We’re all looking for ways to keep ourselves and our families entertained at home right now. Jerome and Jarrett Pumphrey, two brothers who co-authored the children’s book The Old Truck, which was released in January, found some creative ways to make art for their book, and they’re sharing their expertise with all of us! Check out the video they sent us below to learn how to create your own stamps at home. Make sure to pick up their book, The Old Truck, at BookPeople!

While we’re all at home, you may be missing your book club. But don’t worry — there are plenty of virtual book clubs you can join to discuss your favorite books with fellow readers.

Austin360 Book Club powered by Texas Book Festival

Of course, we’re kicking things off with the book club we run with the assistance of the Austin American-Statesman. The book club lives solely in a Facebook group, which you can join here. We pick new books every month and host the discussions within the Facebook group. Join us!

Silent Book Club

Silent Book Club originated as “happy hour for introverts,” which consisted of a group of friends getting together to read in silence at a neighborhood bar. Since then, more than 240 chapters were formed around the world. You can join a virtual book club by searching Silent Book Club’s website.  There are 10 chapters in Texas, including one in Austin!

Quarantine Book Club

Quarantine Book Club isn’t your average book club — as you can tell from the name, it was formed after COVID-19 hit the U.S., and it consists of daily live interviews with some of your favorite authors. Check out the schedule here.

Read With Jenna

Jenna Bush Hager picks monthly reads for TODAY’s book club. On the book club’s website, TODAY shares discussion questions and book recommendations based on the monthly picks. Get more information here.

POPSUGAR Book Club

Media outlet POPSUGAR hosts a Facebook-based book club featuring monthly book picks and discussions with the authors themselves. Join it here.

BuzzFeed Book Club

Another media outlet running a book club, BuzzFeed also picks monthly books to read and shares discussion questions throughout the month. Join it here.

Reese’s Book Club

We’re sure you’ve already heard of this one, but we can’t leave it out – Reese Witherspoon’s book club is one of the most popular in the world right now. Get more information and join the virtual book club here.

Andrew Luck Book Club

Football player Andrew Luck may not be the first person you go to for book recommendations, but he may be soon. He picks one children’s book and one adult book a month for readers to enjoy. Check out this month’s picks and more about the book club here.

Goodreads Choice Awards Book Club

Goodreads features a variety of book club groups depending on your interests, but the Goodreads Choice Awards Book Club reads books across all genres and authors. The group is currently reading 2019 Goodreads Choice Awards winners. You can join here.

Our Shared Shelf

Another popular Goodreads community, Our Shared Shelf was originally created by Emma Watson. Although it’s no longer managed by Emma or her team, the group is super active on Goodreads, featuring discussion topics on books, social issues, and beyond. Join here.

The Big Texas Read

A newly launched statewide book club brought to you by Writing Workshops Dallas, The Big Texas Read is hosting bimonthly Zoom meetings to discuss various Texas books. Get more information and join here.

Read more blog posts to keep you entertained during quarantine:

• At home with the kids for longer than expected? Here’s how to keep them entertained
• Keep reading: How to access your local library’s ebooks, audiobooks, and more
• Have you missed any live streams from our Instagram Live series? Catch up on them here!
• Graphic novels for every mood
• Take solace in cooking while social distancing
• Tune in to TBF’s Instagram for live streams with your favorite authors
• Using your child’s favorite book to create a great homeschooling experience

 

Physical libraries are closed across the state, but that doesn’t mean you can’t access your favorite books. If you have an e-reader or a smart phone, you have access to thousands of ebooks, audiobooks, movies, music, research materials, and more at your fingertips — all thanks to your library card!

We’ve outlined some of the digital offerings at libraries in Texas’ biggest cities, but don’t worry if your local library isn’t on this list — check with them to see what you can check out during this time!

Austin Public Library

If you already have a library card; great! You have access to APL’s Virtual Library. If you don’t, visit this page to apply for an eCard (the application will take a few business days to process) so you can access the library’s virtual offerings. The eCard is free for Austin residents and $22 for non-residents.

