Summer Reading 2026!
Plant a Seed, Read!
with Special Events, On-going Programs and Reading Challenges
Summer Hours: We're opening every weekday at 10 a.m.!
Special Events
Exotic Animals with Dr. Bec, Wednesday, June 17 at 3 p.m. at the Dysart Community Building
Meet Dr. Mike Bechtel. (You can call him Bec!) Bec is an associate professor of science education at Wartburg College and was a high school science teacher before that. He has always raised exotic animals in his classrooms and his home. He loves teaching and learning, adventures, meeting new people (especially those who share his love of animals), traveling to new corners of the planet, and studying interesting life forms.
Absolute Science Bubble Stations, Friday, July 3 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Dysart City Park
This is one of the largest mobile bubble outdoor programs in the United States. Their hand-made bubble solution makes bubbles not only bigger, but longer lasting! With hundreds of wands of different shapes and sizes from all over the world, you will enjoy a wonderful hands-on experience that brings out the child in all of us! Find us at the tennis courts at the Dysart City Park starting a 6 p.m.
On-Going Weekly Programs
Story Time Adventures, Monday Mornings at 10:15 a.m.
Join us Monday mornings for special summer story times when we partner is with area agencies, community resources, and program presenters to bring extra fun activities to the library during summer break.
Pages & Puzzles, Thursdays during normal hours
Read, color, and solve puzzles this summer every Thursday during normal hours when Pages & Puzzles expands to include our summertime library visitors. Find or make a cozy spot to read when you visit the library on Thursdays. We're making reading forts just for summer! Other activities available at Pages & Puzzles include special coloring challenges, puzzles to solve, jigsaw puzzles, and scavenger hunts.
Everyday Fun @ the Library
Drop-In Playtime at the Library, any day during normal hours.
Meet your friends for play date at the library. We have Melissa and Doug toys, a train table, puzzles, blocks, puppet theater and lots of fun books to read. Find changing projects in our MakerSpace, too.
MakerSpace STEAM Fun & Kids Build: Every Day
Craft, color, learn and build in our MakerSpace featuring STEAM projects throughout the summer! Solve problems with STEM and building challenges, code with Bee Bots coding activities, and explore circuits with our new circuit sets. We'll also be offering kitted crafts and coloring projects. Explore, learn and create when it fits your schedule.
We always have Lego/Duplo and magnetic tile stations available and will rotate other building sets throughout the week.
Norma Anders Public Library
2026 Summer Reading Challenges
Two Options: Use one option, both options or some of both. Just have fun reading!
Option 1: Reading Logs
Track Minutes Read
June & July
Preschool through High School
Read 120 minutes to complete your card.
Read books, newspapers, magazines, or graphic novels. Read together or on your own, just have fun reading!
Turn in completed cards to earn instant rewards and to be entered into the monthly drawing for Barnes & Nobel gift certificates.
Use this link to print the 2026 Reading Log: Coming Soon
Option 2: Monthly Theme Challenge
June, July & August
Preschool through Adult
Read a book that fits the monthly theme, then enter our monthly drawing for local business gift certificates.
Need ideas? Check the displays or ask staff.
Themes:
June: American History: Events
July: What America Means to Me
August: American History: People
Use the link below to see all our programming options.
