The Best & Brightest
232 Books For Every Young Reader In The House
By Leslie Williams
Pauline Robinson Branch Library
January is one of the most exciting months of the library. We have our Winter of Reading for adults. For younger readers, our Best & Brightest books list is available in our branch libraries.
What is Best & Brightest? It is a reviewed, annotated list of favorite books published each year for babies through high school. A group of Denver Public Library staff scoured more than 1,500 books, narrowing them down to 232 excellent books that reflect the diversity of Denver.
It is our hope that there is something on the list for every child in our community. Last year we selected 30 Spanish books and for the first time, we have included children’s audiobooks and board books. Other categories include Picture Books, Beginning Readers, Chapter Books, Graphic Novels, Nonfiction, Biographies, Poetry and Teen Books.
You may access the list in the following ways:
• Visit kids.denverlibrary.org/blog/best-brightest-childrens-teen-books-2019 for full annotations of the selected titles.
• Stop by your neighborhood library to pick up a printed copy of the titles.
• To find books on our online catalog, Search for “Best & Brightest” from the subjects list in the left hand side bar. Here you will find a list of titles from 2016–2019.
• You can also ask DPL staff to help you search for Best & Brightest titles.
Happy Reading!
Park Hill January Events
All Ages Storytime | Thursdays at 10:30 a.m.
Stories, songs, rhymes and fun for children of all ages and their parents or caregivers. Craft activity immediately follows the program.
Baby Storytime | Thursdays & Fridays at 11:15 a.m.
Stories, songs, rhymes and fun for babies ages 0-18 months and their caregivers. Play and social time immediately follow.
Toddler Storytime | Fridays at 10:30 a.m.
Stories, songs, rhymes and fun for toddlers ages 18-36 months and their caregivers.
Irish Dance Class | Friday, Jan. 10, 4:30 p.m.
Join the Anderson-Dunn Academy of Irish Dance for this 45-minute session where kids will learn the basics of Irish dance, including a jig step that they can show off. Ideal for ages 5-10.
No Strings Attached Book Chat | Saturday, Jan. 11, 11 a.m.
Read whatever you want and attend whenever you can. Share a recent read, an old favorite, or anything in between.
Play and Explore | Monday, Jan. 13, 10 a.m. – 11:45 a.m.
Family members and caregivers are a child’s first playmates and teachers. Engage your child in play activities that can help build creativity, coordination, and problem solving, strengthen muscles, increase social skills and encourage early earning. Ideal for ages 12 months to 5 years – accompanied by an adult.
Smartphone & Tablet Basics | Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2 p.m. (90 minutes)
Learn how to navigate commonly used features on your Windows, Android, or Apple smartphone or tablet. Afterwards, there will be time for answering your questions. Please bring your own device.
Teen Advisory Board (TAB) | Tuesdays, Jan. 14 & 28 at 6 p.m.
Join the Park Hill TAB. Help plan events and projects, talk about your favorite books, music, movies and make your opinion count. Plus snacks. Ideal for ages 13-18.
Death Becomes You: Funerary Rites of Fictional Worlds | Wednesday, Jan. 15, 6:30 p.m.
Dr. Chip Colwell, senior curator of anthropology at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science, and librarians from the Denver Public Library will explore the complex beliefs and practices used to remember and respect the dead around the world, and beyond. Fictional ceremonies, rites and rituals vary widely, including taking the deceased person’s water through the deathstills like a Fremen to jettisoning a deceased person into space like a Starfleet captain. These are reflections of real world beliefs and practices and reveal what each culture holds dear.
Kids’ Book Club | Tuesday, Jan. 21, 3:30 p.m.
Upside Down Magic by Sarah Mlynowski
Activity/snack: DIY slushies
Rebels Remembered: The Civil Rights Movement in Colorado | Wednesday, Jan. 22, 6:30 p.m.
Rebels Remembered records and preserves the untold stories of the warriors of the 50s and 60s civil rights revolution in Colorado. Discussion follows with director and activists featured in the film.
Open Play | Thursday, Jan. 23 and Friday, Jan. 24, 10:30 a.m. —12:30 p.m.
Instead of our regular storytimes, come play and socialize while our staff starts planning for summer. Ideal for ages 0-5.
Needle in a Bookstack | Saturday, Jan. 25, 11 a.m.
Come practice your needlecraft with friends & neighbors. This is a drop-in craft group designed for moderate help/instruction in knitting, crocheting, embroidery, and hand stitched craft projects. Please bring your own project and supplies.
Chamber Music | Saturday, Jan. 25, 3 p.m.
Hear Bohuslav Martinu’s String Sextet for two violins, two violas, and two cellos.
Monday, Jan. 27, 10:30 a.m.
Book Stars is a fun and unique program that combines literacy with creative dramatics facilitated by a Denver Center Teaching Artist. It provides pre-K students with an opportunity to use their bodies, voices and imagination to explore stories. This Book Stars session will explore the book They Say Blue by Jillian Tamaki – a playful yet beautifully peaceful invitation to identify and appreciate all the colors of our ever changing world. Ideal for ages 3-6.
Rebels Remembered: Law Not Justice | Tuesday, Jan. 29, 6:30 p.m.
Law Not Justice provides an overview of policing and courts from an African American perspective. Discussion follows with director and activists featured in the film.
Pauline Robinson Events
Tech Help Appointments | Tuesdays, noon – 1 p.m. Starting Jan. 14.
Get technology assistance from one of our in-house experts on your own device or a public computer. Learn the basics, such as email, social networking, word processing and eMedia. Call the library at 720-865-0290 to schedule an appointment.
Preschool Storytime | Wednesdays, 10:30 a.m.
Stories, songs, rhymes and fun for 3-5 year olds and their parents or caregivers.
eBooks made Easy | Saturday, Jan. 4, noon
Learn how to access library eBooks, audiobooks and video with your library card. Bring your own smartphone, tablet, or laptop, or explore the eBooks website using a library computer.
Connecting to the Internet | Wednesday, Jan. 15, 1 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.
In this lecture, you’ll find out about devices that let you browse the web, learn how to get connected and browse, and discover some of the places you can go online. Lecture designed for older adults and presented by Senior Planet.
Protecting Your Personal Information Online | Wednesday, Jan. 22, 1 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.
Learn how to protect your personal information and stay safe in cyberspace. Tips about safe browsing, how to recognize online scams and when it’s okay to share your personal information online. Lecture designed for older adults and presented by Senior Planet.
YouTube | Wednesday, Jan. 29, 1 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.
You may associate YouTube with silly videos of cats, but it’s much more than that. Every day people around the world watch more than 1 billion hours of video, including classic movies, how-to videos, news clips, and more.
This presentation will give an overview of the free content available on YouTube and show you how to navigate the site with ease. You’ll also get tips for viewing and sharing others’ videos and learn about uploading your own. Lecture designed for older adults and presented by Senior Planet.
The Pauline Robinson Book Club | Saturday, Jan. 25, noon
This month’s selection: An American Marriage by Tayari Jones. Drop-ins are welcome.