Special July events for children and families include:

Babaloo Music and Fun, 10:00 am, Monday, July 10, Rock Island Public Library, Downtown Library, 401 19th Street, Rock Island. Babaloo is a one-man musical comedy act for children of all ages. Named one of St. Louis’ favorite children’s performers, a Babaloo performance is a high energy, over-the-top, fun-filled experience for the whole family. "My shows have been called ’carefully controlled chaos.’ There’s no ’criss-cross applesauce, sit-still-and-zip-your-lip stuff.’ There is lots of shouting and singing, dancing, stomping, magic and mayhem, bean-bag bopping, bubble-popping, and bucket-beating - whatever it takes to keep everyone energized and laughing," says Babaloo.

Creepy Crawlies and Snakes Alive! Thursday, July 13, 10:00 am at the Downtown Library and again at noon, at the Southwest Library, 9010 Ridgewood Road. Science and educational fun with creepy crawly critters and live snakes, brought to you by the science educators at the Grout Museum and Science Center, Iowa. All ages/Family.

July events for teens ages 12 to 18 include:

Make Your Own Graphic Novel, 5:00 to 6:00 pm, Tuesday, July 11, Downtown Library, 401 19th Street. A graphic novel is simply a book set in comic-strip style. Learn how to design your own, with tips on creating characters, writing a story, structuring your comic, and posting comics online.

Library Mini-Golf, 3:00 to 4:30 pm, Tuesday, July 18, Downtown Library. Come to the library for a round of mini-golf! The library’s second floor becomes a teen-themed mini golf course for one-day only, with holes designed around teen books, movies, gaming, and other pop culture themes. Play solo or with friends to see who gets the best score, and win prizes.

Teen Tie-Dye, 1:00 to 3:00 pm, Friday, July 21, Southwest Branch lawn. Bring a shirt or other cotton (or cotton-blend) clothing and create your own wearable art. Dye can splatter, so dress for making a creative mess. The library will supply gloves and other materials.

Teen  and Tween Gaming - Thursday, July 27, 4:00 to 6:00 pm, Downtown Library 

Play Wii U, play Xbox 360 and Wii Games, board games, and see what you catch in Pokemon Go. Ages 8 to 12 for tween games and 12 to 18 for teens.

All events are free and open to the public.

Deadline to complete logs and entry forms for the library’s summer reading and learning program is Saturday, July 15. Participants may still register and log books for summer reading contests for kids, teens, adults, and families, either online or at any Rock Island Library location.

For information or to register online, visit the library website. For details about more events for all ages in July, pick up a Summer Guide while supplies last, call 309-732-READ,  or follow the library on Facebook and Twitter.