Erin William 
Editorial Assistant

The sounds of eager fits of giggles fills the air. On a small plain of grass surrounded by a bundle of trees sits a large blue van decorated with vibrant paintings of dogs and books. On the side of the van is the phrase “Get a Library Card,” prompting park patrons to stop by and learn more about library resources in the Northeast.

To the right of the van are book shelves lined with a large number of books that cover a wide array of genres. The books are available to any child who signs up for a library card and the library summer reading program at this week’s Storytime Session at Budd Park.

Do you enjoy reading with your children? Looking for a simple family activity for you and your loved ones every Friday afternoon? This summer, the North-East Kansas City Library is hosting weekly Storytime Sessions at Budd Park. The program has moved from its previous location at Concourse Park to their new location on the Southeast Playground off of Hardesty and Budd Park Esplanade.

At the Pop In at the Park, students are able to grab books provided by Northeast librarians including Elizabeth Giles and Jessica Yanez, take creative art lessons from instructor Anyshya Hempill, or get a lesson from one of the rotating weekly partners to Pop In at the Park.

This past session, as a part of the week’s theme, Keith James III from MO HIVES KC made an appearance to teach students the anatomy of the bee and its importance to the environment, to build upon a larger lesson on how to be “conscientious citizens of the world…incredibly sensitive citizens, [and] sympathetic citizens.”

The program is available four days a week starting from 3 p.m. Tuesdays at Spring Valley Park, Wednesdays at Gillum, Thursdays at Sugar Creek and every Friday afternoon at Budd Park at the southeast playground off of Hardesty and Budd Park Esplanade. Anyone is welcome to join Pop In at the Park.

Here your child may pick exciting new story books to take home and read for free. As long as there are blue skies and clear weather forecasts, the reading sessions will be held for the rest of the summer until August 15.

For more information about the Storytime Sessions and other Summer opportunities for youth sponsored by the Northeast Library Branch, look at their calendar linked at: kclibrary.org/blog/pop-park-2023/events or email Jessicayanez@KClibrary.org or check out their website https://kclibrary.org/blog/pop-park-2023  for more details.