Cartoons often exaggerate characters and situations to snag a laugh, while reflecting enough truth for people to identify with a punch line. Thus the appeal of Kentucky’s Gen-Z artist known as Bubby Wade, whose Little Bubby Child has gained wide popularity and meme-worthy status on social media. Basing the main character on his younger brother and drawing from various aspects of his own life, the artist has created thousands of comics and created quite a following of fans who see hints of themselves and their family experiences reflected in the hilarity of his posts. With a following of almost 600,000 on TikTok (and 8.4 million likes), 325,000 on Facebook, and more than half a million on Instagram, his popularity has skyrocketed since Little Bubby Child was first introduced in 2019.
Sarah Baird, who writes for Dirt, an entertainment/culture newsletter, pegs it accurately, calling the series “a Mountain Dew-infused Appalachian cartoon.” Further, she observes, “Little Bubby Child’s slice-of-life, slap-your-knee comics are nuggets, not novels, but the characters and one-liners revealed therein are so juicy that any additional prose would make the digital art veer from reality to caricature.”
The artist has provided WCPL a unique opportunity to partner with his off-beat humor during National Library Card Sign-Up Month by designing one-of-a-kind art that will be featured on a sticker that will be distributed at all library locations and t-shirts that will be sold as a fundraiser. Both feature one of his characters in a “WARREN CO. PUBLIC LIBARY” shirt (intentional misspelling, for humor’s sake). When recently asked if he could give any advice to local library patrons, he responded in true form: “Keep up ye book learnin. Lord you’re gonna need that.”
Library Card Sign-Up Month takes place yearly in September, when public libraries all over the U.S. encourage new users to sign up for a library card, as well as highlight the value provided by having one. Signing up for a WCPL library card is free and easy, and there are a number of options available to Kentucky residents, including the following:
- Apply for a library card in person at any library location. Be sure to bring a valid government-issued photo ID (current driver’s license, state ID, passport, etc.) when you come in to apply. Parents and legal guardians may also apply for a full services library card for a minor. Grandparents, foster parents, and adult caregivers may also sign up a minor or adult in their care for a five-limit card, as can those with approved identification that is not government issued.
- Apply for a card online at https://warrenpl.org/get-a-library-card. After the form is submitted, a library account will be created, and a library card will be mailed to the address provided in three to five business days. The card may then be used to check out digital materials (eBooks, eAudiobooks, digital magazines, streaming music and films). To transition it to a full-service card that allows you to check out physical materials, just bring the card along with your government-issued ID (driver’s license, passport, etc.) to any library location and ask to update it.
This month, new library card applicants will receive a custom sticker featuring the location where they apply, so choose wisely when signing up if you have a sticker preference! (See photo for examples.)
Having a library card is like having money in your pocket! It gives you free access to a treasure trove of books, movies, magazines, music, games, as well as access to databases you may otherwise be unable to afford as an individual. A library card also lets you try out various items from our “library of things” – useful objects, tools, and kits that circulate just like a book or movie would! Our diverse collection includes such items as ukuleles, sewing machines, digital scanners, telescopes, and even newly added fishing poles and tackle boxes!
If you’d like to learn more about the public library system, you can explore our website (warrrenpl.org), sign up for our online newsletter (https://tinyurl.com/WCPLNews), or drop by any library location – we’d love to chat! You can also keep library information at your fingertips by downloading the Warren County Public Library app on the Google Play or Apple Store. Finally, if you haven’t yet connected with us on social media (@warrenpl), please like or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and X, where we post regularly about services and programs. However you like to connect, we will always meet you there!
-by Ashley Fowlkes, Digital Content Manager