To use APL’s virtual offerings, visit the Virtual Library page on the library’s website. Here, you can access thousands of ebooks, audiobooks, magazines, movies, and music. APL uses a variety of apps and databases, like OverDrive, Hoopla, cloudLibrary, Kanopy, and more. You may need to download separate apps or create new logins to access some of the titles through these services, but all of them are free with your library card! There are different borrowing guidelines and limitations for each service, so make sure to research how each service works before using it. APL’s Virtual Library page has plenty of help pages for you to refer to if you get stuck.

Houston Public Library

Houston Public Library cards are free for Texas residents — that’s right, anywhere in Texas. You can apply online for a MY Link Houston Public Library eCard here, if you don’t already have one.

Once you have a library card, you can access the Houston library’s digital content using a variety of services, including OverDrive and Hoopla. Pro-tip: If you download the SimplyE app for Android or iOS devices, you can search Overdrive and Axis ebooks, as well as RBDigital audiobooks, all within the app. Learn more about HPL’s digital content offerings here, including loan periods for the various services and what types of services the library offers for ebooks, audiobooks, music, movies, and more. If you’re having trouble, visit the digital content FAQs page here.

Dallas Public Library

If you don’t already have a library card, Dallas residents can email librarycustomerservice@dallaslibrary.org to request a card. Make sure to attach a photo ID and proof of residence. You can also call 214-670-7809 to have a card issued by phone.

The library offers ebooks, audiobooks, and magazines via services like OverDrive, Hoopla, cloudLibrary, Axis360, and more. Visit the Dallas library’s online offerings page to learn more about what you can find on each of those services and how to use them.

San Antonio Public Library

If you don’t have an SAPL library card yet and you’re a current resident of Bexar County, you can register online for a 90-day eCard to access the library’s online offerings.

Once you have a card, check out SAPL’s digital offerings here. If you don’t know how to access or download your digital options, visit the library’s guide here.

El Paso Public Library

If you don’t have a library card, El Paso residents can apply for a temporary library card here to access digital downloads.

The El Paso library also uses apps like OverDrive, Hoopla, Libby, and more. You can download the El Paso Public Library app to access and download thousands of digital titles.

Fort Worth Public Library

Fort Worth residents can apply for e-cards here. Once you have a card, you can access a variety of digital titles via Libby, OverDrive, Amplify 817, and more. Check out a full list of digital offerings here.

Other public libraries

If you aren’t sure about your local library’s digital offerings, visit their website! You can also visit the websites for Kanopy (movie streaming), Hoopla (ebooks, audiobooks, movies, music, etc.), OverDrive (ebooks, audiobooks, and video), and Libby to see if your local library uses their services and log in with your library card number.

We know that many of you parents are at home with your children for longer than you anticipated — spring breaks were extended, vacations were postponed, and many schools are now teaching children remotely — and we want to make sure that both you and your kids, no matter how big or small, are staying entertained and intellectually stimulated while you’re at home. Here’s a roundup of just some of the educational and fun online activities to do with your kids!

Storytime with your favorite authors

Reading Rock Stars author and friend of TBF Mac Barnett is reading children books daily on Instagram Live. Each story stays up for 24 hours, so you can rewatch them later if you don’t catch them live! Check out the stories on his Instagram @macbarnett.

Famed author Neil Gaiman’s website Mouse Circus, which is aimed at younger readers, has plenty of fun for kids of all ages, including Neil reading The Graveyard Book and Neil and friends reading Coraline. You can watch the videos here! 

Artist and author Oliver Jeffers is reading his books on Instagram Live every day (and they stay up for 24 hours for those who want to watch later).

Who doesn’t love A Very Hungry Caterpillar? Here’s a video of Eric Carle reading the classic children’s book.

Children’s author Dan Gutman is reading from his books every day on Facebook Live.

Author and illustrator Peter H. Reynolds is hosting daily readings on his Facebook page.

Kwame Alexander is reading The Crossover daily on Instagram Live here.

Create something

Reading Rock Stars author and illustrator Arree Chung is offering a free “creativity camp” for kids that offers writing, drawing and storytelling lessons. You can register for the camp here, and download Arree’s activity guides for kids here.

Author and artist Keri Smith created Exploration of the Day, which features daily creative prompts for all ages, from creating art out of ink blots to drawing the things around you.

The Austin Public Library has a database of crafting, hobbies, home improvement, and other DIY activities accessible with your library card here.

