Kids & Families
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Hit the Reading Trail: 4 Earth Week StoryWalks at Seattle Parks
Want a fun way to celebrate Earth Week with the children in your life? Hit the trail at four Seattle parks while reading amazing picture books that are installed along the way. From Tuesday, April 19 to Tuesday, April 26, StoryWalks® will be installed at Herring’s House Park (Tualtwx) in the Duwamish industrial area; Lincoln Park… Continue reading
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Celebrate National Poetry Month 2022
April is National Poetry Month, a time to celebrate the role played by poetry and poets in our culture, and to read some poetry! We’ve got you all set to find a collection of poetry to sink into, with lists created by librarians for adults, teens, and kids. Seattle Picks: 2021 Poetry Revisited 2021 was… Continue reading
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Rockabye Ocean: Picture Books for Bedtime
Water seems a well loved thing amongst little ones – splashing in the bath, stomping through puddles, and touching waves. With our own kiddo we often see him gravitate towards marine life like the dolphin screensaver on our tv or the marine animal bath toys that shoot water. That got me thinking about themed reads… Continue reading
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Black History Month 2022: Picture Book Nonfiction for Kids
This Black History Month, celebrate Black lives, history, art, and accomplishments with these recent outstanding illustrated nonfiction books for kids! Jump at the Sun: The True Life Tale of Unstoppable Storycatcher Zora Neale Hurston by Alicia Williams illustrated by Jacqueline Alcantara Luminous illustrations and a lively, conversational writing style tell the life story of writer… Continue reading
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Tinkering Toddlers: Activities for At Home Play
A wicked cold, snow, and a closed daycare was making me a stir-crazed mama. I needed ideas to keep my kiddo’s brain learning and his body moving. I found a wonderful collection of books from the Library that gave me the boost and inspiration I needed to be the fun mom! Continue reading
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From Minecraft to Mae Jemison: The Library’s most popular kids’ nonfiction books in 2021
What true stories did Seattle’s children turn to in 2021? While the Library’s most popular fiction books for kids were fairly unsurprising – bestselling titles by Dav Pilkey, Raina Telgemeier and Mo Willems dominated – the most popular kids’ nonfiction books last year were a more varied, surprising collection. Our young Library readers checked out… Continue reading
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Seattle Staff Faves 2021: Books for Kids
We asked our staff across the system for their favorite picture books and chapter books published this past year — and what a tremendous response we had! Here is a sampling of staff faves, with a link at the end to 38 books for the young readers in your life. Book descriptions provided either by… Continue reading
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Library Explainer: Why We Float Collections
Did you know that some of the Library’s collections are floating again? Or that our floating collections save time and money, decrease hold times and expand the diversity of materials at a branch? In library terms, “floating” means that certain Library collections – such as mysteries, DVDs and children’s comics — stay at the Library… Continue reading
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Ready, Set, Read! The 8 Great Books of the 2022 Global Reading Challenge
All over Seattle, fourth and fifth graders are forming teams and starting to turn pages for the 2022 Global Reading Challenge, which launched earlier in November with the announcement of this year’s books. Now in its 27th year, the Global Reading Challenge is a reading incentive collaboration between the Library and Seattle Public Schools. Fourth… Continue reading
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The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly World of Germs
One thing I was not prepared for in this new thing called mom life, was that once you put your kiddo in daycare they will be sick FOREVER! To be fair, I was warned, but I had no idea the endless days of snot, coughing, and laundry would be this intense. As we all battle… Continue reading
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National Park Service Founders Day on August 25
This Wednesday, August 25, is National Park Service Founders Day, and while Washington doesn’t have the most (that belongs to California) we do have three amazing National Parks right at our doorstep: North Cascades National Park, Olympic National Park, and Mount Rainier National Park. The Library has a bountiful collection for all your National Park… Continue reading
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Let’s Swim! Kids Edition
Whether your little ones love the water or are a bit more hesitant to jump in, these pictures books celebrate the joy of getting in the water and splashing around. (Find our swimming-related reading for adults here.) 1, 2, 3, Jump! by Lisl H. Detlefsen illustrated by Madeline ValentineRecommended for ages 2+A young girl gets… Continue reading
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Watch and Read: Stranger Things
While I can honestly watch Stranger Things over and over and over again we have so much material that adds on to the Stranger Things universe to quench your nerdy hearts. As well as a few reads to give you the same feeling the show did – for all ages! The Stranger Things Field Guild… Continue reading
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Witchy Reads for a Witchy Autumn
We are approaching one of the most magical times of the year: when the leaves begin to turn, the days get windier, and the spiders come out to leave their shimmery artwork in the gardens for us to admire. Every autumn, it can feel amazing to lean into the spookier side of things and appreciate… Continue reading
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#BookBingoNW2020: Mentioned in another book
Book Bingo is still underway, and some of those squares may be giving you trouble. Here are some suggestions for the mentioned in another book square. The beauty of this category is that there are so many books about books to choose from. Additionally, so many books mention other books in them, naturally and surreptitiously,… Continue reading
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Three on a Theme: Books About Trees for All Ages
There is nothing quite like a book with some really good tree lore in it. Trees have always been a source of awe and inspiration for people, inspiring a sense of intense calm and mystery with their age, stillness, and connection to forces of nature that human beings simply cannot understand. As such, there are… Continue reading
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Calm Down, Little Monkey! And Other Helpful Skills for Kids
The Hello Genius: Milestones books by Michael Dahl are getting rave reviews from me, a parents of little ones, and the childcare centers I’ve shared them with! This board book series covers classic topics such as going potty, saying “please,” “thank you,” and “I’m sorry,” techniques for calming down, and sharing, all with excellent illustrations and… Continue reading
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Helping Children Cope in Scary Times
It can sometimes be scary being a kid. There are potential dangers lurking around every corner, from the dark to monsters to carrots? Yes, carrots. But in these uncertain times due to COVID-19, it can be harder to explain these fears away. But good news! The Seattle Public Library has lots of books aimed at… Continue reading