Located in south Kitchener, the Ken Seiling Waterloo Region Museum is the largest community museum in Ontario. The site includes two indoor galleries and Doon Heritage Village, a 60-acre living history experience. Visitors can enjoy the sights, smells and sounds of rural life in Waterloo County in the year 1914.
The Ken Seiling Waterloo Region Museum collects and preserves places, artifacts and stories of cultural significance in Waterloo Region. They work with the community to cultivate a sense of identity and belonging.
Kitchener Public Library first connected with the Ken Seiling Waterloo Region Museum through our museum pass collection. Customers can borrow a family pass that allows them to visit the museum for free. The library continues to partner with the museum delivering programs such as a pollinator-friendly gardening workshop and a lecture on trailblazing women in Canada.
Working together in partnership is rewarding. It helps the museum, and the library, better serve our community. We are working together again through our Community Picks initiative.
Community Picks is a curated collection of recommended books chosen by our community partners. Discover hidden gems in the Ken Seiling Waterloo Region Museum’s Community Picks now or visit Pioneer Park to see the full display up until Thursday, March 28.
Food that Really Schmecks by Edna Staebler
Edna Staebler’s cookbooks have been a mainstay in my kitchen at home and a great resource working in the historic kitchen in the Martin House in Doon Heritage Village. Her recipes for Pat in Pan Pastry and Johnny Cake are in regular use in my house.
Readalikes
- Eating like A Mennonite: Food and Community Across Borders by Marlene Epp
- Langdon Hall: A Cookbook by Jason Bangerter and Chris Johns
- Tawâw: Progressive Indigenous Cuisine by Shane M. Chartrand with Jennifer Cockrall-King
- Farm to Table: Celebrating Stratford Chefs School Alumni, Recipes & Perth County Producers by Andrew Coppolino
Son of a Trickster by Eden Robinson
This book is not what you expect. Part coming-of-age, part comedy, part drama, part talking ravens – regardless, you’ll be rooting for Jared, whose compassion is boundless.
Readalikes
- Five Little Indians by Michelle Good
- Where the Dead Sit Talking by Brandon Hobson
- VenCo by Cherie Dimaline
- Never Whistle at Night edited by Shane Hawk and Theodore C. Van Alst Jr.
Turtles All the Way Down by John Green
All of John Green’s books are wonderful. This book, about a teenager with OCD who is just doing the best she can, helped me feel seen. Oh, and there’s a mystery! What’s not to like?
Readalikes
- Harley in the Sky by Akemi Dawn Bowman
- The Rest of Us Just Live Hereby Patrick Ness
- Challenger Deep by Neal Shusterman
- They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera
Ghost by Jason Reynolds
I used to be a teacher. One of my former students hated reading. They had to do an independent novel study, so I recommended this book on a whim. The student loved it so much, they made their parents read it. This book reminds me of the necessity of diverse voices.
Readalikes
- Puppy Love by Gary Soto
- The Crossover by Kwame Alexander
- The Secret Sheriff of Sixth Grade by Jordan Sonnenblick
- Hands by Torrey Maldonado
Descriptions provided by Megan Crawford, Education Coordinator and Emily Joliffe, Head of Content and Experience, with Ken Seiling Waterloo Region Museum.