Posts by Joshua, Manager of Youth Services

December Programs for Younger Kids

December Programs for Younger Kids

Great programs for younger children take place all month long, every month, at the Library.  See our online calendar or stop in the Trove for location information. Holiday PreK Grab & Go Kits Available throughout December – More information here. Storytime! Ages 2-6, Families Tuesdays, 11:00 a.m. – December 6, December 20, December 27 Thursdays, 11:00 a.m. – December 1, December 15, December 29 Saturday, 2:00 p.m. – December 3 Stories, songs and fun with a Trove Librarian. Following Storytime on Tuesdays and Thursdays, the children and caregivers are invited to Toy Time in the Story Trove – a time
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November 10, 2022 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Events, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: Activities for children in Westchester, activities for children in White Plains, children's events, dance, December 2022, kids, live music, music, performances, programs, storytime, The Trove, trove, and trove events.

Author Visit Storytimes in December

Author Visit Storytimes in December

Author Visit & Storytime: Hanukkah Nights Ages 2-6, Families Friday, 11:00 a.m. – December 2 Join author, artist and children’s book creator Amalia Hoffman in celebrating a colorful and creative Hanukkah with her new book Hanukkah Nights! Amalia will demonstrate how she created amazing textures for each night of Hanukkah. Children will create their own bright lights and have fun! The presentation will include lighting an electronic menorah, coloring pages and sing-along. Learn more about Amalia Hoffman here. Author Visit & Storytime: Cucarachita Martina Ages 2-6, Families Saturday, 2:00 p.m. – December 10 Listen to New York city author Yadhira
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November 9, 2022 6:27 pm | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Events, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: author visit, children's events in White Plains, Hanukkah, storytime, and trove.

November Programs for Younger Kids

November Programs for Younger Kids

Great programs for younger children take place all month long, every month, at the Library.  See our online calendar or stop in the Trove for location information. Autumn StoryWalk: Full of Fall On display on the Library Plaza through Wednesday, 11/30 Featuring Full of Fall by April Pulley Sayre – a visually stunning picture book that captures the essence of Fall.  More information here. Storytime! Ages 2-6, Families Tuesdays, 11:00 a.m. – November 1, November 15, November 29 Thursdays, 11:00 a.m. – November 3, November 17 Stories, songs and fun with a Trove Librarian. Following Storytime, the children and caregivers
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November 2, 2022 9:55 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Events, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: Activities for children in Westchester, activities for children in White Plains, children's events, dance, kids, live music, music, November 2022, performances, programs, storytime, The Trove, trove, and trove events.

Parenting Collection

Parenting Collection

Did you know the Library has a Parenting Collection in the Trove filled with books for adults and children to help with various topics related to raising a child? Stop in and check it out! The Parenting Collection is a collection of titles to help caregivers raise children from pregnancy through teen years, as well as books written for children to help them understand themselves & the world, organized into topics including: Big Ideas! (social justice & activism, gender identity, racism & prejudice, etc.) Brain & Body COVID Family Illness Family Types Feelings Grief Maturing New Baby New Places Potty
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November 1, 2022 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: books for parents, books on parenting, caregivers, parenting, parenting books, parenting collection, parenting collections, and The Trove.

Announcing Kids Pick

Announcing Kids Pick

The Trove has a new program called Kids Pick which is for all Trove patrons to participate in! What is Kids Pick? Well, you just read a book and give us your review! Did you just read a book you can't stop talking about? Do you have a favorite book you think everyone should read? Maybe you love the illustrations in a new graphic novel! It is as easy as 1, 2, 3… Read a book! Fill out the Kids Pick form available in the Trove. Give the form to a Librarian at the Compass desk. We will put your
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October 31, 2022 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Events, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: book review, children's books, juvenile fiction, juvenile nonfiction, Kids Pick, and The Trove.

