-year-old boy back in 1905, the popsicle has become a mainstay treat for hot summer days. Whether you're in the mood for fresh and fruity or extra-sweet and indulgent, it's super easy to whip up your own homemade popsicles. Give it a try whenever you're in the mood for a refreshing snack or dessert. Below is a round-up of resources about America's favorite frozen confection.

Head back to the 62 Days of Summer home page for more ways to participate in the summer program!

Complete one READ square by attending a virtual program or using our resources to DIY a library program at home. For our full program listings, please take a look at our Program Calendar. For programs that perfectly fit the READ square, and further suggestions, please read on.

Storytimes

• Looking for stories, songs, rhymes, and fun? Try our Far and Away Storytime on Wednesdays.
• Want to create your own storytime? Explore our Share a Story blogs that are full of story, song, and rhyme suggestions that you can use at home.

At-Home Literacy Ideas

Explore our Lit Lab handouts for early literacy activity suggestions that you can use at home. Visit our Kids page and scroll down to our list of Lit Lab handouts by theme.

Virtual Book Clubs

Click on the program titles below for descriptions and registration information.

• This is NOT a Book Club (for patrons ages 10-13)
• The Advanced English Language Learners Book Club
• Fiction eBook Discussion Group
• Nonfiction eBook Discussion Group
• Email Book Club

Create your own virtual book club using Hoopla Book Club Hub, or stay tuned for new programs at OverDrive's Together We Read. Get suggestions for how to host online. 

Virtual Writing Group

Attend our Adult Writers Group and make writing a regular part of your literary life.

Return to the main READ blog post.

Head back to the 62 Days of Summer home page for more ways to participate in the summer program.

As you travel through the 62 days of Summer, there are many ways to share your experiences with family, friends, and other folks in your community. To share your experiences with the CPL community, make sure to hashtag #howdoyou62. You can also create shareable moments with some of the 62 Ways squares listed below.

Head back to the 62 Days of Summer page for more ways to participate in the summer program! 

• Be a Tourist in Your Own Town
• CPL Connect
• Create a Summer Memory Book
• Critique or Compliment
• Practice Kindness
• Recommend a Book
• Send a Postcard
• Snap a Photo

A great sign of spring is the sound of frogs and toads. The "Listen to Frogs" 62 Days 62 Ways square encourages you to do just that! Frogs are important to the environment (and to us!) for many reasons, but perhaps the most important is that they are an indicator species that help us determine the health of the environment.

Activities:

• The Rouge River Watershed Frog & Toad Survey is a volunteer listening survey that the whole family can participate in. Volunteering is relatively easy, simply e-mail spetrella@therouge.org and they will send you materials to help you distinguish the breeding calls of the seven frogs and one toad found in the watershed. Surveyors choose a quarter square mile area within the watershed that they survey independently on warm spring nights March - July. While this is a serious Citizen Science Project and effort - it is also a great way to spend some time out in nature with the family.
• Frog activities and fun ideas for kids!
• For those that crochet, or would like to learn, there is an adorable Crocheted Beanbag Frog with Lily Pads available through Creativebug. (CPL card required)

Resources:

Earlier this year, we asked you to tell us about the books that moved you, books you loved, books that you wanted to share with others. The recommendations listed below come from your neighbors and friends who participated in the Canton Book Project. The links below feature personal recommendations across a variety of genres and include, in their own words, a bit about why the books means so much to the person recommending it. 

If you would like to recommend a book that means a lot to you, you'll find a recommendation form at the bottom of this page. Happy reading! 

Kristin Felsburg recommends Letting Go of Supermom by Daisy Sutherland.*  "I chose this book because I think it does an excellent job of depicting how mothers in today’s age feel the pressure to be everything at all times."  A single working mom of three, Kristin says "I have double the duties and double the workload at home and I feel the pressure to perform all of my roles perfectly all the time.  This book helped me understand that by doing that I’m actually doing a disservice to those who want to help me, as well as my children who need to learn some independence." 

* Currently unavailable at CPL, but click here for other options

Cecilia Escobar recommends An American Marriage by Tayari Jones. "As a new year resolution, I decided to read even more this year, from fiction to political science, to philosophy and all in between." A friend recommended An American Marriage and Cecilia found it fit her resolution.

"The simple storyline is narrated by the characters whose individual complexities and points of view add substance to the story. Different upbringings, social class revelations, and yet, a criminal justice system consumed by inequality complete the novel." 

Sandra den Boer recommends Fearfully and Wonderfully Made: A Surgeon Looks at the Human and Spiritual Body by Paul Brand.  "Dr. Brand shares his unique knowledge of the human body and the amazing way our various biologic systems work. He covers the skin, nervous system, skeletal system, etc., and shares many incredible cases he personally worked on." Sandra recommends this book to readers of all ages, especially high school or college students "pondering what career choice and course of study to take. I believe that this incredible book will inspire them to consider medicine as a path of study."

Hailey Davis recommends The Little Prince by Antoine Saint-Exupery for readers of all ages. Hailey first read The Little Prince as an adult and found that "it reminded me of the importance of listening and paying attention to the heart of each person you encounter. It reminded me how to be a good friend and to appreciate those that are in my life."

This classic appeals to little readers, too.  "When I've shared it with my children they've enjoyed the other world descriptions and curious character of the little prince."

Alfred Brock recommends The Hero with a Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbell because "it is informative and interesting and is also uplifting and encouraging to those who are starting out on a new adventure or dealing with personal struggles in their lives.  Just like the mythical stories it is centered on this book is not what it seems at first glance."  Alfred recommends this book for anyone, but especially "people considering going to college because it would encourage them to seek out more and believe in themselves."