Find time for personal growth, family connections, and relaxation during the busy holiday season – at your local Hennepin County library. The following book events are scheduled free in December at Hennepin County libraries. For Hennepin County Library’s complete program schedule, visit or call the library or go online to www.hclib.org
Hennepin County Library – Augsburg Park
7100 Nicollet Ave., Richfield, 952-847-5300
Winter Holidays Around the World
Saturday, Dec. 11, 10:30 a.m. at Augsburg Park Library
Kindergarten and up. Stories, songs and origami art demonstrate how holidays such as Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, St. Lucia Day and St. Nicholas Day are celebrated.
Sponsored by the Friends of the Augsburg Park Library.
Hennepin County Library – Brookdale
6125 Shingle Creek Pkwy., Brooklyn Center, 952-847-5600
Anime Manga Club
Wednesdays, Dec. 8, Jan. 12, Feb. 9; 4-5:30 p.m. at Brookdale Library
Registration required; begins Nov. 10; limit 20. Grade 6 and up. Whether you like shojo or shonen, or don’t know the difference yet, come read and discuss your favorite series and find new favorites here. Watch anime episodes after the book discussions. Pick up a copy of the book at the children’s Information Desk.
Presented in collaboration with Brooklyn Center Schools 21st Century Grant Program.
Paws to Read
Sunday, Dec. 12, 1-2:30 p.m. at Brookdale Library
Kindergarten-grade 5. Certified volunteers help put young readers at ease so they can cuddle up with a dog or other animal and practice reading aloud. Call ahead to find out what types of animals will be visiting.
Presented in collaboration with North Star Therapy Animals.
First Pages: What Would You Like to Write?
Tuesday, Dec. 14, 11 a.m. at Brookdale Library
Registration required; begins Nov. 16; limit 20. A beginning writing class to explore the differences between the creative writing genres and discover where your writing interests lie. Try your hand with writing exercises in fiction, creative nonfiction and poetry.
This project is funded with money from Minnesota’s Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund. Presented in collaboration with the Loft Literary Center.
Hennepin County Library – Brooklyn Park
8600 Zane Ave. N., Brooklyn Park, 952-847-5325
Anime Manga Club
Mondays, Dec. 6, Jan. 3, Feb. 7; 4:30-6 p.m. at Brooklyn Park Library
Grade 7 and up. Whether you like shojo or shonen, or don’t know the difference yet, come read and discuss your favorite series and find new favorites here. Watch anime episodes after the book discussions.
Hennepin County Library – Eden Prairie
565 Prairie Center Dr., Eden Prairie, 952-847-5375
Intermedia Arts: Video Poetry Workshop for Teens
Saturday, Dec. 4, 1-4 p.m. at Eden Prairie Library
Registration required; begins Nov. 6; limit 12. Grade 7 and up. Combine creative writing with digital video to create your own video poem! Work collaboratively to create poetry and make it come alive through visual arts.
This project is funded with money from Minnesota’s Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund. Presented in collaboration with Intermedia Arts.
Hennepin County Library – Franklin
1314 E. Franklin Ave., Minneapolis, 952-847-2925
Swedish Stories
Wednesday, Dec. 1, 10:30-11 a.m. at Franklin Library
Preschool. Learn about Swedish holidays and traditions.
Presented in collaboration with the American Swedish Institute.
Hennepin County Library – Golden Valley
830 Winnetka Ave. N., Golden Valley, 952-847-5475
Snow Stories and Winter Fun
Wednesday, Dec. 22, 10:30 a.m. at Golden Valley Library
Kindergarten and up. Enjoy stories, poems, music and movement about snow and the joys of winter.
Hennepin County Library – Linden Hills
2900 W. 43rd St., Minneapolis, 952-847-2825
Paws to Read
Saturday, Dec. 11, 10:30 a.m.-noon at Linden Hills Library
Registration required; begins Nov. 13; limit 18. Kindergarten-grade 5. Certified volunteers help put young readers at ease so they can cuddle up with a dog or other animal and practice reading aloud. Call ahead to find out what types of animals will be visiting.
Presented in collaboration with North Star Therapy Animals.
Hennepin County Library – Minneapolis Central
300 Nicollet Mall, Minneapolis, 952-847-8000
History Day Hullabaloo
Saturday, Dec. 11, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. at Minneapolis Central Library
Grade 6 and up. Get personalized help with narrowing your topic, developing your paper, identifying primary resources and finding the best library materials. Librarians, Minnesota History Day staff and mentors from the University of Minnesota will help you make sense of your project. Plenty of time for questions.
This project is funded with money from Minnesota’s Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund. Presented in collaboration with the Minnesota Historical Society.
Discovery Saturday: Paws to Read
Saturday, Dec. 18, 1:30-3 p.m. at Minneapolis Central Library
Preschool-grade 5. Certified volunteers help put young readers at ease so they can cuddle up with a dog or other animal and practice reading aloud. Call ahead to find out what types of animals will be visiting.
Presented in collaboration with North Star Therapy Animals.
Hennepin County Library – Oxboro
8801 Portland Ave. S., Bloomington, 952-847-5775
First Pages: Capturing Life-Changing Experiences
Saturday, Dec. 11, 1 p.m. at Oxboro Library
Registration required; begins Nov. 13; limit 20. Share your story through creative nonfiction writing. Explore tips, techniques and tools that will help you capture the moments, decisions and events that have significantly altered your life.