October Programs for Younger Kids

October Programs for Younger Kids

Some great regularly occurring programs for younger children take place all month long, in-person, at the Library. Check the online calendar or ask in the Trove for specific locations for each event. Autumn StoryWalk: Full of Fall On display on the Library Plaza through Wednesday, 11/30 Featuring Full of Fall by April Pulley Sayre – a visually stunning picture book that captures the essence of Fall. More information here. Special Author Storytime! Saturday, 2:00 p.m. – October 1 Enjoy a storytime with local author Deborah Johnson to celebrate her book Eggplants on the Farm: Adventures with Little Chef Debbie. Storytime!
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October 16, 2022 8:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Library News.
Tags: children's events, dance, kids, live music, music, October 2022, performances, programs, storytime, The Trove, trove, and trove events.

SUNY WCC Session for Teens and Parents

SUNY WCC Session for Teens and Parents

SUNY WCC Information Session Tuesday, 10/25, 5:00 p.m. Teens, Adults Virtual Registration required. Register here. SUNY Westchester Community College’s Admissions Information Sessions provide an opportunity to learn about WCC’s more than 65 different degree programs, student services, admission requirements, and the enrollment process. This program is presented by Wendoli Tejada, Adjunct counselor in the Office of Admissions, SUNY WCC. This program is offered in conjunction with Somers Library and other Westchester Library System libraries.
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October 15, 2022 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Library News.
Tags: college, College Prep, College Readiness, and Westchester Community College.

Activism 101 for Teens and New Adults

Activism 101 for Teens and New Adults

Saturday, 10/15: 1:00 p.m. Teens, Adults Virtual Registration required, space is limited. Register here. Learn how to act on your vision for a better world with Omkari Williams. This program is an opportunity for teens and new adults to find their way into activism and learn how to participate in causes that are important to them. This program includes: Identifying your activist archetype; Exploring your “origin” story (why you care about social justice in the first place) and finding out how to use that to fuel your social justice work; Choosing your cause(s); Building a plan of activism that is
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October 15, 2022 7:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Library News.
Tags: activism, community building, Everyday activism, Omkari Williams, programs for new adults, programs for teens, and social justice.

Spooky (But Not Too) Scary Stories

Spooky (But Not Too) Scary Stories

Saturday, 10/15: 11:00 a.m. Children, families Library Auditorium Master Storyteller Jonathan Kruk brings children tales for Halloween! They'll meet the witch who puts happiness into Halloween, see “Rolly-Head” and go on a spooky interactive walk with the “Old Lady Who is Not Afraid of Anything. They will listen, laugh and leap! There's no violence nor gore, just fun, spooky tales! About Jonathan Kruk Master storyteller Jonathan Kruk earned a B.A. in English from Holy Cross College and an M.A. in Education from New York University. He studied creative drama in England, got coaching at H.B.Studios by Bill Hickey, and performed
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October 1, 2022 9:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Library News.
Tags: halloween, Halloween events in Westchester, Halloween events in White Plains, Jonathan Kruk, and October.

Jump Into Halloween! with Jumpin’ Jamie

Jump Into Halloween! with Jumpin’ Jamie

Saturday, 10/29: 2:00 p.m. Children, Families. Library Auditorium. Kindie rock musician Jumpin' Jamie returns with his puppet friends to celebrate “Spooky Season” with a high-energy show filled with music and magic including the hit song “Ghost In My House” which has been ranked by Yahoo, Time Out NY, and Good Housekeeping as a “Top Halloween Song”. Jumpin' Jamie has performed thousands of shows for audiences as varied as birthday parties for 12 people to stadiums for 12,000. Jumpin' Jamie's debut album “Kookie” was released in 2018 and features appearances from members of They Might Be Giants, the late Peter Tork,
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October 1, 2022 8:30 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Events, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: events for children, events for kids, halloween, Halloween events in Westchester, Halloween events in White Plains, Jumpin' Jamie, music, Observances and Celebrations, October, puppets, and trove events.

