Families are invited to talk, play, read, write and sing while exploring a range of themes and rotating activities designed to promote school readiness, encourage creativity, and healthy development.
David Lines, our Outreach Specialist from the Howard Center is in the Main Library for drop-in chats.
Join us to build and design your very own original LEGO creations! Recommended for ages 4-11. No pre-registration needed.
D&D is back with your new favorite Dungeon Master, Andrew, now in two smaller groups with capped registration! "Group A" will play on the second Sunday of each month, and "Group B" will play on the third Sunday of each month. Pre-registration required, a waitlist will be available if we fill up. Please choose only one Group each month.
For all experience levels, ages 9-14
RSVPs open the last Sunday of each month at 12:15pm..
Food for Talk is a book club for anyone interested in cooking! Instructions on how to join this community of home cooks and fellow culinary travelers can be found after the description of this month's cookbook. If reading about food, experimenting with new recipes and learning from other cooks sounds fun, sign up and join us on the second Sunday of every month at 3pm! Locations vary.
This month: The Vatican Cookbook by David Geiser and the Pontifical Swiss Guard
Please register with Barbara Shatara at bshatara@burlingtonvt.gov
About this month's cookbook: The Vatican Cookbook by David Geiser and the Pontifical Swiss Guard
The Pontifical Swiss Guard presents … a book like no other. A unique collection of exceptional recipes from simple to sublime, everyday staples to holiday feasts. Here are the classics served at Vatican tables for centuries and the finest of modern cuisine.
The Vatican Cookbook features superb photographs that take us behind the scenes to secret and special places of Vatican City. Walk the hallowed halls of St. Peter's, the Vatican Museums, and the Sistine Chapel. Enjoy the stories and legends of the Swiss Guard handed down since the days of Michelangelo.
For all who love to cook and share meals with family and friends, and for all who are fascinated by the wonders and the grandeur of the Vatican, the Swiss Guard is pleased to offer you … The Vatican Cookbook.
It's as easy as 1, 2, 3...
1. Register with Barbara Shatara bshatara@burlingtonvt.gov
2. Pick up a copy of the book from the Library's Main Desk.
3. Read it, make a dish (not required though) and bring it to the discussion at 3 pm.
Fathers (and parents of all genders) and their kids ages 5 and under drop in for playtime and connection. Ages 0-5. dadguild.org
Receive one-on-one technology and cell phone support from library staff at the Main Library. 30-minute session per patron; first come, first served. Get support with software questions, how to use your devices and smart phones, and how to access the Library's digital resources. Support does not include repair of broken computers, devices, or phones.
Preschool Storytime is back-with an artistic twist! Each week, we will read a selection of books by one featured author/illustrator, then make art inspired by the stories.
Recommended for ages 2-6 with caregivers. No registration necessary. Fletcher Room (3rd floor).
Mondays, 10:30-11:30 a.m.
Why should kids have all the fun? Meet up with fellow teen Minecraft enthusiasts to play together on the library’s private server. Snacks provided.
Ages 12-18.
Mondays 4:30-6pm. 2/2, 2/9, 2/23, 3/2, 3/9, 3/23, 4/6, 4/20, 5/4.
David Lines, our Outreach Specialist from the Howard Center is in the Main Library for drop-in chats.
Dance, wiggle, and sing with local musician/early educator, Linda Bassick. This program is geared towards babies, toddlers and preschool aged kids, but all ages are welcome!
Receive one-on-one technology support from library staff in person at the NNE Branch. 30-minute session per patron; first come, first served. Get support with software questions, how to use your devices and smart phones, and how to access the Library's digital resources. Please note, program occurs outside of NNE Branch's open hours, and other library services will not be available at this time. Support does not include repair of broken computers, devices, or phones.
Kids 7-12: drop in and meet up with fellow Minecraft enthusiasts to play together on the library’s private server! Snacks will be available.
Pause-Café Mardi
Conversations in French. Francophones and French-language learners meet pour parler la belle langue. Drop-ins welcome.
About the Book
States have tremendous power to protect their residents’ health. In the absence of adequate federal safeguards against pollution and toxic chemicals, state policies are the strongest tools available to create safe, sustainable environments. The good news is, around the country, red states and blue states are taking up the charge.
In California, state agencies are partnering with disadvantaged communities to measure air quality, reduce pollution, and advance environmental justice. In Texas, a state law requires every school to cut down on the use of dangerous pesticides, helping to keep kids safe. In New York, a network of clinics trains medical professionals in occupational health and children’s environmental health, ensuring that patients receive excellent care and specialists are ready to advocate for protective policies. The success of these programs is not haphazard; instead, effective approaches share key elements, including state-university-industry partnerships, collaboration across government agencies, and strong environmental health education.
In A Healthy Union, Susan Kaplan highlights examples of groundbreaking state environmental health policies, exploring what has worked, what needs improvement, and how other areas of the country can build on these advances. Further, she shows how public health advocates can push forward new protections, creating safer environments for the next generation. Ultimately, Kaplan argues, we need a coordinated federal and state response to environmental health threats. Until then, innovative policy solutions can go a long way to improve the nation’s wellbeing, one state at a time.
About the Author
Susan Kaplan, JD is Research Assistant Professor of Environmental & Occupational Health Sciences at the University of Illinois Chicago. She previously developed regulations at the Occupational Safety and Health Administration in Washington, D.C., managed a state program to clean up and redevelop contaminated sites, and was assistant director of an energy policy group at Harvard University’s Kennedy School. Her writing has appeared in The Washington Post, Boston Globe, Christian Science Monitor, Ensia, and other outlets. She lives mainly in Vermont.
