Calendar

Come and see (maybe even touch!) some rare and beautiful insects, and learn something too! **Space limited. Groups please call for reservations.** For ages 3-5.

Love LEGOs? We do, too! Join us to build fabulous LEGO projects.

Join the Museum of Craft and Design for an afternoon of making art! Learn to make a fun and simple bookmark by folding paper into origami. Make and take a few for each of your library books.

How can pickles be made at home simply with maximum flavor impact?
This lecture, demonstration, and tasting session will outline the
processes and techniques of vinegar-brined pickles (both canned and
quick), and fermented pickles, and offer useful tips for the home DIY
enthusiast. And as time permits, we'll also discuss some of the more
peculiar pickling possibilities from the fringes of preserved fruits
and vegetables - soy sauce pickling, nuka (rice bran) pickling beds,
salt-cured pickles, and Electric Kool-Aid pickles. Bring your
questions and your pickling passion!

Karen Solomon  is the author of Jam It, Pickle it, Cure It; Can It, Bottle It, Smoke It; and the Asian Pickles e-cookbook and print cookbook series. In addition, Karen has written about pickling and food preservation for a host of publications, including Saveur.com, The Blender (the blog of Williams Sonoma), Fine Cooking, Prevention, Yoga Journal, Vegetarian Times, and the San Francisco Chronicle. When no one is looking, she drinks pickle brine by the shot.

A bilingual (English/Chinese) after-school teen activity. Workshop activities include: bilingual blog publishing, digital photography, database learning, gaming, homework help and more. For teens, ages 12 and older.

Come and play games galore!  We will have a lot of your favorite board games available: Monopoly, Clue, Connect Four, Twister, and MORE. For ages 4 and up.

Free photobooth pictures at Excelsior Branch! Bring your friends and leave with a strip of pics. For ages 12-18. Contact Marla at mbergman@sfpl.org or 415-355-2868 for more information.

Join Summer Reading Teen Volunteer Training to help the Summer Reading Program at Chinatown Branch Library and gain community service credits. Limit to twenty-five participants. Pre-registration is required. For teens, ages 13 to 18 years old. For information, please contact Jewel at Chinatown Branch Library, Tel: (415)355-2888 or jewelchen@sfpl.org

Boswick Turnstyle the Clown!"

Come see the wonderful Boswick! 

Summer Reading Begins!

Come and take your turn petting all kinds of farm animals: A pig, chickens, ducks, goats, sheep, bunnies, guinea pigs, and more! Call to sign up for a time slot!

This SPCA program pairs trained dog-and-owner therapy teams with children to grow children's literacy, self-confidence, and socio-empathic skills. Wonderful for those learning to read, who  "underperform," or for whom extra attention in vocabulary or grammar is desired.  Your child will adore reading to this calm canine companion in a non-judgmental setting!  For ages 4-7 but older welcome. Call 415-355-5707 to reserve your spot. Space limited.

Family Theater with Marionettes for little kids!  Sing-along and Dancing. For kids 5 and younger!

Summer is the time for bubbles and no one blows bubbles like Rebecca Nile. She will astound you with her unique bubble creations! For ages 5 and younger.

Igor, the assistant of an evil scientist, is determined to become a scientist himself and win first prize at the Evil Science Fair.

The San Francisco Zoo will bring animals from different habitats, including some that live in our own backyards, but you might not realize they are there. The exact species visiting will be a surprise - possible animals include tortoises, owls, snakes, opossums and more. For children ages 4 and older.  Space is limited to 35 people.  For more information or registration, please contact Alice at 415-355-2848 or alicechan@sfpl.org

Join us for Lego Night and get your inner builder into gears! And while you are here, sign-up for SFPLs largest annual event -- Summer Reading! This is an all ages event and family participation is encouraged.

Join San Francisco writer Evette Davis for a reading from her debut novel Woman King, as well as a discussion about the lessons she's learned preparing to become a self-published author.   She will tell you about the importance of using professional editors and designers, as well as how to build a marketing plan.  Woman King is the first installment of a paranormal trilogy featuring intrepid political consultant Olivia Shepherd and her adventures with the Council, a secret supernatural political organization, as well as her romance with William Ferrell, a mysterious musician with his own complicated personal history. Davis takes some of San Francisco’s most recognizable landmarks, and transforms them into magical places where people are never quite sure if what they're seeing is real. She maintains a website at www.evettedavis.com, or you can follow her on Twitter at @SFEvette.

Stretch and pose with Michelle Wing from It's Yoga, Kids.