Jonathan Kruk’s “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow”

Jonathan Kruk’s “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow”

Saturday, 10/15: 1:00 p.m. Ages 10+, teens, adults Library Auditorium “His spirited, candlelit one-man show has become a fixture of Halloween” – The New York Times Washington Irving's classic as a dramatic solo show with live music! A ghost of a Hessian soldier, decapitated at White Plains during the American Revolution, gallops after a Connecticut Yankee schoolmaster. Written in 1819 by Washington Irving this gothic romance went “viral,” bringing the author wealth and fame. “The Legend’s” iconic Headless Horseman continues to haunt us today. Master Storyteller Jonathan Kruk’s solo show offers a dramatic retelling of this American classic. True to the
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October 1, 2022 8:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Library News.
Tags: halloween, Halloween events in Westchester, Halloween events in White Plains, Jonathan Kruk, October, Sleepy Hollow, and the legend of sleepy hollow.

Have a Spooktacular October 2022

Have a Spooktacular October 2022

I love October: the weather, the foliage, the crunch of leaves underfoot, and, of course, Halloween and all it entails. From the spooky to the macabre; the decorations and the costumes; the tricks and treats – it’s my favorite time of the year. Here’s some great programs, reading lists and resources to help you have a spooktacular October filled with skele-tons of fun. On October 15th, at 11:00 a.m., Master Storyteller Jonathan Kruk brings Spooky (But Not Too) Scary Stories to children and their families! Afterward, children 10+, teens, and adults can join Kruk for The Legend of Sleepy Hollow
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October 1, 2022 5:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Events, Homepage Kids, Kids, Library News, and Teens.
Tags: Day of the Dead, day of the dead celebration in white plains, Dia de los Muertos, halloween, Halloween Books, Halloween events in Westchester, Halloween events in White Plains, Halloween Movies, Observances and Celebrations, October, Spooktober, and westchester day of the dead celebration.

Peculiar Picks

Peculiar Picks

Peculiar Picks are a selection of odd, funny, interesting, curious, moving, irreverent, and otherwise wonderfully awesome, but perhaps not well known, reads. Peculiar Picks are books for younger readers and their grown-ups, handpicked by the Library's Youth Services Manager, Joshua Carlson. My last Peculiar Picks featured the title Yeti, Turn Out the Light! Here’s a big list featuring bigfoots (bigfeet?), sasquatch(es?), and yeti(s?). The Boy Who Cried Bigfoot by Scott Magoon Library Catalog / hoopla In this variation on the classic “Boy Who Cried Wolf” tale, young Ben regularly tells tall tales of seeing bigfoot, and when no one believes
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September 26, 2022 9:27 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: Bigfoot, children's books, children's literature, Peculiar Picks, picture books, Sasquatch, staff picks, staff recommendations, and Yeti.

Chamber Music of the American Revolution

Chamber Music of the American Revolution

Ministers of Apollo present: Chamber Music of the American Revolution Wednesday, September 28th, 6:30 p.m. All Ages Library Auditorium The 250th anniversary of the American Revolution is coming up and we are starting to celebrate the birth of our country early! Come listen to Ministers of Apollo perform authentic instrumental and vocal music that was popular during the period 1775-83 and learn more about how the music illustrates the lives of people during the conflict. Making use of period clothing, cosmetics and instrumentation, you will be educated, entertained and transported back to the American Revolution. About Ministers of Apollo The
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September 19, 2022 11:30 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Library News.
Tags: all ages event, Chamber Music, children's event, Ministers of Apollo, music, music event in White Plains, music in White Plains, and The Trove.

September Programs for Younger Kids

September Programs for Younger Kids

Some great regularly occurring programs for younger children take place all month long, in-person, at the Library.  Check the online calendar or ask in the Trove for specific locations for each event. Check out our Autumn StoryWalk featuring Full of Fall by April Pulley Sayre on the Library Plaza from Thursday, September 1st – Wednesday, November 30th, 2022.  More information here. Storytime! Ages 2-6, Families Tuesdays, 11:00 a.m. – September 13, September 20, September 27 Thursdays, 11:00 a.m. – September 8, September 22 Saturday, 2:00 p.m. – September 10 Books, songs and fun with Trove librarians! Move & Groove with
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September 7, 2022 3:04 pm | by | No Comments
Categories: Events, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: children's events, dance, kids, live music, music, performances, programs, September 2022, storytime, The Trove, trove, and trove events.