Every day at noon CST, Mo Willems is hosting “Lunch Doodles” on the Kennedy Center website for kids of all ages to draw along with him. Tune into the episodes and download the activity pages here. 

Captain Underpants creator Dav Pilkey is hosting drawing lessons for free on Scholastic’s website.

Keep learning

The Thinkery, Austin’s children’s museum, is offering a range of educational programming for kids on their Instagram stories, from storytime to STEAM activities.

Scholastic offers a variety of daily educational projects to keep kids engaged and learning. You can sort the day-by-day activities by grade level, and they have assignments available in Spanish. Visit Scholastic’s learn-at-home portal here. 

Some of the world’s most famous museums, like the Guggenheim in New York and the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, offer virtual tours. See a list of museums with virtual tours here.

Google has posted the Harry Potter: A History of Magic exhibit from the British Library as a free virtual tour here.

Are there any educational opportunities or storytimes we missed? Email katey@texasbookfestival.org to let us know! 

Before Women’s History Month comes to an end, we wanted to give the TBF audience a look inside the book club at the SAFE Alliance, the Austin organization that serves survivors of sexual abuse, child abuse, and domestic violence. The book club has been reading together for about four and a half years, with roughly 25 members.

Here’s a brief Q&A about what SAFE is doing with their book club — answers are courtesy of Lesley Landry, SAFE’s volunteer onboarding coordinator.

What made SAFE decide to start a book club?

Two of us (Erin and AJ) were catching up over coffee outside of work and started listing all the books we want to read but had not yet read, particularly around anti-racism and feminist themes. Erin said it had been her dream to start a book club. We realized Lesley and so many others at work would be interested as well so we put a notice about the book club in the monthly staff matters newsletter. AJ credits book club with reigniting her love of reading.

What types of books do y’all read?

Thought provoking intersectional feminist fiction, nonfiction, and memoirs. We do our best to select books that reflect the broad range of lived experiences, written by people who have lived experience with their subject matter. We do not shy away from books that share hard realities but we also seek books that uplift and empower historically marginalized individuals. We are still learning how to achieve this balance as it can be a tough line to walk!

What has been the favorite read so far? What about the most lively discussion? Our most lively discussions tend to be ones where people had strong and/or competing opinions about the books.

Some of our most lively discussions have been around the following books: Boy, Snow, Bird by Helen Oyeyemi, Islands of Decolonial Love by Leanne Simpson, The Power by Naomi Alderman, Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi, and Madame President by Helene Cooper.

Some of our favorites have been the following: The Mothers by Brit Bennett, Trail of Lightning by Rebecca Roanhorse, Saga by Brian K. Vaughn & Fiona Staples, Girls Like Us by Rachel Lloyd, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot, and The Book of Phoenix by Nnedi Okorafor.

Why do you think the book club is important?

Book club is a great way to gather outside of work and discuss a topic that may relate to our work but is not specifically about our work. It helps us broaden our perspectives both through the books we read but also through the opinions and lived experiences of group members. We have always told people to come to our meetings even if they have not finished (or even read) the book. It is a supportive “come as you are” group that gives us a chance to unwind and grow at the same time. No matter how tired one is on arrival, we leave feeling energized and connected. The friendships formed have carried us through a lot of change and some hard years, and makes us all the more grateful to this amazing community of book lovers!

What are y’all looking forward to reading this year/in the coming months?

In the Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado, Good Talk by Mira Jacobs, and The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern are the books some of us are really looking forward to reading and discussing this year.

In case you missed it, we’re filling your weeks stuck at home with plenty of literary programming (more coming your soon) on Instagram Live to keep you entertained and learning. We have drawing lessons and storytimes for kids, as well as interviews with some of your favorite adult authors. If you’ve missed any of the live streams, watch replays of them here (including links to where to buy their books):

