Welcome to the Children’s Room!
We provide materials, programs, services, and other resources to children from birth through preschool, as well as their families, caregivers, and teachers! Please be aware that all storytimes require registration. You can read more about our storytimes and registration requirements below. Children 9 years old and under must be accompanied by a parent, guardian, or caregiver over the age of 13, at all times and must remain on the same floor as their parent, guardian, or caregiver. See our full Safe Child Policy to learn more.
Our programs run seasonally for 8-12 weeks, with short breaks in between. During our program seasons, we offer weekly storytimes for babies, toddlers, and preschoolers! Due to the occupancy limit of the Activity Room, all adults and all children need to be signed up for storytime. We also ask that families only attend one storytime each week so that we can accommodate as many interested families as possible.
- Wiggle Words: Songs, rhymes and stories for ages 0-18 months! 9:30AM-10AM on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and 10:15AM-10:45AM on Wednesdays.
- Toddler Tales: Stories, songs and crafts for ages 18 months-3 years! 10:15AM-10:45AM on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and 9:30AM-10AM on Wednesdays.
- Little Listeners: Stories and crafts or activities for ages 3-5 years! 11AM-11:30AM on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
- Saturday Stories: Stories for ages 0-5 years and the whole family! 10:30AM-11AM on Saturdays.
We also offer other programs for ages 0-5 years and their caregivers, including:
- Meet-Up Monday: A drop-in playtime in the Children’s Room! 10AM-11AM on Mondays.
- Music with Peter Sheridan: A drop-in music program! 10:30AM-11AM on the third Friday each month.
- Music with Rockabye Beats: A drop-in music program! 10:30AM-11:15AM on the first Friday each month.
You can check out all upcoming programs for kids on our website’s events calendar!
There’s always something to do in the Children’s Room! Even when we’re not doing a storytime or program, kids and families can enjoy the space with activities like:
- Play kitchen and train table
- Puzzles, blocks, and dolls
- AWE Learning Stations with built-in games
- Coloring table with crayons
- Crafts to work on at the library
We ask that families help us keep the space welcoming and accessible by cleaning up toys and crafts before leaving. Guidelines for the Children’s Room are posted throughout the room.
Both bathrooms across from the Children’s Room on the Lower Level have changing tables available for caregivers. Please do not change diapers inside the Children’s Room.
Your Memorial Hall library card gives you access to our extensive collection of digital resources. Enjoy ebooks, audiobooks, magazines, news, and more, all from the comfort of your own home.
BookFlix
Build a love of reading and learning with paired fiction and nonfiction. For grades preK-3. Scholastic BookFlix delivers high-interest, interactive content to engage young readers.
Kanopy Kids
Kanopy Kids is Kanopy‘s curated collection of content for children, with a focus on ages 2-8. While in the Kanopy Kids section, you will see only content that is age-appropriate. Using favorite characters from Sesame Street, PBS Kids, Weston Woods, and more, this collection of videos inspire empathy, critical thinking, and self esteem in young viewers. The videos range from entertainment to early literacy to STEM education and foreign language learning.
Libby
Use Libby to access eBooks, audiobooks, and magazines in the MVLC OverDrive collection.
TumbleBookLibrary
TumbleBookLibrary is an online collection of animated, talking picture books which teach kids the joy of reading in a format they’ll love.
Beth, Coordinator of Children’s Services (she/her)
Beth has been working in libraries for a long time, but only 27 years at MHL! She likes to read historical fiction, books about parenting, and biographies. Beth likes to garden, listen to music and binge watch crime shows with her husband. She has two rescue cats and two rescue dogs!
Heather, Library Assistant II (she/her)
Heather has worked in libraries for over 10 years. She likes to read in all formats, and particularly likes the mystery and biography genres.
Heather grows tropical houseplants, and one of her plants is both green and purple, which are her two favorite colors. Heather loves watching the Boston Fleet (the women’s professional hockey team) and crafting gifts and decorations!
Laura, Children’s Librarian (she/her)
Laura grew up in Andover and has been coming to MHL since she was a little kid! She enjoys reading memoirs and novels set in foreign countries as well as bedtime stories to her kids. Controversially, she prefers to read on her Kindle. In her free time, she enjoys art, theater and hanging out with her family. Her favorite ice cream flavor is Moose Tracks.
Olly, Children’s Librarian (they/them)
Olly has been working in libraries for several years. They like reading fantasy books and graphic novels about magic and dragons, and nonfiction books that can teach them something new! Olly likes to play video games, hang out with their cat, and talk about Dungeons & Dragons!