Kenosha set to unveil its first-ever children's library

KENOSHA, Wis. — Learning while having fun is a priority at Kenosha’s first-ever children’s library.

“It feels like a whole different world,” said Isaiah Nye, 10, of Kenosha.

Nye is one of many neighborhood kids excited about Uptown’s new children’s library. The grand opening will take place July 13.

It is for children 11 and under.

“It will give them a nice, safe place where they don’t have to worry about the library being quiet,” said Joe Zimmer, early literacy specialist at the Uptown Children’s Library.

“We can have fun, we can get excited, and it will really help them strengthen their literary skills.”

The library was built on the site of buildings burned during the 2020 civil unrest in Kenosha.

“This neighborhood has seen a lot of unrest,” said Kahlil Griffin, director of the Uptown Children’s Library.

Khalil Griffin — Kahlil Griffin, director of the Kenosha Uptown Children’s Library.

“A lot of buildings were burned down. There was a lot of civil unrest. So this library will help revitalize the community, bring some excitement to the community and bring more people together.”

The 7,600-square-foot library is located on the ground floor of the new Uptown Lofts apartments and features a variety of rooms and activities in addition to hundreds of children’s books.

Joel Kaufmann is the principal of nearby Brass Community School and has already planned field trips for his students.

“Some people will just want to curl up with a book,” Kaufmann said. “But others will be excited to dive into iPads and get involved in different STEM activities and other things that are ready to go.”

Nye said he’s looking forward to all the fun activities. What he’s most excited about is finding a new book.

“My parents actually call me the super reader,” Nye said.

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