Book Bundles: The Fun of Browsing with the Convenience of Curbside

Ever since Judge Hidalgo issued the “Stay Home, Work Safe” order for Harris County back in March, curbside services have been on the rise. Grocery pickups, restaurant pickups, even small businesses are offering it - it only made sense for HCPL to get in on the action too! However, while placing holds and picking them up curbside is definitely an option, part of the fun of going to the library is getting to browse the shelves. We needed a way to allow patrons the ability to browse the stacks without being able to enter our building. With that idea in mind, we created Book Bundles! 

The concept is simple enough: We provide a menu of set categories for you to choose from via an online form, and then our expert staff members select titles that fit well within whichever menu items are selected. You can select bundles made up of five early concept picture books, three adult biographies, three YA #diversereads, and so much more. 

For instance, selecting the “Sleepy-time Snuggles” picture book bundle will give you options like The Snatchabook, where a mysterious something is stealing all of the bedtime stories from a small town, or Sweet Dreams, Zaza, where a little girl has to say goodnight to everyone and everything before finally settling in for the night. It might even include a silly book like Where do Speedboats Sleep at Night? The possibilities are endless, and our staff are so excited to find you new things to read. 

There’s a comments section where you can provide specific likes and dislikes to customize your order. We’re even offering DVD and magazine add-ons to complete each bundle. You can pick up their entire bundle curbside and will hopefully find a few new favorites as you read through what we’ve selected! 

We miss our patrons, and while this is not quite the same as browsing the shelves, or discussing books face-to-face, Book Bundles are giving us the opportunity to provide readers advisory at a safe distance. Try one out today – find details here!   
 
Titles included in this Sleepy-time Bundle are: 

• The Snatchabook by Helen Docherty - Someone is stealing all of the bedtime stories from the residents of Burrow Down! Who could be taking all of the books? 
• Sweet Dreams, Zaza by Mylo Freeman - A toddler is almost ready for sleep, but she needs to wish all of her animal friends goodnight first! 
• Where Do Speedboats Sleep at Night? by Brianna Caplan Sayres - A rhyming story that explains where sailboats, cruise ships, canoes, and other boats go when they’re ready to say goodnight and go to bed. 
• The Night Library by David Zeltser - A little boy goes to sleep in NYC and is visited by the two lions who keep watch over the New York Public Library. They whisk him away in his dreams to explore the power of books and stories. 
• The Moon Keeper by Zosienka - Emile the moon keeper spends his nights making sure the moon can shine its light over all the night creatures. He knows just what to do, except for when the moon starts to change and slowly disappear… 

Also, if you haven’t already, be sure to meet Curbside Larry!