Dana Smith - California's Phenomenal Juggler!

 "The San Francisco Zoo will bring animals from different habitats, including some that live in our own backyards, but you might not realize they are there. The exact species visiting will be a surprise - possible animals include tortoises, owls, snakes, opossums and more. For children ages 4 and older.  Space is limited to 35 people. Tickets are limited to first 42 participants arriving. Tickets will be given out at Children's Ref desk day of performance.

Tons of bubbles fun with the Bubble Lady, Rebecca Niles!

In this hands-on, jewelry workshop, local designer and entrepreneur Chelsee Robinson will guide you in creating your own beautiful bracelet, necklace or earrings. Materials provided. Space is limited. Please call for a reservation. For children 5 and older.

Teen DJ workshop with KMEL & Project Level

Program for Tweens and Teens, ages 11-18

Come learn how to spin and scratch records with KMEL and Project Level

No musical experience needed.

For more information please contact Eric Hannan

Come pet friendly farm animals, including goats, sheep, rabbits, a pot belly pig, and more. For children of all ages.

Chinese Poetry reading and  new book talk.

Please join us for a special program with origami artist Shinta Arifin! Children ages 4-12 welcome.

Brave San Francisco firefighters will come to talk simply about fire safety and show off their marvelous firetruck. A must for all firetruck fans! Firefighters are on duty, so there is a chance they will get called away to fight a fire.  For ages 5 and under.

A bilingual (English/Chinese) after-school teen activity. Workshop activities include: bilingual blog publishing, digital photography, database learning, gaming, home-work help and more. For teens, ages 12 and older.

Author and photographer, James Martin, presents a slide show of over 220 photographs from his coffee table-sized book. The Islands of San Francisco Bay chronicles the Bay’s 48 islands, and aims to capture the wildness of these Island habitats. Learn more about Island ecology, the birds, animals, plants and Island topography.

This SPCA program pairs trained dog-and-owner therapy teams with children to grow children's literacy, self-confidence, and socio-empathic skills. Wonderful for those learning to read, who  "underperform," or for whom extra attention in vocabulary or grammar is desired.  Your child will adore reading to this calm canine companion in a non-judgmental setting!  For ages 4-7 but older welcome. Call 415-355-5707 to reserve your spot. Space is limited.

The San Francisco Alumni Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Incorporated and the Bayview Branch of the San Francisco Public Library presents a discussion and readings by three authors:

• Mykah Montgomery: The Girl Who Wanted a Tail (children’s book)
• Patricia Saunders: Through the Fire (poetry)
• Lisa White: Pink Milk (children’s book)

Moderated by Karen Johnson of Marcus Bookstore

Rebecca Nile - "The Bubble Lady!"

The biggest bubbles in the world!  Big bubbles!  Huge bubbles!

Much fun with lots of chances for children to participate with the amazing Bubble Lady!

Join renowned architect and Chinese American studies historian Philip P. Choy for an insider’s guide to the history and architecture of San Francisco’s Chinatown in his book San Francisco Chinatown: A Guide to Its History and Architecture.  In this lecture and slide presentation, witness the triumphs and tragedies of the Chinese American experience in the United States from the city's earliest days to its post-quake transformation into an "oriental" tourist attraction as a pragmatic means of survival.

Mr. Choy co-taught the nation's first college level course in Chinese American history at San Francisco State University.  He has served on numerous boards including the California State Historic Resource Commission, the San Francisco Landmark Advisory Board, and the Chinese Historical Society of America.  He is the recipient of the prestigious San Francisco State University President's Medal.

This program will be conducted in English.

Brave San Francisco firefighters will come to talk simply about fire safety and show off their marvelous firetruck. A must for all firetruck fans! For ages 5 and under.

Clown Around with Jimbo the Clown

Toddler tales

Explore the world of sharks, skates and rays!  Participants will also discover the importance of sharks in marine environments, the threats they face, and what Aquarium of the Bay is doing to help protect them. For ages 6-11.

Clown around with Jimbo the Clown!

Come learn about the principles of air and pressure. The Mad Scientist will make a hot air balloon and a vortex generator that makes giant smoke rings. Children will get to see an incredible exothermic reaction take place. For ages 4 and older. Groups, please call for reservations at (415) 355-5770.

Join Sophie in a  fun filled evening of family crafts.  All ages welcome!

