Starting July 8 parking at Brookline Village will be limited due to the Pierce School construction.

Please note: The Brookline Village Library will be closed on Sundays from June 16 to September 1.

Celebrating Pride Month!

Posted on by Julie Kellndorfer

This Pride Month, the Library is celebrating LGBTQIA+ history and culture with programs and displays for adults and kids of all ages! Visit any Library location to browse our displays, and check out the programs we’ll be holding throughout the month.

Events

We’re excited to be hosting Pride Month programs for library-goers of all ages this June! Here’s our current lineup:

Pride Month Scavenger Hunts

Kids & Tweens | All Month at the Brookline Village Library

Swing by our Children’s & Tween Rooms at Brookline Village and ask for a scavenger hunt sheet to search for as many different Pride flags or LGBTQIA+ figures as you can find!

Drag Queen Story Hour

Kids ages 3-8 and their families | Monday, June 5 at 10:30 AM at the Coolidge Corner Library

Join a fabulous queen from the Boston chapter of Drag Queen Story Hour for a family storytime! Drag Queen Story Hour is a program for children ages 3–8 that promotes self-love, creativity, and literacy. It will be led by a local Boston drag queen who will sing songs and read picture books.

Pride Button Making

All Ages | Monday, June 5 at 2:30 PM at the Brookline Village Library

The Library is celebrating Pride – with our trusty button maker! We have supplies to make buttons featuring a wide range of Pride flags and pronouns. Stop by the front porch of the Brookline Village Library, and we’ll make a button or two for you.

Queer & Trans History: Looking Back and Moving Forward

Adults & Teens | Wednesday, June 7 at 7 PM at the Brookline Village Library

How can we learn about queer and trans people of the past, and how does their history connect to the present day? Join us for an interactive workshop with educator Matisse DuPont, tracing the lineage of LGBTQIA+ identities over 200 years.

Pride Button Making

All Ages | Wednesday, June 14 at 2:30 PM at the Brookline Village Library

The Library is celebrating Pride – with our trusty button maker! We have supplies to make buttons featuring a wide range of Pride flags and pronouns. Stop by the front porch of the Brookline Village Library, and we’ll make a button or two for you.

Pride Button Making

All Ages | Wednesday, June 21 at 2:30 PM at the Coolidge Corner Library

The Library is celebrating Pride – with our trusty button maker! We have supplies to make buttons featuring a wide range of Pride flags and pronouns. Stop by the Coolidge Corner Library, and we’ll make a button or two for you.

Drag Queen Story Hour

Kids ages 3-8 and their families | Wednesday, June 28 at 3:30 PM at the Putterham Library

Join a fabulous queen from the Boston chapter of Drag Queen Story Hour for a family storytime! Drag Queen Story Hour is a program for children ages 3–8 that promotes self-love, creativity, and literacy. It will be led by a local Boston drag queen who will sing songs and read picture books.

Elizabeth’s Collection of Pandas

Posted on by Elissa Martel

Check our new collection on display in the Children’s Room!

In our wall case, Elizabeth shares her collection of pandas. Elizabeth’s collection includes stuffed animal pandas, a panda-shaped pen, panda sunglasses, and more! Elizabeth is 5 years old and goes to Pre-K.

Collection of panda toys in a display case

Stop by the Brookline Village Children’s Room to see this amazing collection! And sign up for a slot in our display cases here!

Brookline Readers & Leaders Create

Posted on by Brita Zitin

This show, organized by the Brookline Readers & Leaders, features artwork by students from the Lawrence, Lincoln, and Florida Ruffin Ridley schools, and the Brookline Early Education Program.

On Saturday, June 17 at 2 PM, the student artists will be fêted at a gala-style event, complete with red carpet appearances. All are welcome! Here are the event details.

Brookline Readers & Leaders is a family-led initiative founded by the Florida Ruffin Ridley School’s Equity PAC in 2020, and now co-hosted by teams from FRR, Lawrence, Lincoln, and BEEP. Its mission is to build community through the joy and power of words, both written and spoken. Learn more here.

