Earth Month extending into May with at least three events

From surprise snow storms to sunny daffodil days, Earth Month was full of surprises. The month of April was also filled with activity as our community celebrated Earth Month with over 20 programs and more than 200 participants.

We hope that you’ll consider taking part in the additional Earth Month activities this May such as the tree ID workshop at the Charlotte Park & Wildlife Refuge on May 4, the Trees on Pease hike on May 10 (rescheduled from April 26) and the food waste prevention program on May 20.

Other highlights this month include the continuation of the Japanese cultural series on May 6 and 31. We certainly hope you will join us for the showing of “Free for All: The Public Library” on May 7 and the chance for conversation about our library and the spirit of libraries everywhere.

Programs for kids

Monthly baby & toddler time
Saturday, May 3, 10 a.m.
Baby Time: Join other young families in an unstructured hour of play and exploration in the young children’s area. Ages birth to 12 months.

Toddlers: Join other young families in an unstructured hour of play and exploration in the program room. Ages 12 months to 24 months.

Preschool story time
Tuesdays, 10 a.m.
Come to the Charlotte Library for preschool stories, crafts and activities. No registration required. Age 2 and over.

Preschool free play
Wednesdays, 10 a.m.
Play in the preschool years enables children to explore and make sense of the world around them, as well as to use and develop their imagination. Explore the sensory table, sorting, playing with blocks, playdoh — these are a few of the open-ended projects planned for Wednesday morning play-based learning at the Charlotte Library.

Babytime
Thursdays, 9:30 a.m.
You’re invited to an unstructured hour for parents, caregivers and babies to play, explore books, and chat in the young children’s area. Ages birth to 18 months.

Let’s Lego
Saturdays, 10 a.m.-1:30 p.m.
Drop in for Lego free play. We’ll have loads of Lego bricks out, along with some books and prompts for inspiration. For all ages. Please note: Children under 10 must be accompanied by an adult.

Programs for adults

Stillwater meditation
Saturdays, 9 a.m.
Poetry and meditation are offered freely and in person to the Charlotte community. Come for quiet reflection, contemplation and gentle meditation instruction. Respect for all beings and faiths is a foundational quality of our time together. Beginning and experienced meditators are welcome.

Introduction to Japanese culture through food
Tuesday, May 6, 7 p.m.
Hideko Furuyama taught Japanese language and culture courses at Saint Michael’s College and retired several years ago. In her Japanese culture course, she covered the history, religion, cuisine and more. She brings her expertise to the Charlotte Library for an introduction to Japan by way of its culinary heritage. Presented as part of a Japanese cultural series based on a grant from the Japan Foundation.

‘Free for All: The Public Library’ film
Wednesday, May 7, 7 p.m.
“Free for All: The Public Library” tells the story of the quiet revolutionaries who made a simple idea happen. From the pioneering women behind the Free Library Movement to today’s librarians who service the public despite working in a contentious age of closures and book bans, meet those who created a civic institution where everything is free and the doors are open to all. Presented in conjunction with the PBS Indie Lens productions.

‘Trees on Pease’ walk
Saturday, May 10, 2 p.m.
Brandon Benedict, county forester for Chittenden County, will lead a family-friendly walk on the Pease Mountain Trail focused on the species of trees found there. This will all be on the lower loop and take about two hours. Meet at the Pease Mountain trailhead near the ice rink at the west end of Charlotte Central School.

Cook book club
Tuesday, May 13, 5:30 p.m.
Join a celebration of Ina Garten’s show “Barefoot Contessa.” Browse our collection of Ina Garten cookbooks and select a recipe to make and share. No time to make a dish? No worries! There’s always extra so please come and share your love of food. You can also find copies of her books on Libby and at other local libraries.

Thursday book club
Thursday, May 15, 7:30 p.m.
The Thursday book club is reading “Rough Sleepers,” the story of Jim O’Connell, who graduated from Harvard Medical School and was nearing the end of his residency at Massachusetts General, when the hospital’s chief of medicine made a proposal: Would he defer a prestigious fellowship and spend a year helping to create an organization to bring health care to homeless citizens? That year turned into O’Connell’s life’s calling. Tracy Kidder spent five years following O’Connell and his colleagues as they worked with thousands of homeless patients. O’Connell navigates the city streets at night, offering medical care, socks, soup, empathy, humor and friendship to some of the city’s most endangered citizens. Copies available at the circulation desk.

Mystery book group
Monday, May 19, 10 a.m.
In “The Poacher’s Son,” game warden Mike Bowditch returns home one evening to find an alarming voice from the past on his answering machine — his father Jack, a hard drinking womanizer who makes his living poaching illegal game. An even more frightening call comes the next morning from the police; they are searching for the man who killed a beloved local cop the night before, and his father is their prime suspect. Jack has escaped from police custody, and only Mike believes that his tormented father might not be guilty. Copies available at the circulation desk.

Food waste prevention program
Tuesday, May 20, 7 p.m.
Wasting food is expensive. Every year, Americans lose more than $218 billion on wasted food. Join Anne Bijur from the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation for an enlightening conversation about preventing food waste to save money, fight hunger and protect our environment.

Better Together book club
Wednesday, May 21, 7 p.m.
Join this open group that discusses books related to parenthood, which will be discussing Claire Keegan’s multi-award-winning, bestselling novel “Small Things Like These.” In 1985 in an Irish town, during the weeks leading up to Christmas, Bill Furlong, a coal and timber merchant, faces his busiest season. As he does the rounds, he feels the past rising up to meet him and encounters the complicit silences of a people controlled by the church. Copies available at the circulation desk. Ebook and audiobook available on Hoopla.

Men’s book group
Wednesday, May 21, 7:30 p.m.
In the four most bloody and courageous days of our nation’s history, two armies fought for two dreams. One dreamed of freedom, the other of a way of life. Far more than rifles and bullets were carried into battle. There were memories. There were promises. There was love. And far more than men fell on those Pennsylvania fields. Shattered futures, forgotten innocence and crippled beauty were also the casualties of war. “The Killer Angels” is unique, sweeping, unforgettable — a dramatic re-creation of the battleground for America’s destiny. Join in person or on Zoom. Copies available at circulation desk.

Recurring programs

Book chat
Wednesdays, 3 p.m.
Meet each week to discuss new books, old books and books we might have missed. Each week, library director Margaret Woodruff selects a theme and highlights related titles from the library collection. No registration necessary.

Crochet & knit night
Wednesdays, 5-6:30 p.m.
Join in a casual weekly session of crocheting and chatting, knitting and catching up. Bring your project or start a new one with yarn and needles available at the library, along with plenty of books to instruct and inspire. For teens and adults.

Library contact information:
Margaret Woodruff, director
Cheryl Sloan, youth services librarian
Susanna Kahn, tech librarian
Phone: 802-425-3864
Email

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The Charlotte Library Board of Trustees meets the first Thursday of each month at 6 p.m., unless rescheduled following the Opening Meeting Law. The next scheduled board meeting is this Thursday, May 1, at 6 p.m. Contact the library or visit the library website for more information.