Children's storytimes at area public libraries this month celebrate Black authors and illustrators

Storytimes at area public libraries in February have a special theme for Black History Month.

The Springfield-Greene County Library District’s youth services coordinator Stephanie Smallwood shared a book as she talked about the Celebrating Black Brilliance! Storytimes at branch libraries this month.

“I’m choosing this one because it’s February and it’s also – a lot of birding is happening this month as well,” said Smallwood, talking about the book, “How to Bird,” by Rasha Hamid, a Black birder and Black author. “But this is just a really neat book. If you could see the pictures, it’s photographs that they’ve taken of kids, of all sorts of kids. We’ve got a lot of diversity and a lot of inclusion in this book and then the text is really short and simple, but it’s all about, here’s how you can watch birds, and here’s all the things that you need, but really the only thing you need is you.”

“How to Bird” is just one book that area librarians might choose to read at a Celebrating Black Brilliance! Storytime. The focus is on books by Black authors and illustrators, and the events are part of the library district’s African-American Read-In.

Smallwood said they hope families will discover books they might not have seen before “and then add them to their book diet for the entire year because it’s so important to have books shared with your family that are by all kinds of people, about all kinds of people and get those throughout that book diet throughout the year. This is a great place to get started.”

Celebrate Black Brilliance! Storytime for kids six and younger:

Friday, February 9, at 11:15 a.m. at the Library Station’s Story Hour Room

• Tuesday, February 13, at 10 a.m. at the Strafford Branch Library
• Thursday, February 15, at 10 a.m. at the Midtown Carnegie Branch
• Tuesday, February 20, at 10:30 a.m. at the Willard Branch
• Wednesday, February 21, at 10:30 a.m. at the Ash Grove Branch
• Wednesday, February 21, at 11 a.m. at the Fair Grove Branch
• Wednesday, February 28, at 11 a.m. at the Schweitzer

Celebrate Black Brilliance! Storytimes for kids 36 months and younger:

• Friday, February 9, at 9:30 a.m. at the Library Center Story Hour Room
• Friday, February 9, at 10 a.m. at the Library Station Story Hour Room
• Wednesday, February 28, at 10 a.m. at the Schweitzer Brentwood Branch

 Find out more at thelibrary.org/programs.

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