Celebrating AAPI Heritage: A Collection

Posted on by Lily Weitzman

To celebrate Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month this May, the Brookline Office of Diversity, Inclusion, and Community Relations partnered with residents to collect and display meaningful items to educate, raise awareness, and highlight and uplift Asian American and Pacific Islander heritage, stories, and diaspora of cultures.  Brookline recognizes May as AAPI Heritage Month, and we invite you celebrate with us on May 20, 2023 from 10-3:30 PM. Learn more about Brookline Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Day here!

Bjorbaek & Mahoney (Daughters & Mom) Family Art Exhibit

Posted on by Sebastien Sulser

The various art pieces were inspired from visiting special places such as St. Augustine, FL (Vilano Beach), plus many painted from local scenes in Brookline and Boston. Our cocker spaniel puppy (Daisy) makes a few cameos too! We have included a few canvases of ours which were inspired by our favorite cartoonists, Charles Schultz and Dr. Seuss, as well.

Kitt Bjorbaek (16 years) graduated from Baker School and is a sophomore at Brookline High School. She is on the girls varsity rowing team. Additionally, Kitt recently competed in the Harvard Henley regatta in Harvard, MA (March 2023) as well as the Quinsigamond Cup in Shrewsbury, MA (April 2023).

Mia Bjorbaek (13 years) is a 7th grade student at Baker School. She has been ice skating for 9 1/2 years and recently was in the Ice Chips skating show (March 2023) through the Skating Club of Boston. Mia will be joining the cheerleading and track teams at Baker School this May 2023.

Christine Mahoney is Kitt’s & Mia’s mom. She has always loved art and has a BA in journalism with a minor in Studio Art from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.

Transforming Art in Early Education – 50 Years of BEEP!

Posted on by Lily Weitzman

This art exhibition of young learners marks a celebration of 50 years of the Public Schools of Brookline Early Education Program, BEEP. Through a generous grant administered by Brookline Education Foundation, BEEP’s work with local artist and art therapist, Erin Palazzolo Loparo, showcases original artwork and documents the mindful, discovery-driven process behind it. It features over 250 students’ art, ages 2-5 years old, across 19 classrooms. Art experiences incorporate traditional and non-traditional mindful materials exploration and experimentation based on the works of artists Yayoi Kusama, Barnett Newman, Pablo Picasso, and Imagine. The program also offers a unique opportunity to share connections between a working artist and the work of students and teachers. According to Palazzolo Loparo, “Collaborating with BEEP in this way is entirely joy-filled. We’ve created a transformative model for arts in early education where every child is experimenting, making choices, and finding meaning.”

Erin Palazzolo Loparo MS-ATR is a former BEEP parent, local artist/teacher, and registered art therapist who has scientific artwork on permanent display at Harvard Medical School. To view her artwork and commissions, visit Erin’s website and instagram, @loparoerin.

Lucy’s Artwork and Noah’s Sequel to “Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH”

Posted on by Elissa Martel

Check out the collections on display in the Children’s Room!

In our wall case, Lucy shares her collection of artwork. Lucy’s art is all about color, design, and fashion.

Collection of small works of art on display

In our flat case, Noah shares his sequel to the book Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O’Brien. When Noah learned that O’Brien had not written a sequel, Noah decided to write his own! If you’d like to borrow Noah’s book, Mrs. Frisby, The Rats, and The Epic Escape Party, you can ask at the Children’s Room desk.

A book and stuffed rat on display  Copy of Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH and stuffed animal rats on display

Stop by the Brookline Village Children’s Room to see these amazing collections! And sign up for a slot in our display cases here!

Hans’ LEGO Cars and Jonah’s Star Wars LEGO Collection

Posted on by Elissa Martel

Check out the collections on display in the Children’s Room!

In our flat case, Hans shares his collection of LEGO cars. Hans is 8 years old, and has been collecting these cars for many years.

LEGO Jeep Wrangler

In our wall case, Jonah shares his Star Wars LEGO collection. Jonah is 10 years old, and has been building LEGO sets for more than two years.

Star Wars LEGO set and hand-written artist statement in display case  Close-up of Star Wars LEGO set

Stop by the Brookline Village Children’s Room to see these amazing collections! And sign up for a slot in our display cases here!