View All Storytimes
View All Storytimes
Storytimes
Storytimes give children and caregivers a chance to bond, socialize with others, and create new relationships while building language and literacy skills.
Participating in storytime with your child helps lay the groundwork for school readiness and a love of reading.
Long Beach Public Library (LBPL) offers a range of storytimes to target different ages, languages, and abilities. Learn more about our storytime offerings below.
You can also watch many of our storytimes on the LBPL YouTube channel
BabyTime is an hour-long program where babies and caregivers engage in a 20–30 minute storytime, followed by playtime.
Babies and caregivers enjoy songs and rhymes, bounces, tickles, fingerplays, instruments, and short picture books that create a strong foundation for reading success in the future.
After storytime, everyone can enjoy social playtime where they are able to play with safe educational toys and manipulatives that focus on both fine and gross motor skills.
ToddlerTime is a fun-filled hour where toddlers and caregivers engage in a 30-minute storytime that offers great early reading skills and tips that can be practiced at home to encourage little one’s love for books.
Caregivers and toddlers have fun bonding through songs and rhymes, fingerplays, instruments, and stories that focus on early literacy skills and language development.
After storytime, we play with age-appropriate toys that encourage imagination, cognitive and emotional growth, and just plain fun!
Preschool Storytime is designed especially for children ages 3–5 years old to give them access to opportunities that promote school success and build early literacy skills (what children know about reading and writing before they can actually read and write).
Preschoolers are encouraged to see themselves as readers through focused interactions with library staff who present imaginative stories to demonstrate pre-reading skills. Story sessions typically last 30–40 mins and include stories, flannel boards, fingerplays, and big body movement activities.
Come spark your child’s love of reading: talk, sing, Read, write, and play with us!
Bilingual Storytime
Bilingual storytime is an hour-long program where children and caregivers are offered the opportunity to read, sing, talk, and play in 2 languages! In bilingual storytime, participants are able to practice early literacy skills and socialize in both English and another language.
Storytime sessions typically last 30 minutes and include books, songs, fingerplays, and movement activities led by library staff, followed by time for free play with developmentally appropriate toys. Bilingual storytime is great for children and their caregivers to connect with another language and culture through stories and songs, and both reflects and supports the diversity in our communities.
Cuentos y Cantos
Our Spanish Bilingual Storytime for all ages. Together we explore books, songs, rhymes, and play in both English and Spanish. Each session we have a new theme followed by playtime. Children must be with their caregivers. You can watch recorded Cuentos y Cantos sessions on our YouTube channel.
B.A.R.K. Reading Dogs
Children of all ages are welcome to read to BARK's dogs! BARK is an all-volunteer program that encourages children to increase their reading skills and self-confidence by reading aloud to certified therapy dogs. Students find it intimidating to read in front of classmates, but love to read to the non-judgmental, calming dogs.
Sensory Storytime
Our sense-sational Storytime is a small group gathering designed to be fun and inclusive for children of all abilities. We incorporate a visual schedule, which is a simple pictorial representation of what will take place in during our time together, allowing attendees to anticipate the transitions. We feature interactive stories, music, stretches, and simple crafts, each designed to involve all of the senses. Each Sensory Storytime ends with roughly 20 minutes of free play. For free play, we pull out some therapeutic play materials to facilitate sensory and interactive play.
Storytime at the Rancho
A free, weekly drop-in storytime for babies, toddlers, and preschoolers performed by the staff of Rancho Los Cerritos. There is a different theme each week! Currently held on Tuesdays from 9:30 AM – 10:00 AM in the Rancho library. Check the Rancho event calendar or contact them for more information.