In the coastal neighborhood of Pacific Palisades next to Malibu and Santa Monica you will find #15 Branch of LAPL. It is very close to the Getty Villa and the Annenberg Community Beach House. Who doesn’t love a library near the sea? It has a great outdoor reading area and a beautiful children’s space . . . it was a fun library to visit during my last week of summer vacation.
We met some friendly kids and got to share some books and building blocks with them.
Riley loved the children’s corner nook where we could look out the window while we played and read. She was busily following the other kids around (now that she’s almost running) and trying to see what books they had.
We found some great ones, as always. She picked up: We Are Growing by Laurie Keller, illustrated by Mo Willems — and Squeak, Rumble, Whomp! Whomp! Whomp! A Sonic Adventure by Wynton Marsalis and illustrated by Paul Rogers.
We Are Growing was cute, it’s an Elephant & Piggie like reading book. Since Riley is growing so fast, she could relate to the grass growing and changing.
I hope Riley loves music as much as she loves books, and Squeak, Rumble, Whomp! Whomp! Whomp! A Sonic Adventure will definitely foster that. . . she was glued to each page and the sounds I read from each one.
There is a new favorite show we watch called Dino Dana, so we had to get a dinosaur related book. . . we took home If The Dinosaurs Came Back by Bernard Most. It was a hit.
The last book we got was To Market, To Market by Anne Miranda illustrated by Janet Stevens. This is a book I use quite often with kids at work, and I was happy she pulled this one. It rhymes and repeats and it is silly.
Pacific Palisades Branch has a bunch of events going on all the time including a screening of movie called A Street Cat Named Bob and a science activity for the Solar Eclipse coming up.
They have some pretty awesome posters too. . .
I love that my family is getting to spend time together at libraries. Even the long drive home was worth the visit. . . thanks Los Angeles traffic for never failing us. I guess it’s time to download some audiobooks for the road.
I have more books I want to add to my personal and work library now, thanks to the last 15 branch visits. (Ahem, all the books!) Thank you, libraries! I am sure I will keep adding all kinds of books to my wish list forever . . . but in the meantime I can always check them out again at any LAPL branch or online.
Dear Megan–I love your library blogs and pix of Riley and her book choices. When you go back to work, will you continue your family visit-the-library project on the weekends. I was surprised to fine out that the library is open on Saturdays AND Sundays. Is there some way I can go back and read some of your old blogs? Love to you all. hare
Hi Harriet! Thank you! Riley and I are having a great time. And so is John and my mom. . . and everyone else who joins us. Yes, we’ll still be going to libraries – it’s just the end of summer break for me (back to work in an elementary school). We’re still trying for one a week. Here’s hoping! It is amazing that some libraries are open every day (not all of them, they all have different schedules). You can read any of the blog posts at any time – they are all on publiclibraryjourney.com.
Thanks for reading!