Central Library DTLA

I guess I’m calling this branch zero. There is the Central Library in downtown Los Angeles and then 72 branches throughout greater Los Angeles. So, 73 total libraries to visit. This is so exciting you guys.  If you haven’t read the previous posts, the main idea of this blog-diary is to visit each children’s section of every branch of the LAPL system.  For fun. Yes, because I love books, I love public libraries, I love that my daughter (who just turned one year old on March 29th) loves books, and I want to visit parts of Los Angeles I’ve never been to. So, why not?

The Central Library is a truly amazing place. If you live in L.A. and have never been, go right now. Seriously. You’ve been missing out. The DTLA main library is beautiful. I wonder if this is what the Library of Alexandria looked like (sans escalators).

You’re going to get tired of me gushing about libraries, but if you are reading this you must kind of like libraries and books too.

The Children’s Literature section is so wonderful. It’s huge and even has a theater.  Here’s Riley; she approves.

The plan is to check out some books each time we visit a branch. I have no idea how we’ll pick which ones – I picked the two we got here by chance. They were out on display and we leafed through them and decided to take them home.

I like the randomness of our choosing and the delight of what we found.  Both books are great: The Black Book of Colors by Menena Cottin and Eating the Alphabet Fruits and Vegetables A-Z by Lois Ehlert.   Maybe I’ll do another blog one day where I actually review the books. . . but right now I will just say they are worth your time. The Black Book of Colors made me cry from the simple beauty it contains, including Braille writing. Eating the Alphabet made me appreciate my ability to see colors.

Riley is really interested in other kids. She took to two girls who were reading books with their family. The girls offered to read to her, and of course I said yes! My heart melted.

 

The joys of the library are never ending. You can stay as long as you’d like, and you get to take books home with you. Is this real life?

Also, if you’re interested in the Libraries of Los Angeles map tote bag, I got it at the gift shop The Library Store located in the Central Library. Besides a gift shop, there are many librarians ready to help you find whatever you are looking for.

Happy National Library Week! Go visit your local library.