Family Night @ the Library: David Skale, Magician Extraordinaire

Get ready for wacky, magical fun as David Skale brings his hilarious magic show and sidekick bunny to Burbank Library for our Family Nights in March! 

See David's fabulously fun magic show at Central Library on Thursday, March 10th at 7:00 pm and at our Buena Vista Branch on Thursday, March 24th at 7:00 pm.

FREE Family Fun! Oscar Costumes on display at FIDM now through April 30th

Have fashion-savvy kids?  Why not swing by FIDM’s 19th Annual Art of Motion Picture Costume Design on display through April 30th.  If you're looking for a fun afternoon in downtown L.A. you can't go wrong with historic sites like the Central Library and their beautiful children's room, lunch at The Pantry, then a stop by FIDM to see costumes from 20 movies from 2010, including Oscar-nominees like True Grit, The King's Speech, and Alice in Wonderland.  The gallery at FIDM is open 10-4, Tuesday through Saturday.  Admission is FREE.  For more information call  (213) 623-5821.

FREE Family Fun: Winter Wonderland at Brand Park this Saturday!

Even though we live in Southern California, we can still have a snow day now and then. Over 60 tons of man-made snow will be brought into Brand Park in Glendale on Saturday, February 12 at 10 AM for the City of Glendale's 32nd annual Winter Wonderland event. Children are invited and encouraged to make snowmen, toss snowballs, make snow angels, and play in the snow. Plastic discs are provided for the four downhill snow slides. There are two snow play areas: one for children under 5 and one for youngsters older than 5. Community display booths, hands-on-activities, entertainment, and refreshments will be available. Admission is FREE!

Brand Park is located at 1601 West Mountain Street, Glendale, CA.  For more information call: (818) 548-2792.

Pajama Storytime at Buena Vista this Tuesday night!

Roses are red, violets are blue...if you miss Pajama Storytime you'll go boo-hoo!  This Tuesday night at our Buena Vista Branch, we'll be having a very special Valentine's Day Pajama Storytime with lovey-dovey tales and a screening of "Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown."  And don't forget to wear your PJs and bring along your favorite Teddy Bear!  Storytime starts at 6:30 in the Community Room at Buena Vista Branch Library.

FREE Family Fun: The 112th Annual Golden Dragon Parade & Festival this Saturday!

Giant dragons, floats, marching bands, local celebs, and much more will all converge on Broadway in Chinatown this Saturday, 2/5.  The Golden Dragon Parade has been a Chinatown staple for over 100 years so don't miss out on this FREE family fun!  Acrobats, cultural performance groups, facepainters, and others will be stationed at the Central and West Plazas in Chinatown from 10 am to 8 pm so there is lots of fun to be had in addition to the parade.  Plus, the Metro Gold Line stops in Chinatown so this is a perfect opportunity to show the kids how much fun riding the subway can be, especially with its many stops in Pasadena, South Pasadena, and the grand finale, Union Station. 

Family Film @ Central Library: "Shrek Forever After" Wed. at 4:00

What might have happened if Shrek never met Fiona, Donkey, or Puss?  What if he never made it to Far Far Away?  Well get ready to find out this Wednesday (2/2) at 4:00 at Central Library as Rumpelstiltskin turns Shrek's world upside down in this final chapter in the Oscar-winning film series.  Starring: Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz, and a hilarious Antonio Banderas as Puss. (rated PG: 93 min.s)

If you miss the screening tomorrow, we'll also be showing the film at our Buena Vista Branch on Wed. 2/23 at 4:00 pm in the auditorium.

FREE Family Fun this weekend: BofA "Museums on Us" Program

Bank of America has expanded their Museums on Us program to include FREE admission to several L.A. area museums the first complete weekend of every month.  So that means, this weekend (Feb. 5 & 6) BofA debit and credit card holders can get FREE admission to LACMA, The Autry National Center of the American West (right here in the Burbank area), the Hammer Museum, and the Skirball Cultural Center.  Many of these museums offer free admission for children under 17 (check their website for more info) so the whole family can enjoy some art this weekend.  Or if the call of the Super Bowl is too strong there's always next month.  Here's the dates of the upcoming BofA free admission weekends: Mar. 5-6, Apr. 2-3, May 7-8, June 4-5, July 2-3, Aug. 6-7, Sept. 3-4, Oct. 1-2, Nov. 5-6, and Dec. 3-4.

Staff Pick: This Book Made Me Do It

EXCITING NEW NON-FICTION! This Book Made Me Do It: Cool Things to Make, Do, and Explore by John Woodward.  Well it would probably be wrong to say that this is a craft book.  It’s more of an activity book, and you’ll end up moving around a lot and spending time outdoors often making these projects: build and launch a bottle rocket, learn how to pan for gold, dig a pond, make a boomerang, saw someone in half, learn how to land an airplane.  For those of you who just have to stay indoors, there are all kinds of cooking, origami, and magic projects.  What’s great about this eclectic collection is that you are sure to find something to fit your mood on any given day!