Winter Challenge

Each winter the DC Public Library encourages children and families to continue learning over school break so that kids return ready to finish the school year strong. When school is out, it is the perfect time to read with your children or to encourage them to read. It is also a great time to visit the Library for exciting, family friendly events and entertainment.

Take the Winter Challenge

Over the winter break, we urge youth and families to use the Library’s resources to read or attend a show or exhibit at the Library for at least 20 minutes each day. Learning activities like these, even just for 20 minutes, are enough to keep the mind sharp while on break from school.

Winter Challenge begins December 17, 2018 and ends January 22, 2019. The library is working with some amazing community partners to create over a month full of family friendly events showcasing arts and literature including programs highlighting Coretta Scott King Award winning books that will keep youth active and engaged during the school break.
 

Winter Challenge Events

The Winter Read In

This year, Martha's Table will host a daylong celebration of reading on Jan. 12, 2019. Spend the day with the Library engaging in a wide variety of reading activities meant for all ages or just drop by for a portion of the event.
 

Winter Challenge Instagram Contest

From Dec. 17, 2018 through Jan. 22, 2019 we're asking D.C. teens to read something interesting and post a photo or video on instagram using #TeensRead20 with a caption explaining why/how it inspired them or what makes it so interesting. The top four posts with the most likes by the end of the contest are eligible to win great prizes like an iPad, Beats headphones and more.

Click here for contest rules and details.
 

Author Talks

Simba Sana (Jan. 12)                                                          Michael Twitty (Jan. 22)

Join these two incredible authors for an in-depth conversation about their recent books.

Simba Sana is the best selling author of Never Stop: A Memoir and the former CEO and Co-Founder of Karibu Books, the largest and most successful black owned independent book store chain in the country. Sana will be a part of our Winter Read In at Martha's Table on Jan. 12, 2019. His portion of the event will begin at 4 p.m.

Michael Twitty is a culinary historian, educator and author of The Cooking Gene which won the 2018 James Beard Foundation Book Award for Book of the Year. Join him at The ARC Town Hall for an interesting conversation weaving food history with politics, genealogy and identity. (This event will be rescheduled for a later date.)

National Symphony Orchestra Free Concert at Mt. Pleasant Library

On Jan. 12, the National Symphony Orchestra (NSO) will hold a free performance for kids and families at the Mount Pleasant Library. The visit from NSO will include an "instrument petting zoo" where kids can get a close look at all of the fascinating instruments used in the orchestra.