Barnes and Noble Storytime at the Summit

Recently, my kids and I went to the Barnes and Noble story time at the Summit. They hold it every Saturday at 11am. We got there a little early, and looked through the toy section and played at the Lego table for a while before heading back into the children’s section of the store. The train table is on one side of the kid’s section, and on the other side there is a stage. The story time is held at the stage, with kids sitting on the floor and on benches listening to the “Story Time Lady” as my kids call her. The same woman has been reading the stories every time we’ve been there, and she is fantastic! She begins with songs like “Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes,” “The Hokey Pokey,” “The Alphabet Song,” “The Itsy Bitsy Spider,” and “Row, Row, Row Your Boat.” The kids love singing, being able to stand, do arm actions, and speed the songs up faster and faster.

Then, it was time for the stories. She reads 3 or 4 stories each time, and she is very animated and interactive during each book. She’s also not afraid to tell the unruly children (like my own) to behave or be quiet if needed, however she does it in a gentle way that does not make parents feel defensive or angry. It lasts between 20 and 30 minutes, but the kids are entertained non-stop. At the end, each child received a sticker, and then was free to roam the children’s books. At times, Barnes and Noble has special events during story time including costumed characters, coloring, or easy crafts. You can check their calendar for more details and upcoming events at or BN.com if you want to find events at a different location. 

By guest contributor: Caryn