The Chicago Public Library has reason to celebrate this year. When news of the Great Chicago Fire reached the members of Parliament in England, they were so devastated that they decided to donate books to the people of Chicago. The some 8,000 books that arrived were put in a makeshift reading room in an abandoned iron water tank that was sure to be fireproof. With shelves lining its walls, it opened on Jan. 1, 1873, 125 years ago. Among events celebrating the library’s anniversary, children can join in the festivities at a party inspired by “The Wizard of Oz,” which was written by Chicago author L. Frank Baum. Original copies of his books, owned by the library, will be on display and favorite characters such as the Tinman, the Lion, the Scarecrow and, of course, Dorothy will be on hand. Puppets and a storyteller will be there too to tell the tales imagined by Baum. Decorations in the Children’s Library will be inspired by the book’s Emerald City and children will be able to make green-colored glasses so that the whole world will appear to be just the right magic shade. While supplies last, young visitors can spin the Wizard’s Wheel to receive a copy of the book to take home so that they will be able to follow the Yellow Brick Road whenever they want to.
“The Wizard of Oz” Kickoff Birthday Party Weekend, noon-3 p.m. Saturday, Thomas Hughes Children’s Library, Harold Washington Library Center, 400 S. State St., free; 312-747-4647 and branch libraries.
Animals leave behind clues that tell who they are and what they are doing. At a Family Fun Day at North Park Village Nature Center, children can become detectives and learn how to decipher animal tracks left in the mud or snow. First they will make a field guide book with examples of the tracks of the white-tailed deer, the fox, the raccoon, the opossum and the squirrel and then play a game to see how many of them they remember. They will also find out how to figure out if an animal is seeking food or shelter or marking territory. Then they will go outside to find the real thing. Another program called “Stories in the Snow” will follow the same kind of tracks. Families interested in turtles can attend an informal meeting of the Turtle Club of the Chicago Herpetological Society to see all sorts of turtles and ask questions and find out about having one for a pet. During yet another program families can go on a nature walk through the wetlands, the tall grasses of the prairie and the woods, which are being rehabilitated with new trees.
“Family Fun Days: Animal Tracks,” 1 p.m. Saturday; “Family Nature Walk,” 2 p.m. Jan. 18; “Stories in the Snow: Animal Tracks and Traces,” for ages 7-11, 1 p.m. Jan. 24 and 31; “All About Turtles,” 1-3:30 p.m. Jan. 25; North Park Village Nature Center, 5801 N. Pulaski Rd., free, pre-registration required; 312-744-5472.
Learning French will be far from being a chore for young people who attend a course called “French is Fun” at the Alliance Francaise. They will pick up vocabulary effortlesly while doing various crafts. They may make small houses and decorate them to acquire the words to describe where people live or make dolls to learn about parts of the body and then dress them, fashionably no doubt, to learn about the words for clothing. The language will come to them quite naturally the way it does to young children.
“French for Fun,” 11 a.m.-12:25 p.m. Saturdays, Jan. 17-March 28, for ages 5-9, $155, parents taking courses during children’s class period will receive a 30 percent discount, Alliance Francaise, 810 N. Dearborn St., 312-337-1070.
