This Black History Month theme from Carter G. Woodson’s Association for the Study of African American Life and History is “The Crisis in Black Education.”  The Executive Summary follows: The problem of educational inequality has a long history in America.  The crisis in black education first began in the days of slavery when it was unlawful for slaves to learn to read and write. In … Continue reading 2017 Black History Month Theme

The scouts in Girl Scout Troop 4601 periodically attend and/or volunteer at Chocolate Storytime.  But during January’s Chocolate Storytime, the troop went away to a winter snow camp, creating stories that will last a lifetime. Many of them also say that one of their fondest memories was making s’mores.  But this was a different type of s’more; it’s more for those who are “glamping” (glamorous … Continue reading Wintertime Stories & S’mores

After celebrating the Christmas holiday, Chocolate Storytime guests were treated to an exciting afternoon learning about Kwanzaa.  A celebration of family, community, and culture, Kwanzaa begins a day after Christmas and ends on January 1st. Pasadena resident and community advocate, Raequel London, read our featured book, “It’s Kwanzaa Time” by Synthia Saint James.  London, a former preschool teacher, guided the guests through the 7 days … Continue reading Raequel London Teaches About Kwanzaa

Mother of a real-life rocket scientist, November brought us special storytime reader, Dr. Linda Cole, program director from Los Angeles Trade-Technical College. She read the book, “My Nana and Me” by Irene Smalls and illustrated by Cathy Ann Johnson and “The Colors of Us” by Karen Katz.  We read “Finn and the First Order,” from the Star Wars series and “Princess Tiana and the Royal Ball” … Continue reading Thankful Accordions by Alicia Randall

In October, we had a pair of special guest readers to Chocolate Storytime.  First was Martin Luther King Community Coalition’s annual MLK Essay and Art Contest, 2016 essay contest winner and 2017 essay contest finalist, middle schooler, Ian Sims, read the book, and kept the children very engaged. Our second guest was author, Abrafi S. Sanyika, who wrote the book, “Makeda, Queen of Sheeba” illustrated … Continue reading Chocolate Storytime Welcomes Author, Abrifi Sanyika

In August, demonstrating her bilingual skills, Alicia Randall read “A Lola Le Encantan los Cuentos,” the Spanish version of “Lola Loves Stories,” and explained the story in English. Other books read were, “Twenty Yawns” by Jane Smiley and illustrated by Lauren Castillo, “Hair Dance” by Dinah Johnson and illustrated by Kelly Johnson, and one of our all time favorites, “Black All Around” by Patricia Hubbell … Continue reading Alicia Reads Spanish Version of “Lola Loves Stories”