The New York Public Library Offering “We’re Readin’ Here,” A Month of NYC-Inspired Virtual Storytimes For Kids

MEDIA CONTACTS: 

Angela Montefinise, angelamontefinise@nypl.org

ASSETS:

• Stills from the storytimes can be viewed here
• A sample storytime featuring children’s librarian Marisa Hall from The New York Public Library’s Riverside Branch in Manhattan can be viewed here. She creatively reads Subway by Christoph Niemann, interacts with the viewers, and sings songs about taxis and buses, among other things

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2020: The New York Public Library is presenting “We’re Readin’ Here,” a month of NYC-themed virtual storytimes for kids ages 2 through 7 at nypl.org/storytime. 

This special collection of videos—launching on Tuesday, December 1 and featuring the City’s reading experts, librarians—recreates the joys of in-person storytimes, which are currently suspended because of the pandemic and are the NYPL’s most popular in-person program under typical circumstances. Each video includes at least one story, as well as literacy tips for families, songs, rhymes, crafts, and activities, all as a love letter to New York City and its resilient residents. 

The storytimes are part of the Library’s month-long Roar for NY, a series of NY-themed programs, books lists, and more that will pay tribute to a City coping and recovering from unprecedented challenges in 2020. The Library has helped New Yorkers weather difficult chapters in history before, and knows that—with Patience and Fortitude, the names of the Library’s beloved lions—New York will turn the page this time, too.

The “We’re Readin’ Here” videos range from 10 to 30 minutes, and will be posted at 4 PM every weekday in December at nypl.org/storytime. Highlights from the series include:

• A magical episode that transports the viewer from the steps of a brownstone into the walls of the Harlem Library. 

• Innovative at-home crafts, including city block color pages to create one’s own city, and instructions for how to make a puzzle from a recycled subway map.

• Original songs that celebrate everything from the Staten Island ferry to pizza. 

Each storytime, which will also be shared by Time Out NY Kids, captures the resilient spirit of New York City, as well as the incredible passion that children's librarians have for its diverse communities. 

Some of the books featured include:

• Subway by Anastasia Suen

• A Girl Like Me by Angela Johnson

• Last Stop on Market Street by Matt de la Peña

• Uptown by Bryan Collier 

• Noisy Night by Mac Barnett

• My Little Cities: New York by Jennifer Adams

• New York, Baby! by Ward Jenkins

• La Abuela en la Ciudad by Lauren Castillo

• Numeros by Patrick George

• Radiant Child: The Story of Young Artist Jean-Michel Basquiat by Javaka Steptoe

• Sugar Hill: Harlem's Historic Neighborhood by Carole Boston Weatherford

• Harlem Grown by Tony Hillery

• Where Are You, Little Zack? by Judith Enderle

• Tap Tap Boom Boom by Elizabeth Bluemle

• Subway by Christoph Niemann

• Max Found Two Sticks by Brian Pinkney

• Saturday by Oge Mora

• Lizard from the Park by Mark Pett

• Bodega Cat by Louie Chen 

• The Neighbors by Einat Tsarfati

• Crown: An Ode to the Fresh Cut by Derrick Barnes

• Nelly Takes New York by Allison Pataki and Marya Myers

• Nana in the City by Lauren Castillo 

• Blackout by John Roco 

In addition to celebrating the spirit of New York City, the December storytime program helps celebrate the Library’s 125th anniversary, and its mission to make knowledge, information, and opportunity available to all New Yorkers, regardless of background or circumstance. Since its incorporation on May 23, 1895, the Library has connected all people with the tools they need to be informed, curious members of civic society, and lifelong readers and learners. Today, these tools include books and e-books  but also research databases, workshops, job search help, technology training classes, talks with notable authors and thinkers, and much more.  

The Library’s 125th year has been one of its most challenging, with the country facing a global pandemic. While the Library’s physical locations were temporarily closed or open for very limited services for most of the year, the institution still found a way to respond, offering a robust suite of virtual resources for students and families, including:

• Digital library cards and over 300,000 e-books (including kids books) to browse, borrow, and read via the e-reader app SimplyE;

• Shelf Help, a personalized book selection service. Patrons share subject matters that they’re interested in, expert librarians choose 5 books for the patron to take home. This service recreates the serendipitous discovery of browsing at a moment when browsing is not possible. 

• On-demand, 1-on-1 virtual K-12 tutoring in a variety of subjects via Brainfuse;

• Educational tools and tips to support families engaged in remote learning (such as on-demand read alouds via BookFlix);Suggested reading lists, including 125 Kids Books We Love, 125 Books We Love for Teens, Black Liberation Reading Lists for Kids and  Young Adults and Essential Reads on Feminism for Kids and Teens

About The New York Public Library

For 125 years, The New York Public Library has been a free provider of education and information for the people of New York and beyond. With 92 locations—including research and branch libraries—throughout the Bronx, Manhattan, and Staten Island, the Library offers free materials, computer access, classes, exhibitions, programming and more to everyone from toddlers to scholars, and has seen record numbers of attendance and circulation in recent years. The New York Public Library receives approximately 16 million visits through its doors annually and millions more around the globe who use its resources at www.nypl.org. To offer this wide array of free programming, The New York Public Library relies on both public and private funding. Learn more about how to support the Library at nypl.org/support.