Popcorn & PJs
Connect with Books in a Whole New Way
Popcorn & PJs is a fun, virtual family storytime where a featured children’s author brings their book to life with a live read-aloud, interactive Q&A, and a hands-on literacy activity for the whole family.
How It Works
Families can pay to register for individual events or purchase a seasonal bundle. Each participating family receives a link to access the virtual readings and has the option to purchase a special Popcorn Package, shipped directly to an address of their choosing. Each package includes the featured book, popcorn, crayons, a sketch pad, and themed activities for families to enjoy together.
Families can also donate a ticket to help another family participate in Popcorn & PJs through Read to Grow.
Thanks to the generosity of our sponsors, donors, and grant partners, Popcorn & PJs is offered at little or no cost to participating families, helping make this enriching experience accessible to more children and families across our community.
Worried about language accessibility? Zoom’s real-time translation feature makes it possible to enjoy all Popcorn & PJs events with auto-generated captions in more than 35 languages! Click here to see the full list of available caption languages and learn how to enable them when your family participates in a Popcorn & PJs event.
Make Fall Family Nights Extra Special with Popcorn & PJs!
For the Fall 2026 Season, you can enjoy this lineup of unforgettable evenings together:
Winsome Bingham kicks off the season with Fish Fry Friday—a heartwarming story that celebrates family, community,
and the special traditions that bring people together.
Debbi Michiko Florence shares Monster Maker: The Strange Creatures of Mark Nagata next! This book is an exciting
biography about toy designer, painter, illustrator, and collector extraordinaire, Mark Nagata.
Laurenne Sala & Zara González Hoang close out the season with Mi Escuela Is My School, a bilingual book that teaches
special Spanish words that can be used in school and at home.
Want to experience all three events?
Click here to purchase tickets for the full Fall 2026 Season!
Learn More About This Fall’s Guests
Winsome Bingham
Meet an award-winning author, educator, literacy advocate, and self-proclaimed soul food connoisseur! Winsome Bingham is the author of Soul Food Sunday, a New York Times Best Book of the Year and Connecticut Book Award winner. With more than 15 years of teaching experience and an MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults, Winsome is passionate about helping children discover the joy of reading and seeing themselves authentically represented in books. A U.S. Army veteran and master cook, she brings plenty of stories, heart, and a love of community to everything she does.
Debbi Michiko Florence
Meet Debbi Michiko Florence, an award-winning author who has written more than 25 books for children and tweens! A third-generation Japanese American, Debbi draws on her experiences and love of storytelling to create books that inspire kids to read, laugh, and see themselves in the stories they love. Her popular Jasmine Toguchi chapter book series has sold more than 200,000 copies, and her newest series, Last Chance Academy, has earned Edgar Award recognition. Before becoming a full-time author, Debbi worked with animals at zoos, a Humane Society, and even a raptor rehabilitation center—so she has plenty of fascinating stories to share! Today, she writes from her studio, The Word Nest, alongside her two rescue dogs.
Laurenne Sala
Meet Laurenne Sala, a storyteller, poet, and author who loves helping people turn their real-life experiences into stories! Laurenne is the author of You Made Me a Mother and has written everything from television commercials to jokes for the stage and even a few viral videos. She also leads workshops that help people share their own personal stories. When she’s not writing, Laurenne enjoys being a mom, riding her bike along the beach, and spending time with her cat, Cheddar. Originally from Los Angeles, Laurenne now lives in Mexico with her family.
Zara González Hoang
Meet Zara González Hoang, an author, illustrator, and lifelong doodler who believes in the magic of imagination! Growing up in Minneapolis, Zara was surrounded by stories, especially the colorful tales her dad shared about his childhood in Puerto Rico and New York. Those stories helped inspire her own books, including A New Kind of Wild, as well as her picture book Thread of Love. Before becoming a full-time illustrator and author, Zara worked in advertising and interactive design before following her passion for storytelling through art. Today, she creates books from her home in Northern Virginia, where she lives with her family and a jungle of plants in a wonderfully quirky house surrounded by a “magical” forest.
Enjoy Cozy Winter Nights with Popcorn & PJs!
For the Winter 2027 Season, get ready for four unforgettable evenings of stories, creativity, and fun together!
