Youth Services at WTBBL

Summer Reading 2013 –

Join us for our annual Summer Reading Program!  This is an 8-week by-mail program that provides books suggestions and fun activities in alternative formats designed for children and teens with visual impairments, physical or reading disabilities. Spanish materials are available.  All students are encouraged to use the summer reading chart provided to track their reading times throughout the eight weeks and reach 1,000 minutes! Students are invited to sign up for the program corresponding to their reading level. Students registered for the Summer Reading Program will receive a prize for participating at the end of the summer. Students will have the chance to submit book reviews, audio or video recommendations, and participate in a book club. Registration is now OPEN!

Registration Form available for online submission or download:

Online Link to Registration Page

Word Document Link

PDF Document Link

Summer Reading Launch Party Saturday June 22^nd

Mark your calendars! All students are invited to the Summer Reading Launch Party on Saturday June 22^nd, 2013.  WTBBL will be open from 11am – 2pm for you and your families to stop by and CELEBRATE the start of summer with a variety of games, activities, and special guests!  Stay tuned for a detailed schedule. 

Dig Into Reading!  (Preschool through Grade 6)

Celebrate the summer by digging into new books and discover fun facts and stories!  Open to all children preschool through grade 6, the “Dig into Reading” Summer Reading Program will focus on digging! We’ll learn about gardening and construction, animals that dig and burrow into the earth, caves, and dinosaurs and archaeology, as well as exploring ancient civilizations or readings stories about pirates digging for buried treasure and more!

Beneath the Surface (Grades 7-12)

Delve into new stories and ideas this summer by going beneath the surface! All teens grades 7-12 can explore beyond the surface of the earth and sea through stories of underground or undersea worlds, subcultures outside the norm, ancient civilizations buried until almost forgotten, and even understand the inner-workings of the human body beneath the skin.

Don’t miss out on this opportunity to dig into new stories or delve beneath the surface into the unexpected! For more information, contact Mandy Gonnsen, Youth Services Librarian at 206-615-1253 or mandy.gonnsen@sos.wa.gov.

El Día de los Niños/El Día de los Libros (Children's Day/Book Day) –  April 30, 2013

El día de los niños/El día de los libros (Children's Day/Book Day), is a celebration of children, families, and reading!  “Día”, as it is commonly known, celebrates the importance of literacy for children of all languages and cultural backgrounds. This year, celebrate Día by reading stories from all over the globe with family and friends! You can also play traditional Día games and create fun Día crafts to commemorate this exciting holiday!

Celebrate Día with WTBBL! 

El Día Letter (Word and PDF)
El Día Reading List (Word and PDF)

Books for Kids in School

The WTBBL collection includes fiction and non-fiction books on digital catridge, in braille, and in large print for school-aged readers. Books and digital talking book machines are available for both home and classroom use. The youth services librarian is available to help students, parents, and teachers find and request books. Send an email to wtbbl@sos.wa.gov or contact Mandy Gonnsen, Youth Services Librarian through the WTBBL main phone line. 

The Orrico Children's Room

Open for children of all ages, our Orrico Children’s Room offers a space for children to explore, play, and of course, read! Recently renovated with new furniture and toys, the Orrico Children’s Room is a welcoming space for your child with vision loss.  Featuring a variety of musical instruments, tactile toys, and both Braille and large-print books, this space supports children’s needs for learning and physical development!  Stop by during normal WTBBL hours and check out the space, or come for our WTBBL Summer Open House, to be held in late August 2012 (more details to come).

Read a Sasquatch Award Book

The Sasquatch Award is given to a chapter book written for grades 4 through 8 and sponsored by the Washington Library Media Association. The award winner is selected by the youth of Washington state each spring. More details and instructions on how to vote are found on the WLMA Sasquatch webpage of the Washington Library Media Association website.

Performances and Events

Children, teens, their families, and friends are periodically invited to the Library for performances designed to include children with no usable vision. Future perfomances and events will be listed here as they are scheduled.

Links to Other Resources

The Braille Bug

This website is an interactive channel on AFB's website created to teach sighted children about braille and to encourage literacy among all children, both sighted and visually impaired. Children in grades 3 through 6 will enjoy playing the games and sending secret messages to friends.

Washington State School for the Blind

The Washington State School for the Blind is a residential school for low vision and blind students of school age who are residents of Washington State. 

Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired

This website contains a wealth of information for parents and children.

EASI: Equal Access to Software and Information

This service is dedicated to disseminating up-to-date information about access to computing and information technology for persons with disabilities. EASI includes links to information on making libraries accessible and links to electronic texts on the Internet.