[City of Pasadena]
The program is part of Pasadena Public Library’s broader effort to welcome all community members through its more than 60 monthly storytime programs across branches. The award-winning library system circulates over 1.2 million items per year and recently won the 2025 California Library Association PRExcellence Award.
“Bilingual storytime has helped our library communicate that it is serious about welcoming all members of our community,” wrote L. Kelly in the peer-reviewed journal “Children and Libraries.”
The Villa Parke program incorporates Pasadena Public Library’s early literacy framework featuring five practices: talking, singing, reading, writing, and playing.
For bilingual families, such programs offer additional benefits. Children exposed to multiple languages early often learn native-like accents and patterns, aiding future language learning.
“Spanish-language stories, or cuentos, along with rhymes, poems, and songs ‘affirm and validate the language and culture of these children and their families,'” according to Jamie Campbell Naidoo, author of “Once Upon A Cuento.”
“Children’s brains are hard-wired to learn language in those first five years of life,” said Natalie Standridge, CEO of Casa de Corazón. “And so our program is set up to really foster that language development.”
Attendees can request accessibility accommodations by contacting the library in advance.
Bilingual Spanish Storytime will run on Wednesday, Oct. 29, from 10-10:30 a.m. Villa Parke Community Center Branch Library, 363 E. Villa St., Pasadena. For more information, call (626) 744-6510 or visit https://www.cityofpasadena.net/library/branches/villa-parke-community-center-branch/?trumbaEmbed=view%3Devent%26eventid%3D187591239. Ticket: Free.
