Off the Shelf: October 2026

November is a month full of celebrations; not just Veterans Day and Thanksgiving. It is Native American Heritage Month and Men's Health Awareness Month. You can also find, mixed into any list of November's National days and observances, a whole slew of Literary celebrations. There is Picture Book Month, National Family Literacy Month, and National Life Writing/Memoir Writing Month. The National Book Awards will take place on Wednesday, November 18th. National Young Readers Week is from Monday, November 9th to Friday, November 13th. Special Literary days in November are National Authors' Day and National Family Literacy Day on the 1st, National Nonfiction Day on the 6th, and I Love to Write Day on the 15th.

Celebrate Picture Book Month by selecting a picture book to check out from our catalog.

If you need cooking inspiration, we have plenty of cookbooks and even some magazines to help.

The Pioneer Woman Cooks: The Essential Recipes: 120 greatest hits, new twists, and perfected classics by Drummond, Ree

Scratch That: Embrace the Mess, Cook to Impress by Traeger, Alix

Julia Child's Kitchen: The Design, Tools, Stories, and Legacy of an Iconic Space by Johnson, Paula J.

The Best Casserole Cookbook Ever by Ojakangas, Beatrice

Braided Heritage: Recipes and Stories on the Origin of American Cuisine by Harris, Jessica B.

Found Recipes: Beloved Vintage Recipes Worth Sharing. by Crocker, Betty

November 11th is the 100th anniversary of Route 66 officially becoming a part of the U.S. highway system.

You can browse our catalog for books featuring Route 66 and then check out https://www.route66centennial.org/ for more information

For Native American Heritage Month, you can select items from both our catalog and from our Kanopy streaming services.

A Voice Like Mine: a memoir by Haaland, Deb

Native America: The Story of the First Peoples by Feder, Kenneth L.

Ours to Tell: Reclaiming Indigenous Stories by Yellowhorn, Eldon

Stealing America: The Hidden Story of Indigenous Slavery in US History by Fisher, Linford D.

Indigenous Citizens: Native Americans' Fight for Sovereignty, 1776-2025 by Rosier, Paul C.

Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz's Indigenous Peoples' History of the United States: A Graphic Interpretation by Peart-Smith, Paul

MEET THE CAST: JUNIE B. JONES & DISNEY’S DESCENDANTS! 

Get ready for an exciting afternoon with your favorite characters! Join The Dixon Children’s Theatre at the Dixon Public Library for a special Meet the Cast event featuring *Junie B. Jones: Essential Survival Guide to School* and *Disney’s Descendants*! 

 Monday, November 2
 Dixon Public Library

 Enjoy fun crafts and coloring activities!
 Enter our ticket drawing for a chance to win along with other fun prizes!
 Meet the cast and celebrate these exciting upcoming productions!

Bring the kids, bring your friends, and join us for an afternoon full of creativity, theatre magic, and fun!

We can't wait to see you there! 

Drop in anytime from 9:30 am - 12:30 pm, on Saturday, November 7th

for some Junk Journaling. Supplies will be available but you can bring your own.

No registration required.

In Promotion of her latest book, "Witches of Questionable Intent", author Jenn McKinlay held a Baby Book Dragon’s Big Day Out contest.

For this contest, a baby dragon visited the library and documented his many adventures. Our library went to battle against other libraries to see who had the mightiest, most vote-worthy dragon adventure. We are happy to say we won this dragon contest with minimal bloodshed (I may have gotten a papercut). The sacrifice was worth it, and we gained a worthy guardian for our Fantasy section.

We call him Fred.