Warwick Public Children’s Library will get a stream and then a whale. The stream will be blue, but not wet and the whale is so big that it won’t make it to the second story Children’s Library. It will have to stay in the library’s large meeting room.

The stream is being made possible by a $78,000 grant from the Champlin Foundations to replace the Children’s Library carpet. This is no ordinary rug.

The new carpet is an artistic creation with an “outdoors feel.” There will be a blue section down the middle, mimicking a body of water. There will be a brown area on the exterior to represent the land, along with some green circles to represent trees. Whether they feel like they are at a beach or in the forest, “the kids will be able to imagine what works best for them”, said Children’s Librarian Christine Kayle.

During the carpet installation, the Children’s Library will close Friday, March 30. On Saturday, March 31, a “mini” library will be open downstairs in the Large Meeting Room. The Children’s Library will be closed for Easter Sunday and from Monday, April 2 to Saturday, April 7. Children’s services such as storytimes and a “mini” library will be held in meeting rooms downstairs.  By using the meeting rooms, children will still be able to engage in the library’s activities.

“We wanted to make this transition as seamless as possible”, said Kayle.

The cost of carpet installation ended up being $58,230. Christopher LaRoux, director of the library, said he contacted the Champlin Foundations and requested if the remainder of the grant could be put towards re-carpeting the Teen Space (overseen by the Children’s Library) downstairs, which has not been re-carpeted in 20 years. The foundation agreed, and the library just put that installation out to bid. 

Not long after the carpeting is completed. The Whalemobile arrives April 18. The visit is funded by the library’s programming budget. Whale expert Cynde Mclnnis will bring in a 43-foot inflatable whale to be displayed in the large meeting room. She will teach the children about whales and they will be able to travel through the belly of the whale from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. Children in grades K-6 are welcomed. Sign ups must be done in advance for this event, and you can register for the event online at the Warwick Public Library Website, by calling, or in person. The limit of children is set at 60, and they will be rotating through. This is the first time “The Whalemobile” is coming to the library, and Children’s Librarian Pam Miech and Kayle are “super excited about this!”