We have been to the library many times especially when the kids were little. Last I knew, the library has two mornings that each has an hour or so sing-and-play with babies and toddlers. Make sure to check the website for various activities. Kids get to listen and sing some sounds, do some dance movements, and even play with simple instruments.

For older kids, they have lego club and chess club. For even older kids, they have computer related activities too. It’s a nice hub for family with kids in the middle of the city.

Having been to the new haven library many times, I started to wonder what other libraries would be like in towns around here. So a couple years ago I took my little ones to check out the Branford library. I’m so glad that I did!

The Branford public library locates on the main street, although it is much easier to get to from the side road. The building is very beautiful, and looks like it is made of marble stones. It has a free parking lot. If it fills up, you can always park in the front or side road. We never had problem parking when we went there.

The children’s room is all the way on the top of the building. You could use the elevator, or you could walk up the spiral winding stairs. The children’s room is the whole ring of space up on the top. It has books, some computers, some video/audio rentals.

What’s amazing is the room with picture books. Of course there are many beautiful colorful books you could easily see and reach. There are also many extra things that you don’t usually see in a library. First it has a reading-hub that looks like a space-shuttle. If you want some quiet time, you can go hide in the hub and read some book. Then it has a full-size doll house with furnitures. Going in further, there is a cooking station with all the accessories, tea-sets, vegetables, desserts, bread, pie, cooking pan, plates, etc. It also has a lego station, a train table, a castle (or maybe it meant to be a puppet show place) that fits 3 kids, and several other toys on the shelf.

It also has two comfortable couches in the middle of the room, and a row of padded benches along the wall. It is very easy for the parents to just sit and relax, and the kids can play! The only downside would be, the room can probably comfortably fit 5-6 kids. More than that might feel a bit crowded.

It’s a wonderful little place for kids to have fun and to learn more about books.