Nikkolas Smith kicks off the season with The Artivist, an inspiring celebration of the power of art and activism—and how
creativity can help us imagine and build a better world.
Sara Levine is up next with Tooth by Tooth: Comparing Fangs, Tusks, and Chompers, a fascinating and fun exploration of
the amazing ways animals use their teeth, helping kids compare them to ther own.
Scott Rothman brings us Blue Bison Needs a Haircut, a hilarious story about a very shaggy bison who is on a quest for a
much-needed haircut.
Wendelin Van Draanen closes out the season with I Like Pi, a playful and engaging introduction to the wonders of
mathematics that shows just how much fun numbers can be!
Want to experience all four events?
❄️👉 Click here to purchase tickets for the full Winter 2027 Season!
Learn More About This Winter’s Guests
Nikkolas Smith
Nikkolas Smith is an award-winning Artivist, concept artist, illustrator, and #1 New York Times bestselling picture book creator whose work spans publishing, film, and social justice. A former Walt Disney Imagineer and Master of Architecture graduate from Hampton University, he has created concept art and movie posters for films including Sinners, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Judas and the Black Messiah, and They Cloned Tyrone. His acclaimed books include The Artivist, The 1619 Project: Born on the Water, and The History of We, a 2026 Sibert Honor Book and winner of the Jane Addams Children’s Book Award, as well as A Change Is Gonna Come. A 2016 White House Innovators of Color fellow, Nikkolas uses vibrant digital and traditional art to amplify marginalized voices, spark conversations about social justice and equity, and inspire meaningful change around the world.
Sara Levine
Sara Levine is an award-winning children’s author, educator, and veterinarian whose books make science and the natural world engaging and accessible to young readers. Her many acclaimed books include the Animal by Animal series, Flower Talk: How Plants Use Color to Communicate, The Animals Would Not Sleep, Watching and Waiting: What Hatches from Nature’s Nurseries, and A Visit With the Birds. Her work has received numerous honors, including the AAAS/Subaru SB&F Prize for Excellence in Science Books, Cook Prize, Bank Street College Best Children’s Book of the Year, Mathical Book Prize, and Junior Library Guild selections. Sara holds a DVM from Tufts University, an MFA in creative nonfiction from Lesley University, and a BA in English from Haverford College, and she has spent more than twenty years teaching children about science and the environment through schools, libraries, and nature centers.
Scott Rothman
Scott Rothman is an award-winning writer of picture books, screenplays, theater, and humor whose work spans children’s publishing and entertainment. His bestselling picture books include Attack of the Underwear Dragon, Return of the Underwear Dragon, Kittybunkport, Judgy Bunny & the Terrible Beach, and Warm and Fuzzy, with several receiving national recognition and starred reviews. As a screenwriter, Scott co-wrote Draft Day, which topped the Black List before becoming a feature film starring Kevin Costner, as well as Army of One, starring Nicolas Cage. His humor writing has appeared in The New Yorker, GQ, and McSweeney’s, and he holds an MFA in Dramatic Writing from NYU.
Wendelin Van Draanen
Wendelin Van Draanen is the award-winning author of more than thirty novels for young readers and teens, including the 18-book Edgar Award-winning Sammy Keyes series and Flipped, which was named a Top 100 Children’s Novel of the 21st Century and adapted into a Warner Bros. film directed by Rob Reiner. Her acclaimed books also include The Running Dream, winner of the ALA Schneider Family Award, the Christopher Award-winning Shredderman series, and her latest novels The Peach Rebellion and The Steps. Her newest books for young readers include the STEM picture book Gravity Is Bringing Me Down and the middle-grade mystery Mr. Whiskers & the Shenanigan Sisters, with Ghosted, a spiritual successor to Flipped, forthcoming in October 2026. A former classroom teacher of fifteen years, Wendelin lives in California with her family and continues to write stories that blend humor, heart, and adventure.
Celebrate a Full Year of Family Fun with Popcorn & PJs!
Interesred in all seven events? Join us for Popcorn & PJs at a special discounted rate with our full Fall and Winter season package! Each month, from autumn through winter, you’ll enjoy fun-filled storytime events featuring celebrated authors and illustrators.
It’s the perfect family activity to enjoy all year long—full of laughter, learning, and cozy storytime fun!
