A Trip to the APL Public Library

Usually, with a busy work schedule, it’s Niu Bao Dad who takes Bao Bao to the library after school to borrow and return books. Now that it’s the holidays, I finally have time to properly explore our local Austin Public Library – Hampton Branch. Though small, the Hampton Branch is in a great location—right near a community park with green trails for walking and biking, plus sports fields and a playground just a short distance away. After borrowing books, we can squeeze in some outdoor fun too! The library is split roughly half children’s books, half adult books. The children’s section is impressively stocked—picture books, leveled readers, graphic novels, chapter books, YA fiction, award-winners, and current favorites are all well-represented. There’s even a whole shelf of Japanese manga (I spotted my beloved Komi Can’t Communicate, though sadly only four volumes remained). Along the windows, low shelves are packed with picture books for little hands to browse, and I noticed many high-quality titles. The collection is also diverse, with plenty of books by and about different cultures—even some titles that have been controversially banned elsewhere. Today, we also discovered a fun scavenger hunt the library had set up. Hidden among the shelves were little green bags containing craft supplies to make an adorable paper otter. Kids (and adults!) could follow clues to collect all the pieces while learning how books are organized—a clever way to explore the library. Everyone was having a blast! Bao Bao picked out some hilarious picture books—Bug Scouts and A Jack Book had us both laughing. He also borrowed a Pete the Cat read-along book, complete with sound effects (the page-turn chime includes a purring cat, which made him giggle). I found a few gems too, including Guo Jing’s The Flamingo—it brought back memories of reading her The Only Child when Da Niu was still in elementary school. Bao Bao even spotted a BTS fan guide and excitedly pointed out, "Mom, isn’t this your favorite, Jimin?" Niu Bao Dad rounded things out with a Christmas music CD for the car. Our neighborhood doesn’t have many Asian families, but the library always feels like a little cultural hub—I often see parents and kids from Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Indian backgrounds here. We’ll definitely make library visits a regular habit! 📍 Hampton Branch at APL 🕒 Hours: (Check APL website for current times) 📚 Perks: Free scavenger hunts, diverse books, manga, read-alongs #AustinLife #APL #PublicLibrary #KidsBooks #PictureBooks #GraphicNovels #DiverseReads #LibraryAdventures