Talk Like a Pirate Day

Talk Like a Pirate Day

AVAST ME HEARTIES! September 19 is International Talk Like a Pirate Day, celebrated annually since 1995. Stop by the Trove and grab a piratical read or check out our list of Swashbuckling Reads! Need some help with that scurvy pirate lingo or want some ideas for things to do to get into the scallywag spirit? Check out our blog post on Seafaring Activities!
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September 1, 2022 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: Observances and Celebrations, pirate books, staff picks, staff recommendations, and Talk Like a Pirate Day.

Music and Puppets with Jumpin’ Jamie

Music and Puppets with Jumpin’ Jamie

Friday, 2:00 p.m.: 8/12 Children, Families. Library Plaza / Rain Location: Library Auditorium. Join “Kindie Rock” musician Jumpin' Jamie and a cast of puppet friends for singing, dancing, and an “ocean adventure”! Jumpin' Jamie has performed thousands of shows for audiences as varied as birthday parties for 12 people to stadiums for 12,000. Jumpin' Jamie's debut album “Kookie” was released in 2018 and features appearances from members of They Might Be Giants, the late Peter Tork, and over 40 other guests. It features the song “Ghost In My House” which has been ranked by Yahoo, TimeOut NY, Good House Keeping,
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August 12, 2022 9:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Library News.
Tags: events for kids in White Plains, Jumpin' Jamie, summer events in White Plains, summer programs, and white plains.

Pirates Lost at Sea! – 8/4, 2pm (PreK-Gr.5)

Pirates Lost at Sea! – 8/4, 2pm (PreK-Gr.5)

Talewise presents Pirates Lost at Sea! Thursday, 2:00 p.m.: 8/4 Children, families. Library Plaza / Rain Location: Library Auditorium. Ahoy there, mateys! Set sail on swashbuckling and hilarious STEM-filled piratical adventure about a crew of quirky pirates marooned on a desert island. With mutiny and high-tide looming, they must rescue their salty captain and find a way to repair their ship before all hope is lost … at sea! Throughout the story, explore the incredible science behind clouds, physical and chemical changes, air pressure, and more! Volunteers from the audience will help conduct several hands-on science experiments that ‘ARRR’ sure
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August 4, 2022 11:26 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Library News.
Tags: events for kids in White Plains, summer events in White Plains, summer programs, and white plains.

Great Podcasts for Kids 7

Great Podcasts for Kids 7

Summer isn’t over yet, and vacation is a great time for podcasts! I have some more great recommendations for you below, but be sure to also check out the previous Great Podcasts posts. All of these podcasts should be available on any service you use to listen to podcasts, such as Apple Podcasts, Apple Music, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, etc. Some, however, may be available only through the link provided. If you have some additional great podcast recommendations, leave them in the comments below! Podcast Potpourri The Children’s Hour Kids Public Radio Broadcast first on stations across the country, then
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August 4, 2022 11:24 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: Great Podcasts, Great Podcasts for Kids, podcasts, staff picks, and staff recommendations.

Jedi Academy – 8/2, 2pm (Kids, Families)

Jedi Academy – 8/2, 2pm (Kids, Families)

Tuesday, 2:00 p.m.: 8/2 Grades 1-6. Library Plaza / Rain Location: Library Auditorium. Calling all Vaders, Space Princesses and Wookies. Come learn the ways of the Jedi and access the Force within! Featuring slapstick, magic, puppetry, bubble-play and cartoon-like sound effects Jedi Academy! allows children the chance to live out their Star Wars dreams. Be sure to wear your Star Wars inspired outfit! This program is made possible through support from NewYork-Presbyterian Westchester Behavioral Health Center.
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July 25, 2022 9:15 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Library News.
Tags: events for kids in White Plains, Star Wars, star wars events, summer events in White Plains, summer programs, and white plains.