Toddler and Preschooler Storytime

Toddler and Preschooler Storytime is back at the Charles Santore Library on Wednesday, October 21, at 10:15 AM. It's led by Ms. Lindsay and aimed at children 18 months to 5 years old, with siblings welcome too. If you've got a little one in that range, it's a good way to get them around books and other kids on a weekday morning.

The session is part of the Free Library of Philadelphia's Storytimes series, which is just one of more than 28,000 programs the system's neighborhood branches run for all ages every year. It sits alongside other offerings at the branch, like a Library Playgroup and a Halloween Storytime and Costume Parade, so if you're already coming in for one, you can easily fit this in.

The venue itself has a bit of a story. The Charles Santore Library was formerly the Southwark Branch and was renamed in 2004 to honor Charles Santore, a South Philadelphia native born in 1910 who was a former boxer, Republican ward leader, and founder of Municipal Employees Union Local 696. The branch's history goes back to Wicaco, Southwark, the oldest settlement in Philadelphia, chartered in 1638. The original Southwark Library, a Carnegie Building at 5th and Ellsworth, opened on November 15, 1912, and the branch moved to its current home on November 1, 1963, before being renovated in 1998. It now sits near the Italian Market and has a children's-room courtyard.

So, if you're in the neighborhood with a toddler or preschooler, you'll find Ms. Lindsay and the group at Charles Santore Library, 932 South 7th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19147, on Wednesday, October 21, starting at 10:15 AM.