Explore the world of sharks, skates and rays, with Aquarium of the Bay!  Through Naturalist-led, hands-on activities, find out how sharks are a special kind of fish with unique adaptations to help them find food and survive.  Participants will also discover the importance of sharks in marine environments, the threats they face, and what Aquarium of the Bay is doing to help protect them. Ages 6 and up. Advance sign-ups Required

Want to pick up a new skill and have tons of fun in the process? Come join us in this hands-on workshop and learn how to fold paper into just about anything. Origami artist Shinta Arifin will show you how! All materials provided. For ages 4-12.

Teen space in the meeting room. Activities include gaming, doing homework, and sometimes a movie. Ages 11-18. For more information, contact Marla at mbergman@sfpl.org or 415-355-2858.

Power-up your engineering skills with Play-Well TEKnologies and over 100,000 pieces of LEGO®! Kids apply real-world concepts in physics, engineering, and architecture through motorized projects designed by engineers.  For ages 5 and older.

Drop-in and get creative building with LEGOs. We provide all the pieces you'll need to create vehicles, robots, castles and more.

Learn about endangered species, while meeting some of the coolest snakes and lizards on our planet! Teressa Kileen shares her vast knowledge and love of reptiles with curious people of all ages! For more info, contact Marla, (415) 355-2858 or mbergman@sfpl.org.

Learn about honey bees with beekeeper/educator Tim Muhrlin. Space is limited. Please call for a reservation. For children 3 and older.

It’s a show that is in love with the library. You'll be amazed! For children of all ages.

A bilingual (English/Chinese) after-school teen activity. Workshop activities include: bilingual blog publishing, digital photography, database learning, gaming, home-work help and more. For teens, ages 12 and older.

Learn to create and draw dynamic comic book characters, backgrounds, and storylines with expression and movement. You will produce several cartoon scenes and the start of a comic book. Space is limited, please call for reservations, 355-2880.

Magic Dan will WOW you with amazing sleights of hand and magic! Magic for children of all ages.

Toddler tales

Build a monkey out of LEGOs and learn how to program it to move and tap out a beat on a drum using motors and gears. For kids ages 7 and up. Space is limited. Sign-up by calling the library at (415) 355-5770.

Siblings run away from home and decide to move into the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art , where they soon discover there is a mystery to be solved.

The Insect Discovery Lab

The Center for Ecosystem Survival presents The Insect Discovery Lab.  Real live insects for you to learn about and maybe even hold!

Love LEGOs? We do too! Join us to build fabulous LEGO projects. Ages 5 and older.

Magician Gerald Joseph will WOW you with amazing sleights of hand and magic! For ages 4 and up.

Join us for a reading and booksigning with Alysia Abbott, author of Fairyland,  a  vibrant memoir about growing up motherless in 1970s and ’80s San Francisco with an openly gay father.

After his wife dies in a car accident, bisexual writer and activist Steve Abbott moves with his two-year-old daughter to San Francisco. There they discover a city in the midst of revolution, bustling with gay men in search of liberation—few of whom are raising a child.

In Alysia’s teens, Steve’s friends—several of whom she has befriended—fall ill as AIDS starts its rampage through their community. While Alysia is studying in New York and then in France, her father tells her it’s time to come home; he’s sick with AIDS. Alysia must choose whether to take on the responsibility of caring for her father or continue the independent life she has worked so hard to create.

Reconstructing their life together from a remarkable cache of her father’s journals, letters, and writings, Alysia Abbott gives us an unforgettable portrait of a tumultuous, historic time in San Francisco as well as an exquisitely moving account of a father’s legacy and a daughter’s love.

This event is co-sponsored by the Hormel Gay and Lesbian Center and the San Francisco History Center.

Magician Gerald Joseph will WOW you with amazing sleights of hand and magic! For ages 4 and up.

Celebrate the Summer Solstice with a perfect introduction to the joys of gardening. In this hands-on workshop, Jonathan Silverman, Founder and Managing Director of Feel the Earth, will offer LEARN the ART of SEEDING for children and their families. You will learn how seeds work, best ways to plant seeds, how to care for your seedlings, and begin to cultivate fresh produce or blossoms. Research shows that gardening improves children’s learning, self-confidence, health & feeling of community spirit. For ages 2 and older.

Clown around with gentle Jimbo and his accordian!

A bilingual (English/Chinese) after-school teen activity. Workshop activities include: bilingual blog publishing, digital photography, database learning, gaming, home-work help and more. For teens, ages 12 and older.

Featuring music, clowning, juggling, and audience participation. For ages 5 and younger.

Join the fun and sing along with Alison Faith Levy, a wonderful children's musician, songwriter, and formerly "Sippy Alison" from the beloved San Francisco band The Sippy Cups!

