Kids & Families

  • Family Reads: Trains and Trails

    Summer is finally here! Kids are out of school and vacations are under way, which means it’s a great time for kids to stock up on some great summer reads. I always love to start summer with a grand adventure, and I think many kids will as well. Kenneth Oppel’s The Boundless fits the bill… Continue reading

  • A Milestone for the Beacon Hill Branch

    ~posted by Diane In July of 2004, the Beacon Hill Branch Library moved into a brand new 10,000 sq. ft. building, a sea change from the 3,000 sq. ft. storefront that had been our home since 1962.  Now 10 years old, we will celebrate with a neighborhood birthday party on July 12th from 12:30-5:30 p.m.… Continue reading

  • I Want To Be A Real Princess

    Little girls and their princess fascinations…it’s bound to happen. Your daughter or niece becomes completely obsessed with those blinged-out, spoiled, little darlings and you’re stuck with the monotony of it all. Well, thanks to a mom who decided she wanted her daughter to know about real princesses with a bit more gusto and drive than… Continue reading

  • Raising a Money Smart Kid

    Does trying to raise a money smart kid mean that you want to come home to a little Gordon Gecko calculating the P/E ratio for their next stock purchase? Probably not. Although my preschooler would look great in a power suit, I think I would rather focus on giving her the tools she needs to… Continue reading

  • Gracias, Sylvia Mendez!

    Sylvia Mendez is part of one the most important families in the struggle for civil rights.  Her story became even more widely known when the children’s book, Sylvia and Aki by Winifred Conkling, was selected for The Seattle Public Library’s 2014 Global Reading Challenge.  The book chronicles two tragic events in American history—the internment of Japanese… Continue reading

  • Librarian suggestions for kids’ summer reading

    Just before school ended earlier this month, our children’s librarians were out “school visiting” to promote summer reading. In addition to information about joining our Summer Reading Program, children in our local elementary schools hear their neighborhood libraries do a show-and-tell style of talking about great books. You can find various neighborhood and school book suggestion… Continue reading

  • Five for the Fourth and Fifth Graders

    Did you know that we have book lists for kids in our catalog? And that our children’s librarians have been hard at work, revamping them? No? Well today we’ll take a look at Broadview Librarian Louisa’s list: Books for Fourth and Fifth Graders. Here are her top five picks from the list and some insight into why… Continue reading

  • Five children’s mysteries you must read!

    Someone just told me the most popular posts about books start with a number of books you must read, hence the title and I hope it’s true! We recently updated a number of children’s booklists and I had the pleasure of updating the mysteries list. This meant I read some titles I have been dying… Continue reading

  • For the love of llamas

    Have you noticed all the recent books* starring llamas? In case you’ve missed out, here’s a list for the whole family: Llama of Death – the third installment in the Gunn Zoo Mysteries series by Betty Webb – features Alejandro, a grumpy llama who loves children. When a dead man is found in Alejandro’s pen,… Continue reading

  • Go-to read-aloud picture books

    One thing I have learned as a parent is that every family has its own sense of humor. I have also learned that some children’s books you looked forward to reading to your own children aren’t always as awesome as you remembered them. Continue reading

  • Ed Young’s children’s picture books

    I fell in love with Ed Young’s children’s picture books when I was taking a children’s literature class at the library school I attended. Many of his stories that I love are drawn from folktales of different cultures and teach moral lessons to children through his simple text and stunning illustrations. Mouse Match, an ancient Chinese… Continue reading

  • Tricky books

    An amazingly wide range of questions come across our library information desks, I’m sure every librarian has their favorites. My current favorite was from an earnest young man of around seven years of age who was interested in “tricky books.” I tried to show him magic books with no satisfaction. Of course there just isn’t… Continue reading

  • Little people up to no good (part 2): the modern tiny person

    Were you thrilled when Arrietty came out, but now want new tiny adventures? Well, look no further! The Bromeliad trilogy by Terry Pratchett (1989) I’ve tried very hard to stick to tiny people who are more people than fairy, and of all of Pratchett’s tiny people, the Nomes of the Bromeliad best meet that criteria.… Continue reading

  • Little people up to no good (part 1): the classics

    Have you ever noticed how many books there are about the lives of tiny people? Jonathan Swift pretty much started it with Gulliver’s Travels (1726), but the conceit of itty bitty humans really seems to have taken off from there. Continue reading

  • Sneak peek at the 2013 Global Reading Challenge

    Today on Shelf Talk we are featuring a special booktalk preview of all of the titles for the 2013 Global Reading Challenge! So buckle your safety belt and get your eyes ready for a new year of awesome reads. Continue reading

  • Build a Bob Book at the Library on Saturday!

    The beloved Bob Books are often a starting place for many families with new readers. Join us this Saturday, November 3, at 2 p.m. at the Central Library to meet Lynn Kertell, the current author of the Bob Books! These books help children practice the fundamental skills of learning how to read. Continue reading

  • Comics Count! — newly independent readers and the world of comics

    This Saturday at 2 p.m. is our third program for emerging readers this fall at the Central Library — and this week is all about comics! Comics for new readers, you say? But we want kids reading words, not looking at pictures! What are you saying? Continue reading

  • Do you have an emerging reader in your family?

    When kids enter elementary school, their brains are just ready to learn how to read. Some kids seem to get it right off the bat, but others need more practice. But how can we help our children when they seem reluctant to practice their skills? As it turns out, reading and literacy can be a… Continue reading