Check out these books for inspiration: 

Random Illustrated Fact : A Collection of Curious, Weird, and Totally Not Boring Things to Know

Trivia meets its match. Did you know that Napoleon was once attacked by rabbits? Or that the Mars Rover sang itself “Happy Birthday”? How about the odd ingredient Civil War soldiers used to make coffee? From Jupiter’s diamond showers to why pirates wore eye patches to the delightful link between dancing goats and the discovery of coffee, this collection of obscure and fascinating facts is brought to you by Mike Lowery, an illustrator and connoisseur of the offbeat. Featuring four gatefolds and hundreds of infographic webs that connect the trivia in dozens of surprising ways, it’s a little book that delivers endless delight.

Stuff you Should Know: An Incomplete Compendium of Mostly Interesting Things

The duo behind the massively successful podcast “Stuff You Should Know” offers an unexpected look at weird, fascinating, delightful, or unexpected elements of a wide variety of topics, featuring new subjects that they’ve long wondered about and wanted to explore.

The Ultimate Book of Pub Trivia by the Smartest Guy in the Bar: Over 300 Rounds and More Than 3,000 Questions

Challenge yourself, challenge your friends. Or make it official and host a night of fun, enlightening, and hilarious trivia. The pub quiz is a cultural institution, and bartender Austin Rogers is singularly good at it, not only as the long-time host of a hugely popular New York City quiz night, but also as a 12-time Jeopardy! champion whose earnings of over $400,000 are the seventh highest in the show’s history. He knows a whole of just about everything, and he knows how to run an uproariously entertaining quiz night-all of which he shares in this bible of pub trivia. The Ultimate Book of Pub Trivia by the Smartest Guy in the Bar features over 3,000 questions sorted into more than 300 rounds of well-balanced and smartly curated quizzes for hours of amusement with family and friends. The topics include pop culture, sports, history, and pretty much everything else under the sun, including Random Sh*t: Reflecting its clingy proclivity, Bindwood and Lovestone are archaic English names for this plant (Answer: Ivy). Sorted by difficulty level, each page is annotated with did-you-know facts, jokes, and other marginalia, and throughout the book are mini-chapters with fascinating history, legendary bar stories, tips for winning Jeopardy!, and useful advice on how to run your own pub trivia night. It’s the perfect gift for trivia lovers, pub regulars, and Jeopardy! fans.

Spectacular Spreads: 50 Amazing Food Spreads for Any Occasion

In this follow-up to Beautiful Boards, The BakerMama takes her super-popular snack boards to the next level-incorporating the cutting board and more-with 50 delicious, inspiring, family-friendly, and easy-to-recreate food spreads and build-your-own food bars for entertaining and special occasions, holidays, breakfast and brunch, lunch and dinner, and desserts and drinks, including spreads like: Build-Your-Own Omelet Station Build-Your-Own Breakfast Tacos Build-Your-Own Baked Potato Bar Top-Your-Own Pizza Station New Year’s Eve Appetizers Spread Cinco de Mayo Spread Christmas Cookie Decorating Party Spread Graduation Party Spread Ladies Night In Spread Tailgate To-Go Spread Make-Your-Own Ice-Cream Sandwich Bar Blend-Your-Own Smoothies Bar Craft-Your-Own Cocktail Bar and much more! In Spectacular Spreads, The BakerMama shares even more of her tips and tricks for effortless, stress-free, and foolproof entertaining that will not only impress guests, but also feed a hungry crowd. Visually exciting and deliciously enticing, the spreads and bars are comprised of easy-to-find fresh and prepared foods and are arranged in beautiful, artful, and whimsical ways. Every food spread is accompanied by a gorgeous, large photo and simple step-by-step instructions.

Drink Lightly: A Lighter Take on Serious Cocktails with 100+ Recipes for Low-and No-alcohol Drinks

Explore the lighter side of serious cocktails with 100 recipes for creative low and no-alcohol drinks from the craft cocktail veteran behind New York City’s beloved Nitecap bar. Drink Lightly presents a relaxed style of drinking that goes down easy but is soundly rooted in the technical precision of craft cocktails. Award-winning bartender Natasha David’s approach to low-alcohol, aperitif-style drinks goes far beyond the formulaic–bitter liqueur plus soda–and takes full advantage of an incredible and vast array of low-proof spirits, liqueurs, and wines, along with flavorful fruit and herbal infusions. The result is a collection of creative, genre-pushing drinks that surprise and delight. Offerings are effervescent and light in effect, but complex in flavor, ranging from savory and herbal to floral and aromatic, depending on your mood. Inspired by the joyful rhythms of life and gathering, recipes include delights such as the Lillet Rouge-spiked Kitty Cat Chronicles and the Wiggle Room, a vermouth and soda on a tropical vacation. The drinks are organized by refreshing Gulpabale Thirst Quenchers that invigorate the soul, Party Starters for a crowd, Decadent Treats for some frothy indulgence, end-of-the-night Slow Sippers, and non-alcoholic pick-me-ups. Served up with whimsy and a wink, Drink Lightly will delight novices and professionals alike with its joyful spirit and lighthearted offerings.

Step One: Create eyes and a mouth out of the black construction paper.

Step Two: Create two smaller circles for the inner eyes. Glue them onto the plate.

Step Three: Use a black marker and mark the eyebrows and eyeballs.

Step Four: Using the red crayon, create “slashes” across the cheek and eye lids for effect. 

Step Five: Flip the plate over and place glue halfway across the plate. Cut out some long ribbons and place them on the glue.

Step Six: Cut a “V” shape from the ribbon.