About the Interviewer
Christine Vatovec, PhD, is an environmental health social scientist who studies the interconnections between human health and planetary health, and serves as the Planetary Health Lead at the University of Vermont (UVM) Osher Center for Integrative Health. At UVM, Dr. Vatovec is a Clinical Assistant Professor in the College of Nursing and Health Sciences, Research Assistant Professor in the Larner College of Medicine, Fellow in the Gund Institute for Environment, and Lecturer in the Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources.
Her first book, Dying Green: A Journey through End-of-Life Medicine in Search of Sustainable Healthcare, was published in April 2023 by Rutgers University Press. She teaches several courses including Climate Change and Health, Planetary Health, and Science and Evidence of Integrative Health, and was awarded UVM’s Part-Time Teacher of the Year in 2020.
Connect with your community through crafting! Bring in your current knitting/crocheting/mending/embroidery/etc. project and join us for an evening of creativity and conversation. All projects and all experience levels are welcome!
Design and build fantastic creations with our magnetic toys at our New North End branch. Recommended for ages 3 and up.
Clap your hands for the Library Littles! This weekly drop-in program brings babies, toddlers, and their caregivers together for playtime, connection, and community in a warm and nurturing environment. Each week will feature a variety of different play stations for young children to explore.
Recommended for ages 0-3 with caregiver.
No registration necessary. Fletcher Room (3rd floor).
Wednesdays, 11-11:45 a.m.
David Lines, our Outreach Specialist from the Howard Center is in the Main Library for drop-in chats.
Join representatives from Steps to End Domestic Violence, at the Library to answer your questions.
Popcorn provided, all ages welcome. PG. Doors open at 2pm, movie starts at 2:30.
Kids explore science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics activities. Open to children in Kindergarten-5th grade; no registration required.
Beginner and low-intermediate English-language learners can practice written and spoken English. Contact Barbara Shatara at bshatara@burlingtonvt.gov or Juliana Skelly at jskelly@burlingtonvt.gov to register.
Join other readers at this virtual discussion - on Zoom - of The Fox Wife by Yangsze Choo
Contact: Barbara Shatara at bshatara@burlingtonvt.gov to register and to obtain Zoom info.
About This Month's Book: The Fox Wife
Manchuria, 1908.
In the last years of the dying Qing Empire, a courtesan is found frozen in a doorway. Her death is clouded by rumors of foxes, which are believed to lure people by transforming themselves into beautiful women and handsome men. Bao, a detective with an uncanny ability to sniff out the truth, is hired to uncover the dead woman’s identity. Since childhood, Bao has been intrigued by the fox gods, yet they’ve remained tantalizingly out of reach—until, perhaps, now.
Meanwhile, a family who owns a famous Chinese medicine shop can cure ailments but can’t escape the curse that afflicts them—their eldest sons die before their twenty-fourth birthdays. When a disruptively winsome servant named Snow enters their household, the family’s luck seems to change—or does it?
Snow is a creature of many secrets, but most of all she’s a mother seeking vengeance for her lost child. Hunting a murderer, she will follow the trail from northern China to Japan, while Bao follows doggedly behind. Navigating the myths and misconceptions of fox spirits, both Snow and Bao will encounter old friends and new foes, even as more deaths occur.
New York Times bestselling author Yangsze Choo brilliantly explores a world of mortals and spirits, humans and beasts, and their dazzling intersection. Epic in scope and full of singular, unforgettable characters, The Fox Wife is a stunning novel about old loves and second chances, the depths of maternal love, and ancient folktales that may very well be true.
Limited copies of the book are available for checkout at the Main Desk.
David Lines, our Outreach Specialist from the Howard Center is in the Main Library for drop-in chats.
Practice English with a native speaker at these fun stress-free conversations. The facilitator, Margaret, is a current graduate student studying "Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages". She has experience teaching all ages and skill levels and in multiple countries, including the US, Japan, and Kyrgyzstan. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, baking, and is learning to play the harp. She is excited to be bringing back the English Conversation Group!
Email Barbara Shatara for Zoom info - bshatara@burlingtonvt.gov
Join Colleen from Grow Prenatal and Family Yoga for songs, movement, and other fun yoga activities. Recommended for children ages 2-5 and their caregivers.
Esercitati a parlare italiano! Practice speaking the Italian language and meet others learning and native speakers. This group is best for those who can speak Italian in basic sentences, at a minimum.
Folx from the Burlington Electric Department table at FFL to answer your questions about their services.
Practice Spanish with this new foreign language conversation group at FFL. Beginners welcome.
David Lines, our Outreach Specialist from the Howard Center is in the Main Library for drop-in chats.
Free Children’s Crafts and Instrument Petting Zoo
Share the Irish heritage with a new generation, or expand your children’s cultural horizons by creating some Irish-themed crafts. All ages are welcome.
Learn more about Burlington's Irish Heritage Festival events HERE!
A new addition to the 2026 Burlington Irish Heritage Festival is a used book sale of all things Irish. Titles covering history, current events, biography, fiction, poetry and numerous other topics will be featured and prices heavily discounted. All proceeds from the sale will go to the Burlington Irish Heritage Festival and support future programming.
Learn more about Burlington's Irish Heritage Festival events HERE!
David Lines, our Outreach Specialist from the Howard Center is in the Main Library for drop-in chats.
Join Geoff for stories, songs, and movement in the New North End Branch!
