Brooklyn Public Library, Central Branch

One of the most buzzing children’s rooms in the city is Central Library—the imposing institution at Grand Army Plaza built to look like an open book (the gold-figure-inscribed entryway is the spine). Renovated in 2000, the kids’ area on the ground floor hosts weekday visits for about 35 local schools. It also has a cozy, carpeted room for storytimes (complete with a spot for stroller parking), a dedicated, kids-only tech loft with 36 computers, and an upstairs room for a wealth of after-school programs that attract kids from family-studded Park Slope, Prospect Heights and Crown Heights. Among the offerings are the tween book club, manga drawing and a chess club.