This project is funded with money from Minnesota’s Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund. Presented in collaboration with the Loft Literary Center.
Hennepin County Library – Pierre Bottineau
55 Broadway St. NE, Minneapolis, 952-847-2850
First Pages: Taking Your Great Idea From Brainstorm to Page
Saturday, Dec. 4, 11 a.m. at Pierre Bottineau Library
Registration required; begins Nov. 6; limit 20. Do you have a great idea for a book? Learn tips for getting that idea down on paper. You also will discover resources to keep you focused and motivated.
This project is funded with money from Minnesota’s Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund. Presented in collaboration with the Loft Literary Center.
Play and Learn
Wednesday, Dec. 8, 11 at Pierre Bottineau Library
Preschool. Join us for stories, songs and activities.
Presented in collaboration with Resources for Child Caring.
Hennepin County Library – Plymouth
15700 36th Ave. N., Plymouth, 952-847-5825
First Pages: Taking Your Great Idea From Brainstorm to Page
Monday, Dec. 6, 6:30 p.m. at Plymouth Library
Registration required; begins Nov. 8; limit 20. Do you have a great idea for a book? Learn tips for getting that idea down on paper. You also will discover resources to keep you focused and motivated.
This project is funded with money from Minnesota’s Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund. Presented in collaboration with the Loft Literary Center.
Hennepin County Library – Ridgedale
12601 Ridgedale Dr., Minnetonka, 952-847-8800
Socrates Café
Thursdays, Dec. 2-Feb. 24, 7 p.m. at Ridgedale Library
Sit back and philosophize with your friends and neighbors. The topic is decided by popular vote at the beginning of the meeting. All welcomed; no experience necessary. The concept of Socrates Café is based on the book of the same name by Christopher Phillips.
Author Talk: Peg Meier
Tuesday, Dec. 7, 7 p.m. at Ridgedale Library
Meier, award-winning former Star Tribune reporter, will discuss her writing process and read from her book “Wishing for a Snow Day,” which explores Minnesota childhood memories from several generations. Books will be available for purchase and signing.
Sponsored by the Friends of the Ridgedale Library.
Hennepin County Library – Rogers
21300 John Milless Dr., Rogers, 952-847-6050
Holiday Hoopla
Friday, Dec. 10, 10:15-10:45 a.m. or 11:15-11:45 a.m. at Rogers Library
Registration required; begins Nov. 12; limit 25. Preschool-grade 1. Celebrate the winter holidays with songs, stories, games and a visit from a special guest. If you like, please bring an item or items for the local food shelf.
Sponsored by the Friends of the Rogers Library and presented in collaboration with the MOMS Club of Rogers – South.
Hennepin County Library – St. Louis Park
3240 Library Lane, St. Louis Park, 952-847-6125
Hanukkah, Christmas and Kwanzaa Stories and Fun
Saturday, Dec. 11, 10:30 a.m. at St. Louis Park Library
Preschool-grade 5. Enjoy stories, songs and dances of Hanukkah, Christmas and Kwanzaa. Arrive early to play with dreidels. Face painting will follow the program.
Sponsored by the Friends of the St. Louis Park Library.
Hennepin County Library – Southdale
7001 York Ave. S., Edina, 952-847-5900
December Stories: Sharing Cultural Celebrations
Tuesday, Dec. 28, 10:30 a.m. at Southdale Library
Kindergarten and up. Master storyteller Auntie Beverly shares traditions of December holidays celebrated around the world and tells stories associated with them.
Sponsored by the Fuchs Family.
Hennepin County Library – Sumner
611 Van White Mem. Blvd., Minneapolis, 952-847-2875
Paws to Read
Saturdays, Dec. 18, Jan. 15, Feb. 19; 12:30-2 p.m. at Sumner Library
Kindergarten-grade 5. Certified volunteers help put young readers at ease so they can cuddle up with a dog or other animal and practice reading aloud. Call ahead to find out what types of animals will be visiting.
Presented in collaboration with North Star Therapy Animals.
First Pages: Character Creation
Wednesday, Dec. 29, 3 p.m. at Sumner Library
Registration required; begins Dec. 1; limit 20. Grades 4-6. Do you have a favorite character in a book or story? How did the writer discover the character’s secret powers or the fact that they wear high-top sneakers and glasses? Learn how to create a character that keeps the reader interested and your stories full of surprises.
This project is funded with money from Minnesota’s Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund. Presented in collaboration with the Loft Literary Center.
Hennepin County Library – Westonka
2079 Commerce Blvd., Mound, 952-847-6175
Celebrate Winter
Saturday, Dec. 11, 2-3 p.m. at Westonka Library
Registration required; begins Nov. 13. Preschool and up. Join us for winter-themed stories and crafts!
Hennepin County Library is nationally recognized as one of the top libraries in the United States. The 41-library system serves 1.2 million residents in Hennepin County and offers about 5 million books, CDs, DVDs, electronic resources, and other items in more than 40 languages, and 1,775 public computers. Last year, there were an estimated 5.6 million in-person visits to Hennepin County libraries and an estimated 15.6 million visits to Hennepin County Library’s website, www.hclib.org Library customers checked out about 17 million items and asked more than 900,000 reference questions. More than 2500 volunteers contributed more than 86,000 hours of service to Hennepin County Library in 2009. The library is a service of Hennepin County.