Step Seven: Using a piece of paper ribbon creates a hanging string. Tape it to the back top side of the plate.

BOO!

Step 1: Create ½-inch strips out of the yellow construction paper about 12. Divide the strips into eight pieces and four pieces. Cut out a 2-inch circle as well and set it aside.

Step 2: Take the eight strips and glue the ends only.

Step 3: Cut in half the four strips and glue the ends.

Step 4: Create a strip out of green construction paper and two leaf shapes.

Step 5: Glue down the yellow circle you cut earlier, followed by the stem and leaves. Glue down the longer folded strips first.

Step 6: Glue down the smaller folded strips on the inner side. Place liquid glue in the center and then place sunflower seeds in the center. Let the glue dry completely.

Directions

Step 1: Print and cut out the frog and lily pad template.

Step 2: Trace the frog onto the light green construction paper and lily pad on the dark green construction paper. Cut them out.

Step 3: Using your scrap paper leftovers, take the brown and dark green construction paper and cut it into a single long strip (length of the paper). Glue the ends like so. Overlap and fold until you create a zig-zag.

Step 4: Glue on the googly eyes. Using scrap leftover paper, cut circles out in random sizes. Glue them to the back of the frog.

Step 5: Flip the frog over and glue down the zigzag we made earlier.Using your marker, draw a few lines on the lily pad. Glue down the frog to the front center of the lily pad.

Step 6: Push down the frog and let go! Watch your frog spring into action!

Craft Your Own Happy by Becci Mai Ford

Craft Your Own Happy is a collection of mindful craft projects to make you smile! Perfect for those moments when you need a bit of self-care and relaxation time. 

• Available on Hoopla

Ideas Magazine

Ideas is the ultimate guide to fresh, modern living for women with creative flair and a passion for life. These women care for their families and the people around them and cherish them by expressing their own individuality in everything they do. They love to entertain and decorate their home with their unique style. The magazine provides an outlet for creativity and offers readers practical, creative content that transforms the mundane into the extraordinary. It’s a source of inspiration for craft, decor, entertainment and food. Ideas readers are stylish, sophisticated, modern, educated, balanced, creative, warm, caring and passionate.

• Available on Overdrive

Unplugged Play: Toddler 155 Activities & Games for Ages 1-2 by Bobbi Conner

From Tunnel Tube to Party Play Dough, Bumper Ball to Hoop-Dee-Do, here are more than 150 screen-free games and activities to help kids enjoy the wholesome, old-fashioned experience of playing creatively and freely … without technology. There are outdoor games and indoor games, games to play solo and games to play with others, crafts, songs, guessing games, puppet ideas, playdate and party favorites — even instant activities to do at the kitchen table while dinner’s cooking. All games are toddler-tested and approved!

• Place a hold request

The Grown-up’s Guide to Painting with Kids : 20+ Fun Fluid Art and Messy Paint Projects for Adults and Kids to Make Together by Jennifer McCully

Prepare to get messy as you learn the fun, trendy paint pouring technique — and teach your kids to do it too! Featuring step-by-step instructions for paint pouring — also known as fluid art — as well as for painting crafts, home decor, and more, this book will inspire you and your little ones to have tons of fun together. And you don’t need a lot of stuff; paint pouring uses affordable tools, such as stir sticks, cups, string and more.

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How to Draw : Easy Techniques and Step-by-Step Drawingsfor Kids by Aaria Baid

Even if your little one has never drawn before, they can create pictures better than they ever imagined. Every artist starts with the basics and here is a step-by-step guide to them all. With this how to draw for kids book, every kid can be creative and capture whatever catches their eye. In How to Draw, kids ages 9-12 will try their hand at everything from magical creatures and cartoons to realistic landscapes, portraits, and so much more. Covering basic techniques as they go, this book will prepare and inspire young artists to create their very own masterpieces. It’s easier than you think. 

• Place a hold request

STEAM Lab for Kids : 52 Creative Hands-on Projects using Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math by Liz Lee Heinecke

The creative projects in STEAM Lab for Kids are designed to demonstrate that there’s math and science to be found in great art! From rubber bands to edible stained glass, young engineers and artists alike will find inspiration in these 52 art-forward labs.

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So,You Wanna Be a Writer? by Vicki Hambleton & Cathleen Greenwood

Join a select group of authors–from Stephen King to Cameron Crowe–all of whom published their first works before turning eighteen. So, You Want to Be a Writer? is the only hip how-to book that walks you through every step of the process, from generating ideas to marketing a book. You’ll learn: how to battle the dreaded writer’s block. – exercises to improve your storytelling skills. – how to find an agent and get published. – the ins and outs of publishing. – how to promote your unique work. – and more! With a complete glossary of terminology used by publishers and agents, a step-by-step guide to writing and finishing your book, exclusive insights from famous authors, and a complete list of magazines, websites, contests, and book publishers on the lookout for new writers, So, You Wanna Be a Writer? can be your first and last stop to success!

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3D Paper Crafts for Kids: 26 Creative Projects to Make from A-Z by Helen Drew

Experience the joy and the endless benefits of hands-on crafting with kids! With this interactive project book, you can help young children learn and practice the alphabet while having fun making cute paper crafts! 3D Paper Crafts for Kids is an exciting and easy project guide that carefully illustrates how to create 26 charming projects with fun 3D elements using paper, string, and other household items. With projects organized in alphabetical order, kids will have loads of fun creating these giraffes, owls, queens, flowers, apples, zebras, elephants, and so much more!

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Creative Bug

This website offers thousands of online arts and craft classes. The classes are free with your CCPL library card.

• Click here to access Creative Bug