Sonoma County Library offers a range of different early literacy classes and storytimes across the county for children from newborn-5 years old. Storytimes are designed for specific age ranges in order to introduce children ages 0-6 to the joy of words and language and to develop pre-literacy and school readiness skills. Recorded storytimes are available and can be accessed anytime through the library’s YouTube channel or through our Dial-a-Story service.

Upcoming Storytimes

Babytime

Delight and stimulate your baby's senses with bouncing rhymes, songs, fingerplays and simple books. Children are never too young to build pre-literacy skills! Talk, sing, read, write and play with your child, and watch language skills blossom and grow. Babytime classes are designed to teach, inspire, and model for parents and caregivers of children from 0-18 months how to sing, talk, rhyme, play and read with their babies and toddlers every day. Babytime has a dual audience of the parents AND the babies – our goal is to model ways for parents to share fun early literacy and learning activities with their children in a nurturing environment. A Babytime class usually lasts 20 minutes, followed by playtime, giving parents and children a chance to socialize and interact.

Wee Read Baby-Toddler Storytime

Join us for Wee Read, our baby/toddler storytime class, with stories, songs, movement, and fun! Wee Read is a language-rich educational program for children ages 0-36 months, and accompanying parents and caregivers. The librarian uses fun, engaging techniques and activities to develop positive feelings in babies and toddlers toward books and reading. These activities provide an environment for babies and toddlers to exercise important motor skills and practice using their vocabulary, and are the beginning steps toward literacy and educational success.

Toddler Time

It’s time to wiggle! Join us for songs, rhymes, fingerplays, and simple stories for your active toddler. Children are never too young to build pre-literacy skills! Talk, sing, read, write and play with your child, and watch language skills blossom and grow. For children ages 18–36 months, with a caregiver.

Toddler Time children have an entire range of levels of attention spans, language skills, social skills, and self-awareness, so it may seem to be a bit of organized chaos to wrangle all those levels into a cohesive yet entertaining program. Simple stories, simple concepts, and lots of opportunities for participation and movement are necessary in these storytimes. Librarians are still also modeling lots of early literacy and learning activities for parents to share with their children at home. A Toddler Time storytime usually lasts from 25-30 minutes, followed by playtime, giving the parents and children the chance to socialize and interact.

Preschool Storytime

Listen and learn with stories, songs, movement, and FUN, as you nurture in your preschooler a love of books. These fun librarian-led storytimes will model the everyday practices -- talking, singing, reading, writing, and playing -- that help your child get ready to read.

Preschool Storytime classes are designed for children ages 3-6 years who have greater level of understanding of language and concepts, as well as more advanced attention spans, social skills, and self-awareness. In these storytimes, we can share stories, songs, and fingerplays with more complex plots, and activities with both directed and expressive movement. Librarians will still be reinforcing and modeling the use of early literacy skills and learning activities for parents to share with their children. Preschool Storytime classes also often culminate with a craft or other activity that allows children to practices Kindergarten-readiness skills. A Preschool Storytime usually lasts 30 minutes, again followed by playtime, giving the parents and children the chance to socialize.

Family Storytime

Family storytimes can encompass a whole range of children with their families -- you might have a baby, a wobbler, and a 6-year-old all in the same group! Librarians will evaluate the ages of the children in attendance, and will attempt to direct activities and stories that are appropriate for all the ages in attendance, all while modeling and reinforcing skills and activities that parents can share with their children.

Bilingual Storytime

Explore books, songs, rhymes and play in English and Spanish! Libros, canciones, rimas y actividades en inglés y español. For children 0-5. Para edades 0-5.

Librarians who are fluent or comfortable in Spanish offer storytimes that are bilingual in English and Spanish, to reflect and support the diversity of our communities. These are usually Family Storytimes (unless noted differently on the Events Calendar).

Where Can I Find A Storytime Near Me?

Not all levels of storytime classes are offered at all library branches; check the Events Calendar to see which series are upcoming at a branch near you.