Children's services

Storytimes and events

Family Storytime

Join us with your little ones for stories, songs and fun! Storytime is a fun, inclusive and interactive event that incorporates reading, singing, movement and wordplay to help promote reading and communication skills early on, while celebrating and supporting the cultural and linguistic diversity of our communities. Storytime promotes the joy of reading and helps to develop early literacy skills. It also...

  • Demonstrates that books and reading are fun
  • Develops listening and pre-reading skills
  • Increases vocabulary
  • Provides a bonding activity between children and adults

Drop in at the time and location that works best for you!

Storytime schedule

Day
 Time Location
Tuesdays
 7:15 p.m.
Belle Haven Library
100 Terminal Ave.
Thursdays
 10:15 a.m.
Menlo Park Library
800 Alma St.
 Fridays 10:15 a.m. Menlo Park Library
800 Alma St.
 Fridays 5:15 p.m. Belle Haven Library
100 Terminal Ave.
 Saturdays 10:15 a.m. Belle Haven Library
100 Terminal Ave.
 Saturdays 11:15 a.m. Menlo Park Library
800 Alma St.

Global Language Storytime

Join us once a month with your littles ones for a special Global Language Storytime. Each month, a different presenter comes to the library and provides a storytime in a language that is not English. Some of the languages we have offered in the past are Spanish, Korean, Japanese, Mandarin, Portuguese, Filipino, and more! Check out our calendar to see what is coming next!

Some of our past languages and presenters include:

  • Persian with Bahar Ortakand from Baharestan Kids
  • Mandarin with Early Start Music’s Go Mandarin program
  • Spanish with Colors of Spanish
  • Filipino with Kababayan Kids
  • Korean with Yeiyoung Sarah Won from Looking Glass Korean School
  • Japanese with Poponta Children’s Cultural Society
  • Portuguese with Laura Cláes from A Casa Feita de Palavras

 

Upcoming events for children and families

 

Middle Grade Book Group

Middle Grade Book Group is an in-person group for kids between the ages of 6 and 12 who are interested in reading chapter books. Every month the facilitator will choose a chapter book whose publisher-assigned age rating is between 8 and 12, then lead a group discussion and craft or activity. We'll sometimes host special author visits as well! Free copies of the books are available at Menlo Park and Belle Haven Library while supplies last.


Meeting Day
 Time Location
3rd Saturday of the month
 4:30 p.m.
Menlo Park Library
800 Alma St.
3rd Thursday of the month
 4:30 p.m.
Belle Haven Library
100 Terminal Ave.             

Upcoming book group meetings

Read more

Reader Resources

Looking for a good book?

Graphic Novels for Kids Storytime Favorites Caldecott Award Winners
Middle Grade Adventure Books BIPOC Voices Books for Kids Pride Books for Kids
Middle Grade Magic and Fantasy Grade Level Lists Kids Books on the ALA's Banned Books Lists

Recommended by Kids

Picture Books

Chapter Books

Graphic Novels

See more books recommended by kids on our Kids Picks List! 

Enjoy the Library at Home

  • Libby has hundreds of e-books and audiobooks for people of all ages.
  • Tumble Book Library has ebooks for K-6, plus graphic novels, puzzles and games. Tumble Books also offers storybooks and read-alongs.
  • Hoopla has a Hoopla Kids Mode that limits the content that can be discovered by kids ages 12 and under, showing only kid-friendly ebooks, audiobooks, movies, tv shows, and music.
  • Kanopy has a Kanopy Kids section with animated Story Time picture books. Watch on the web site or in the app.
  • Comics Plus has a large collection of graphic novels, manga, and comic books for all ages.
  • Cloud Library has hundreds of e-books and audiobooks for people of all ages.
  • LOTE4Kids offers picture book videos that are read aloud in English and Languages other than English (LOTE).
  • Novelist K-8 is database which can help you discover your next great read. Search for a book you like and Novelist will show you a list of read-a-likes.
  • Teaching Books for Libraries can help readers connect more deeply with a book by gaining insights about both the text and authors though its collection of interviews, readings, videos, lessons, and more about books and authors. 

 

Learning and Homework Help

Learn

  • ABC Mouse is the #1 digital learning program for ages 2-8! To start, create an account on the website. Then, continue on the web or in the app.
  • LOTE4Kids offers picture book videos that are read aloud in English and Languages other than English (LOTE). 
  • Creative Bug offers hundreds of kid-friendly arts and crafts video classes and tutorials.
  • Novelist K-8 is database which can help you discover your next great read. Search for a book you like and Novelist will show you a list of read-a-likes.
  • Teaching Books for Libraries can help readers connect more deeply with a book by gaining insights about both the text and authors though it’s collection of interviews, readings, videos, lessons, and more about books and authors. 

Databases for School

  • Britannica School and Escolar includes source material in English and Spanish.
  • Explora for Elementary School is a research database that explores topics in biography, social studies, language arts, and science using encyclopedias, text books, periodicals, and original sources.
  • Explora for Middle School is a research database that provides 170 popular middle school magazines, thousands of historical essays, 80,000 biographies, 55,000 primary source documents, and an Image Collection of photos, maps, and flags.
  • Middle School Supersearch is a general research database with access to thousands of resources.
  • ProQuest Database is a source for scholarly journals, newspapers, and more.
  • Referencia Latina is a comprehensive Spanish-language resource offering 49,000 encyclopedia entries, 50,000 images, 2,300 health reports, 100 reference books, dozens of general interest magazines, and daily updated articles from dozens of prominent newspapers from 10 Latin American countries.
  • National Geographic Kids explores amazing adventures in science, nature, culture, archaeology, and space using videos, books, and magazines for kids ages 6 through 14.

Homework Help

  • Tutor.com Learning Suite combines online tutoring, homework help, and test preparation with powerful diagnostic tools and self-study resources to provide a well-balanced and flexible educational environment designed to meet the individual needs of all learners.

Contact us

Desiree Wong
Children's Librarian
Email
650-330-2532

Rose Waldman
Library and Community Services Supervisor
Email

650-330-2516

 

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