Interview with Deb Olin Unferth, author of Barn 8

Drawing lesson with author and illustrator Juana Medina

Interview with Kate Elizabeth Russell, author of My Dark Vanessa

Interview with Richard Santos, author of Trust Me

Monoprinting with artist Tonya Engel

Children’s story time with René Colato Laínez, My Shoes and I 

Interview with Amanda Eyre Ward, author of The Jetsetters

Naibe Reynoso reads Fearless Trailblazers: 11 Latinos Who Made U.S. History

Interview with Kate Winkler Dawson, author of American Sherlock

Kids’ story time with Raquel Ortiz, When Julia Danced Bomba

Interview with Natalia Sylvester, author of Running, and Ire’ne Lara Silva

Interview with Mary Pauline Lowry, The Roxy Letters

Jon Scieszka and Steven Weinberg, Astronuts, teach collaging using public domain art

Siblings Jerome and Jarrett Pumphrey, The Old Truck, teach you how to make stamps at home

Bilingual story time with James Luna, The Place Where You Live, in partnership with Austin Parks Foundation

Julissa Arce reads from Someone Like Me and answers audience questions

Interview and cooking demo with Ned Baldwin, co-author of How to Dress an Egg

Interview with H.W. Brands, author of Haiku History

Interview with Lara Prescott, author of The Secrets We Kept

Children’s storytime with Vanessa Brantley-Newton, Just Like Me

Excerpt from interview with Russell Gold, Superpower: One Man’s Quest to Transform American Energy

Interview with Asher Price, Earl Campbell: Yards After Contact

Interview with Maya Shanbhag Lang, What We Carry

Storytime with Avi, Gold Rush Girl

Interview with Jennifer duBois, The Spectators

Interview with Jose Ralat, American Tacos

Interview with Paul Coggins, Sting Like A Butterfly

Interview with Rebekah Manley, Alexandra and the Awful, Awkward, No Fun, Truly Bad Dates: A Picture Book Parody for Adults

Sofi and the Magic, Musical Mural, a children’s book by Reading Rock Stars author Raquel M. Ortiz, tells the story of a young girl, Sofi, who uses her imagination to travel into a mural she sees on her walk home from the bodega, teaching kids about music, dancing, and Puerto Rican culture. You can buy the book on BookPeople’s online store on Bookshop.org (make sure you choose BookPeople as the beneficiary!), and Raquel sent along these learning materials to help you and your kids read along with the book, learn more about the process of writing and illustrating the book, and even dance along!

VIDEOS:

Sofi and the Magic, Musical Mural / Sofi y el mágico mural musical: Teaching Sofi to Teachers, Educators and Parents (13 minutes)

Author and educator Raquel M. Ortiz shares pre-reading activities for her Sofi picture book with second graders from Public School 250. This includes a plena demo by Dr. Drum and a PowerPoint presentation on the mural that inspired the Sofi picture book. The presentation ends with the author and students learning and singing the three songs found in the Sofi picture book accompanied by music by Dr. Drum.

Sofi and the Magic, Musical Mural / Sofi y el mágico mural musical: Plena with Dr. Drum (7 minutes)

New York City Department of Education teaching artist Dr. Drum explains the history of the music genre of plena, the national Puerto Rican music. He also introduces the two instruments used for the plena, the pandereta and the güiro, and plays plena beats for second graders from Public School 250 and Public School 257.

Sofi and the Magic, Musical Mural / Sofi y el mágico mural musical: Sofi Songs (2 minutes)

Author Raquel M. Ortiz, New York City Department of Education teaching artist Dr. Drum, and second graders from Public School 250 and Public School 257 sing the three songs found in the Sofi picture book: “Tocotoco,” “Vejigante está pintao,” and “La plena que yo conozco.” A bonus feature is the vejigante who makes a guest appearance for one of the songs.

Sofi and the Magic, Musical Mural / Sofi y el mágico mural musical: Vejigante Talk (3 minutes)

New York City Department of Education elementary teacher Humberto Soto, dressed up as the vejigante from Sofi and does a recap of the story with second graders from Public School 250 and Public School 257. Soto also answers questions about the story, explains what a vejigante is, and sings and dances for the students.

Sofi and the Magic, Musical Mural / Sofi y el mágico mural musical: The Art and the Artist with María Domínguez (2 minutes)

Artist María Domínguez explains the creative process behind illustrating the Sofi picture book. Domínguez also talks about the community mural El Pueblo Cantor (Bronx, 1996) that she designed with students from Intermediate School 193 and shows original art and marquettes she created for El Pueblo Cantor.