Winter 2 Storytime Registration is here! 

Storytimes are for babies, toddlers, and children up to age 6.  The Children's Library offers a variety of additional programs for children up to age 12.

Register: Monday, March 1 - Monday, March 15

Session 2: Monday, March 22 - Friday, April 30

Registered Storytimes are for children whose parents are Darien residents, employed in Darien full-time, or contributors to the Darien Library Annual Campaign at the $300 level.

How to Register

Register infants and 1-year-olds based on their ability to walk.  For two-year-olds and up, please register children based on their age at the start of the storytime session.  The programs are developmentally appropriate for the stated ages, though there is a two-week grace period for soon-to-be birthdays.

Registration is a lottery and you will be contacted by Saturday, March 20, 2010 for Winter 2 placement.

To register for technology classes:  Click here to register for Little Clickers (ages 3-5.)  Click here to register for iKids (ages 9-12.)

Click on the name of the storytime for which you'd like to register

Giggles and Rhymes:  pre-walking babies and a parent/caregiver

• Mondays 11 - 11:30 a.m.
• Tuesdays 9:30 - 10 a.m.

Born to Read: walkers up to 24 months and a parent/caregiver

• Tuesdays 10:30 - 11 a.m.
• Wednesdays 10:30 - 11 a.m.
• Thursdays 10:30 - 11 a.m.

Side by Side: 2-year-olds and a parent/caregiver

• Tuesdays 11:30 - Noon
• Wednesdays 3:15 -3:45 p.m.
• Thursdays 9:30 - 10 a.m.

Totally Preschool: 3 and 4-year-olds

• Tuesdays 1:30 - 2 p.m.
• Fridays 9:30 - 10 a.m.
• Fridays 10:30 - 11 a.m.

Bookworms: 5 and 6-year-olds

• Wednesdays 4:15 -4:45 p.m.

Three big winners: the Newbery, Caldecott, and Sibert awards.

Today at 7:45am in Boston, the American Librarian Association and the Association for Library Service to Children announced before a packed room of hundreds, the winners for the 2010 Youth Media Awards. 

And the winners are.................... (click Read More)

You are raising kids in a digital world. Facebook, Twitter, and a growing number of websites and social tools are becoming increasingly important in most aspects of our 21^st century world. Information literacy is crucial to your children’s success in school and technology is now completely integrated into your child’s life. Today’s students want Web 2.0 tools to be a part of their learning lives because these are the tools that enable them to connect, collaborate, create, and engage in learning that is relevant, contextual and experiential.  

Why should they have all the fun? Join us in 12 weeks of learning through engagement in online technology, in 21 simple activities that you can do on your own time, at your own pace. This program is designed to help you learn about, and how to use, Web 2.0 technologies so that you may better support, guide, and parent your digital native kids safely and confidently through both the perils and the possibilities that this brave new digital world offers. 

Kids don’t just learn in school. You are your children’s first and forever teachers.

So, join in the fun – come play and learn with us!

Sign up HERE for the program and join us on February 6th, 2010 as we kick-off this unique learning program for parents of 21st Century learners! Parents can also sign up by emailing crstaff@darienlibrary.org or calling the Children's Library at (203) 669-5235.

~ Kick-off party and program introduction Saturday, February 6th, 2 PM. ~

This program is inspired by the Learning 2.0: 23 Things program developed by Helene Blowersat the Public Library of Charlotte & Mecklenberg County and adopted by many other libraries and organizations since then. Content and style for 21 Things for 21st Century Parents has been borrowed and duplicated under a Creative Commons license. We thank them for sharing the program so that we may spread the ideas and make learning fun for parents too!

image courtesy of Flickr user Flickerized.

curl up with a good book!

Click on the picture to discover our Booklists for Kids.

Have a great idea for a booklist?  We want to hear about it!  Send us an email at crstaff@darienlibrary.org.

And HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

We just got in two wonderful new series for beginning readers: the Max books and the Katie Woo books.  Both of these series can be found in our Learn to Read section (in the catalog, the call number is F5 Learn). 

Want more?  Ask us about other great series for children who are learning to read!

On Saturday, November 14, we will be participating in National Gaming Day @ Your Library, a one-day event coordinated by the American Library Association (ALA). Libraries across the country will participate in National Gaming Day, featuring board games for people to play together and interactive video games, including the largest simultaneous national video game tournament ever held!

