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The Most Magical Children's Sections in Libraries
Most libraries invite you to imagine: See those books over there? They look normal, but dragons lurk behind the spines, detectives creep around the pages, and pirates sail off into the covers. If you want any of that story magic to seep into reality, you have to visit the children's section. We've rounded up some of the most fantastic and immersive libraries for kids in the world. Which one do you want to visit?
Brentwood Library
Fairytales come alive in Brentwood Library's whimsical children's section. Children are greeted by a talking owl (operated by a motion sensor…or magic!), and the bookshelves are placed deep in an artificial forest. Stay alert when you visit this library wood! Live animals, magicians, and puppeteers frequently drop by.
What to read while you're there:
East Hampton Library
With ocean rugs below and "book-bird" seagulls above, the Children's Reading Room in the East Hampton Library is the perfect place to get swept up in stories. Kids can browse the shelves of a giant windmill display or chat with librarians at the boat desk before curling up with a new book.
What to read while you're there:
Cerritos Millennium Library
Go big or go home at the Millennium Library, recently named the Best Library for Children by Los Angeles Magazine. The adventure begins right at the start, through an entryway made up of massive books fit for a giant. Inside, readers will find a 15,000 gallon saltwater aquarium, a model space shuttle, a T-Rex skeleton replica...and lots and lots of books, of course!
What to read while you're there:
Raja Tun Uda Library
Oh, the weather outside is frightful? It never matters inside this sprawling outdoor-themed children's section. Complete with grassy hill, (fake) rays of sunshine, and a life-size "reading tree," this indoor library park is a young book lover's paradise.
What to read while you're there:
Laramie County Library
It's all about hands-on play at the Laramie County Library! Readers can pile into the child-size Bookmobile, or power up the behemoth "Book Factory." On top of that, the library has an after-hours program that gives pre-teens exclusive access to the entire building, which includes an oversized chess board and yummy Library Cafe.
What to read while you're there:
Which one is favorite? Tell us in the comments!
And for more fun, check out our home for Summer Reading for Kids here.
Brentwood Library
Fairytales come alive in Brentwood Library's whimsical children's section. Children are greeted by a talking owl (operated by a motion sensor…or magic!), and the bookshelves are placed deep in an artificial forest. Stay alert when you visit this library wood! Live animals, magicians, and puppeteers frequently drop by.
What to read while you're there:
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With ocean rugs below and "book-bird" seagulls above, the Children's Reading Room in the East Hampton Library is the perfect place to get swept up in stories. Kids can browse the shelves of a giant windmill display or chat with librarians at the boat desk before curling up with a new book.
What to read while you're there:
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Go big or go home at the Millennium Library, recently named the Best Library for Children by Los Angeles Magazine. The adventure begins right at the start, through an entryway made up of massive books fit for a giant. Inside, readers will find a 15,000 gallon saltwater aquarium, a model space shuttle, a T-Rex skeleton replica...and lots and lots of books, of course!
What to read while you're there:
 |
 |
 |
 |
Oh, the weather outside is frightful? It never matters inside this sprawling outdoor-themed children's section. Complete with grassy hill, (fake) rays of sunshine, and a life-size "reading tree," this indoor library park is a young book lover's paradise.
What to read while you're there:
 |
 |
 |
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It's all about hands-on play at the Laramie County Library! Readers can pile into the child-size Bookmobile, or power up the behemoth "Book Factory." On top of that, the library has an after-hours program that gives pre-teens exclusive access to the entire building, which includes an oversized chess board and yummy Library Cafe.
What to read while you're there:
 |
 |
 |
 |
Which one is favorite? Tell us in the comments!
And for more fun, check out our home for Summer Reading for Kids here.
Comments Showing 1-50 of 91 (91 new)
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Sherrie
(new)
Jun 16, 2016 07:44AM
The East Hampton Children's Library Section is my favorite. I love the nautical theme!
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Wow, my libraries at home look nothing like this. Very cool! It makes my personal library at my house look boring!
Thank you so much for sharing this wonderful blog! Those libraries look amazing!I got to admit though, for East Hampton Library, the first book that came to my mind was actually Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island !
As for Cerritos Millennium Library, not to be a broken record, but I really cannot resist advocating Cornelia Funke's Inkworld trilogy, and since the recommendations all have a "giant" theme, the 3rd and final book of the series, Inkdeath , is more than perfect! Because it does indeed feature a giant! (Chapter 53: Human Nests)
I think the Brentwood Library is the most magical, but they're
all
amazing!
These libraries are ridiculously cool. I've seen a few of those on Pinterest and featured them on my blog. They make me envious - wish I could visit them as an adult!
Inside the Cerritos -
Pretty much every image I've seen of the library is amazing, including the outside structure.
