Toddler Storytime

Toddler Storytime is back at the South Philadelphia Library on Thursday, October 22, at 10 AM. It's one of the many programs the Free Library of Philadelphia runs for families, and it's built around the basics: stories, songs, and playtime. The whole thing is designed to help toddlers get comfortable with books and reading from a young age, so it's a good fit if you've got a little one who's just starting to get into stories.

If you haven't spent much time there, the South Philadelphia Library is a pretty unique spot. It opened in June 2016 as the first of five pilot neighborhood libraries reimagined for today's users, and it occupies the first floor of the South Philadelphia Community Health and Literacy Center. It shares that space with a health resource center staffed by trainees from the University of Pennsylvania Center for Public Health Initiatives, so it's as much a community hub as it is a library. Inside, you'll find a teen space, a Pre-K Zone, and a computer lab spread across nearly 12,000 square feet, serving more than 150,000 people a year.

The branch has some history behind it, too. Its predecessor, the original South Philadelphia Branch, opened in 1914 in a T-shaped Carnegie building at Broad and Ritner Streets. In 2019, the library was designated a Zone of Peace by the Religious Leaders Council of Greater Philadelphia. It's a neighborhood spot that's seen a lot of change over the years, and it's still very much a part of the local fabric.

Storytime starts at 10 AM on Thursday, October 22, at the South Philadelphia Library, 1700 South Broad Street (Broad & Morris Sts.), Philadelphia, PA 19145-2392. It's part of the Free Library's broader family and children's literacy work, which pairs stories and songs with playtime to foster a love of reading from an early age.