According to ALA, the goals of this event are to: 

• Raise awareness about the use of games as a library program;
• Expose people to new types of board games;
• Establish connections between local board game groups and the library.

Throughout the day, board games will be placed all around the Library for people to play whenever they like. At 1 p.m., teens may enter the playoffs to determine which four teens will represent Darien Library and compete at 3 p.m. in Teen Super Smash Brothers Brawl National Tournament against other libraries from all over the country. The national competition begins at 3 p.m. This event will take place in the Community Room and refreshments will be served. Register for the Super Smash Brothers Brawl National Tournament by calling 669-5225, emailing ahylton [at] darienlibrary [dot] org, or stopping by the Teen Lounge.

 At 2 p.m., there will be a board game event in the Conference Room on the Mezzanine. There will be a wide assortment of board games, snacks, and drinks. It’s drop-in and lasts until closing. This event is for all ages, including families.

From 3 to 5 p.m., the Children's Library will have a special “We’ve Got Game,” for ages 7 and up. Children, parents, and grandparents are all invited!

Children in the Booksworms program, here in the children's library have been very busy making books this session. We started off brainstorming different parts of a book. We discussed what kind of books we would like to make, some children created fiction books with imaginary characters while others made non-fiction books about sharks and dogs. We also learned the jobs of the author and illustrator, and that some books have no words and other books have no pictures. (Some of the kids were surprised by this). Each child designed the cover, all of the illustrations and sounded out the words that told their story. Today was the last day of our session. Each child read their story to the group and shared their illustrations.

September is Roald Dahl Month and the Children's Library is celebrating!

Roald Dahl is one of the best known and well loved authors of children's books.  James and the Giant Peach, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Matilda and The BFG are just a few of his creations. 

Visit the Children's Library anytime this month to pick up a Fun Facts sheets, a Roald Dahl quiz, a Revolting Recipe, a booklist of Dahl "readalikes," and more fun stuff to get you all "Dahl-ed up." 

If you've never read a Dahl book, now is a great time.  For younger readers (ages 7+), start with Fantastic Mr. Fox or The BFG- these are two of Dahl's shorter novels (that nevertheless pack Dahl's signature black humor and absurdist adventure).   For older readers (ages 9+), Matilda and The Witches are two deliciously dark stories about kids finding their strength despite the obstacles devised by horrendously evil adults. 

What is that? You've read every Dahl book ever written?  Well, stop by the Children's Library and pick up a copy of our list of Dahl "readalikes."  We've put together a compilation of authors and books that are Dahl-esque.  Pick up a copy of The Problem with the Puddles, The Outlandish Adventures of Liberty Aimes, or another one of our readalike suggestions and let us know what you think. 

So, kids, we want to know: What are your favorite Roald Dahl books and why?                                                                  Add your answers in the comments below!

Fall 2009 Session 1 REGISTRATION IS NOW CLOSED:

Fall 1 

Register:  Monday, August 17 – Monday, August 31

Session:  Tuesday, September 8 – Friday, October 16

Important Enrollment Information -

• Registration is a lottery and participants will be contacted by Saturday September 5, 2009 for Fall Session 1 registration.
• Registered Storytimes are for children whose parents are Darien residents, employed in Darien full-time, or contributors to the Darien Library Annual Campaign at the $300 level.

Storytimes are for babies, toddlers and children up to age 6. The library offers a variety of other programs for children up to age 12.  

These programs are developmentally appropriate for the stated ages, though we offer a two week grace period for children on the cusp. Parents and caregivers can register infants and 1-year-olds based on their ability to walk. For two-year-olds and up, please register children based on their age at the start of the storytime session.

Little Toot - A Visit with Linda Gramatky Smith

Wednesday, August 12, at 2pm

On Wednesday, August 12, the Darien Library will welcome Linda Gramatky-Smith, daughter of Hardie Gramatky, who wrote the beloved Little Toot books. She will share her father's inspiration for the books, as well as show some original artwork and video footage of Hardie Gramatky with his illustrations.                               

This will be a wonderful family event for children ages 5 and up!

You can hear children's book author Daniel Pinkwater, who wrote The Hoboken Chicken Emergency and The Neddiad, read from the restored edition of Little Toot on NPR. Click here