Brave San Francisco firefighters will come to talk simply about fire safety and show off their marvelous firetruck. A must for all firetruck fans! Firefighters are on duty, so there is a chance they will get called away to fight a fire.  For ages 5 and under.

Come and play games galore!  We will have a lot of your favorite board games available: Monopoly, Clue, Connect Four, Twister, and MORE. For ages 4 and up.

Simple Machines

Recommended ages: 8+

Simple Machine & Powered Machines were designed for ages 8-up.  The kits enable children to be young engineers, designers & scientists.  Through use of the materials children are encouraged to think creatively about how things work and establish links between cause and effect.  The materials provided enable children make machines such as windmills, power cars, dogbots, clock mechanisms, fishing rods, letter balances & various vehicles. Limit 10 children. Please call for a reservation. 355-2822

Join us to assemble and program a lego robot using Lego Mindstrom kits.  All materials provided.

Space is limited.

Ages 9 and up.  For more information contact: Maricela Leon-Barrera at mleonbarrera@sfpl.org.

Bonnie Lockhart - Songs and Stories!

For children of all ages

Join Tammy from Destiny Art Center and learn a new skill! Capoeira is an Afro-Brazilian martial-art that incorporates dance, agility, grace, music, instrumentation and play. Participants will learn the fundamentals of capoeira movements, philosophy, instruments and call and response songs. For ages 5-up, space limited to 30 participants arriving day of class.

In this hands-on workship with Jonathan Silverman children will learn how seeds work, best ways to plant seeds, how to care for their seedlings, and begin to cultivate their own fresh produce or blossoms! For ages 5 and up.

Simple Machines

Recommended ages: 8+

Simple Machine & Powered Machines were designed for ages 8-up.  The kits enable children to be young engineers, designers & scientists.  Through use of the materials children are encouraged to think creatively about how things work and establish links between cause and effect.  The materials provided enable children make machines such as windmills, power cars, dogbots, clock mechanisms, fishing rods, letter balances & various vehicles. Limit 10 children. Please call for a reservation. 355-2822

San Francisco has some of the greatest landmarks in the world. Join Felicia as she shares a little history. Create an edible mosaic of the site you like best. Ages 5 and up. Advance sign-ups required.

Feel the Earth and Learn the Art of Seeding:  In this hands-on workshop learn how seeds work, the best ways to plant seeds and begin to cultivate fresh produce or blossoms. Take home your very own seedling and learn how to take care of it.  Open to children 2 yrs. old and their families.

Free, safe, and temporary tattoos in the tradition of Africa and India. 
Choose your own design and learn how to apply it with henna. 
Henna artist Rachel-Anne Palacios will show you how, and will help apply a design on participants. 
Program limited to 25 people. 
For ages 12-19. 
This event requires a signed parent permission form for those under 18. 
To request a form and sign up, or for more information, please contact Lisa Fagundes lfagundes@sfpl.org or call 415 355 2822

Warm up to some cool, cold-blooded creatures. The Lizard Lady will show and share her extensive knowledge of snakes, lizards and exotic reptiles. For ages 5 and older. Groups, please call for reservations at (415) 355-5770.

Green Golly Project presents "Little Kids Little Songs." A wonderful introductionto live music, comedy and theatre for little kids. Space is limited. Please call up to six days in advance for a reservation. For children of all ages.

Toddler tales

Toddler tales

Toddler tales

Kodi SKodi Smit-McPhee, Anna Kendrick, Christopher Mitz-Plasse

Focus Focus Features; Directed by Chris Butler and Sam Fell

Rated PG; 92 minutes; 2012 When a small town comes under siege by zombies, who can it call? Only misunderstood local boy Norman, who is able to speak with the dead. In addition to the zombies, he’ll have to take on ghosts, witches and, worst, of all, grown-ups, to save his town from a centuries-old curse. But this young ghoul whisperer may find his paranormal activities pushed to their otherworldly limits.

Space is limited. Please call up to 6 days in advance for a reservation.

Step to Poetry is a colorful literary art installation on the Main Library's staircase written by WritersCorps youth. The youth, who range in age from 12 to 19, attend an afterschool workshop run by WritersCorps at the Main Library. The installation will be on view from May 10 through June 10, and consists of nine brief poems about popular culture.

A launch event will take place on Friday, May 17 at 6 pm, featuring a stair crawl from the first to fifth floors with WritersCorps youth performing their poems along the way. Space is limited and an RSVP to the event is required as the event takes place after library hours. Contact hello@writerscorps.org or (415) 252-2546.