More of the Brentwood Library (How I'd love to visit there!)
We used to live in Brentwood. This library has a phenomenal children's program. Oh how I miss visiting it!
The Raja Tun Uda Library tree is fantastic!!!
Brentwood Library is wonderful but keep in mind if you want to visit it's in Brentwood, TN, not in Missouri where the link leads you. This is an accurate link http://www.brentwood-tn.org/index.asp...Hopefully the author will update the post so that visitors won't be led astray.
Omg! I love these! Look so freaking awesome!
They all look great but if I had to choose it would be Brentwood .It looks fantastic.Thank's Erin for the extra photos!
What a shame libraries weren't like this when I was little!!
Brentwood is amazing! I love the creativity of all of the libraries, though.
I love the Brentwood library!Honestly, our town library is awesome (great librarians, awesome programs, etc.), but these are crazy!
Brentwood Library here I come!
Oh wow! Love that tree! So wish I could have one of those.
Tied between Brentwood and Cerritos: both have that surreally inviting "Come step into our story/dream world" look.
I want to visit all of them!! I used to love spending the day as a child in the library!! My daughter and I might have to make a few summer trips this year!!
They're no Hogwarts Library, but they do look quite magical. :)
Brentwood is my favorite. If I were still a kid, I'd never want to leave! Who am I kidding? I wouldn't want to leave now. ; )
Brentwood looks magical. It is clear that all of these locations took a lot of effort by people dedicated to get children reading. I was read to and taught to read at an early age. These libraries are a far cry from the Chicago Public Libraries that I cherished as a child. The content is the same - books - but the surroundings are fantastic.
East Hampton library! That ship is so cool! Brentwood is pretty cool, too. wish there were libraries like these when I was a kid!!
The Brentwood Library was awesome!
My hometown used to have a lovely library in an old watermill. It was full of nooks and crannies and little corners to explore. After it was torched twice, the library is now located in a purpose-built warehouse that has a very temporary trade-show feel to it, as if the books will be packed up and stored any minute. It's really just a warehouse, with no charater or love at all. I don't visit it anymore.
I loved the Brentwood and Laramie libraries the best!
Marlene wrote: "Just requested Inkworld and Inkspell from my own library because of this recommendation! Thanks! :) "
Oh dear.... Now I feel terribly anxious (and pressured lol)! I hope they suit your taste! And even if you don't, thanks for deciding to giving it a go!!!!!!
Marlene wrote: "The heck with the kids, I want this in the adult section too! :D Particularly the Cerritos and Raja Tun. I get extremely seasick so I'll pass on the nautical themed one, lol."Exactly! Us adults need some creativity in our section of the library too!
I LOVE the Brentwood Library! I love the magic I assume you feel walking through that entrance! I so want to know what it looks like inside! What I love most about all of these is how amazing they made their children's section! What a wonderful message being sent to children. After all, the love of reading usually begins with children!
Lanie wrote: "Omg! I love these! Look so freaking awesome!"So do I!!!!!!
What a beautiful place for children to find the world in their hands by reading. Wish I would have had something so great when I was a child. I would never have left!
The Brentwood library is my favorite! These all look magical!
Howard County (MD) Public's East Columbia branch too. They have a rain forest entrance and cool lighthouse seating. But I think they're doing some renovations soon...anyone know?
The Brentwood library looks like a magical wood.
BRENTWOOD IS AMAZING, good thing I'm close by... Might need to visit soon!!
Wish someone could include the Kansas City Library Children's section!
سلامایده جالبی واسه فضا سازی و ایجاد انس به مطالعه کتاب و کتابخوانی است
I'm so happy that a library from Malaysia (Raja Tun Uda) is on this list!!! :D
Very excitingI am in love with this library. I would like to go
I am so proud to work at the Laramie County Library in the children's and outreach department. The staff's dedication to children and adults is as impressive as the layout. Come visit us any time!
They all look great and really peaceful :)
I would love to take my daughter to any of these fantastic libraries! We unfortunately live in Maine, so it would be too far to travel to any of these cool places.
What a change from secondhand metal shelving, tatty threadbare rugs, and floor-to-ceiling windows. And card indexes in old gray file cabinets (Am I dating myself? Does anyone remember those?).The first library I remember as a child was a converted Victorian "mansion" in downtown Salt Lake City. You had to go up a sweeping flight of stairs to get to the entrance, and then the most interesting books were either in the basement or on the second floor. I THINK I remember a small, creaky elevator, but my memory could be faulty on that one, as it was over sixty years ago.
The point being ... if that library had looked like any of THESE, I would have spent a LOT more time there!
Okay, seriously, why can't library's like those be found near me?!
Oooh Brentwood library is where I'm headed
