The Heart of the Three Village Community
Author Archive
New Resource for Parents & Caregivers
Dinosaur-Themed Children’s Programs
In celebration of the Summer Reading theme “Unearth Your Story”, your kids will have a roaring good time at these dinosaur-themed programs:
Take & Make: SRC Dinosaur Art Community Service (Grades 3 – 5)
Monday, May 11
Get ready to roar with creativity! Kids will design colorful dinosaurs on canvas, creating awesome
dino masterpieces that will help decorate our library for the Summer Reading Challenge. Pick up your
art kit starting on Mon., May 11 and return your creative work of art by Tue., May 26. Participants will
earn two hours of community service credit. Only one kit per child. Reserve your kit here starting 5/11.
Decorating with Chef Rob: Digging for Dinosaurs Dessert Cups (Grades K – 5)
Saturday, June 6, 12:00 – 12:30 p.m. OR 12:30 – 1:00 p.m.
Create a dessert cup to take home!
Reserve your child’s spot for the 12:00 class here starting 5/23.
Reserve your child’s spot for the 12:30 class here starting 5/23.
Petra Puppets: Fossil Funhouse (Grades K – 5)
Tuesday, June 30, 11:00 a.m. – 12 noon
Why do Pterodactyls love raviolis? How can you stop a Sneezasaurus from sneezing? Kids will uncover the answers with a cast of goofy dinosaurs, funny fossils and mysterious hidden raviolis, featuring: Grandma Pterry – the Pterodactyl, Tiny Tony- the Baby T Rex, Julius Sneezasauarus and Dennis the Prehistoric Clam. Come and have a Dino Time! Reserve your child’s spot here starting 6/16.
Check back here for more Dinosaur-themed programs in July and August!
Questions? Email kids@emmaclark.org
Asian American and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander Heritage Month
Celebrate Asian American and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Heritage Month here at Emma Clark!
Cooking with Chef Rashimi: Mango Lassi and Vegetable Pakora (In-Person)
Tuesday, May 12, 6:30 – 8:00 p.m.
In this cooking demonstration, Chef Rashmi will make a creamy, sweet and refreshing mango lassi, the iconic Indian summer drink. She will also prepare vegetable pakoras (crispy vegan fritters) served with a tangy tamarind chutney. Food samples and recipes will be provided. This program is made possible by the Philip Groia Global Studies bequest. Click here to register starting 4/20.
Evening Book Discussion: Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner (In-Person)
Wednesday, May 13, 7:30 – 8:45 p.m.
Pick up a copy of the book at the Circulation Desk in the Library Lobby starting 4/8.
Summary: From the indie rockstar of Japanese Breakfast fame, and author of the viral 2018 New Yorker essay that shares the title of this book, an unflinching, powerful memoir about growing up Korean-American, losing her mother, and forging her own identity. In this exquisite story of family, food, grief, and endurance, Michelle Zauner proves herself far more than a dazzling singer, songwriter, and guitarist. With humor and heart, she tells of growing up the only Asian-American kid at her school in Eugene, Oregon; of struggling with her mother’s particular, high expectations of her; of a painful adolescence; of treasured months spent in her grandmother’s tiny apartment in Seoul, where she and her mother would bond, late at night, over heaping plates of food. As she grew up, moving to the east coast for college, finding work in the restaurant industry, performing gigs with her fledgling band – and meeting the man who would become her husband – her Koreanness began to feel ever more distant, even as she found the life she wanted to live. It was her mother’s diagnosis of terminal pancreatic cancer, when Michelle was twenty-five, that forced a reckoning with her identity and brought her to reclaim the gifts of taste, language, and history her mother had given her.
No registration required.
The Tenement Museum Virtual Tour: The Wong Family (Online)
Wednesday, May 27, 7:00 – 8:00 p.m.
A live Tenement Museum Educator will take you inside the museum’s recreated historic spaces. Explore the story of the Wongs, a Chinese American family who lived in 103 Orchard Street in the 1970s. Look at how they made a home and how their experiences reflect the growth of Chinese communities and the garment industry in New York in the wake of changing immigration laws. Click here to register starting 4/14.
Questions? Email askus@emmaclark.org
Emma Clark Library Announces Winners of the 12th Annual Helen Stein Shack Picture Book Contest
Setauket, NY – March 19, 2026 –
Emma Clark Library is pleased to announce the winners for the 12th annual Helen Stein Shack Picture Book Contest:
First Prize (Grades 6 – 8 category): Bunny and the Bluejay by Vivienne Rochlin-Hizver (7th grader at P.J. Gelinas Middle School)
First Prize (Grades 9 – 12 category): The Penguins Go to the City by Elizabeth Wright (11th grader at Ward Melville High School)
Second Prize (Grades 6 – 8 category): Ricky and the Beach by Maddex Buonaspina (7th grader at R. C. Murphy Middle School)
Second Prize (Grades 9 – 12 category): Seven Meals Around the World by Genevieve Rochlin (11th grader at The Stony Brook School)
Each of the winning entries has their own unique artwork and storylines geared towards young children. In Bunny and the Bluejay by Vivienne Rochlin-Hizver, Bunny learns how each creature is unique with their own special strengths. With delicate pen and watercolor illustrations, The Penguins Go to the City by Elizabeth Wright invites the reader to follow a group of penguins on an adventure! In Ricky and the Beach by Maddex Buonaspina, the main character is hesitant to go to the beach. Will he enjoy himself or will his fears get the best of him? Children travel around the world with Cooper the Goose in Seven Meals Around the World by Genevieve Rochlin, as they discover different culinary explorations.
The Helen Stein Shack Book Contest called for teens and tweens in grades 6 through 12 who live in the Three Village Central School District to create a children’s picture book. Each entry could be the work of a single author/illustrator or a collaborative effort of an author and an illustrator. The contest was divided into two grade categories, grades 6 through 8 and grades 9 through 12, with one First Prize Winner and one Second Prize Winner selected from each group.
This award is given in memory of Helen Stein Shack by her family. As a teacher, Mrs. Shack was committed to the education of children, and she especially loved literature written for them. She was a frequent visitor to Emma Clark Library where, even in retirement, she kept current with the latest children’s books. The Library is grateful to the children of the late Mrs. Shack who have established a substantial endowment with the Library to cover the cost of the prizes.
Contest winners will be celebrated at a private awards ceremony on Monday, April 27, 2026, at 7:00 p.m. Each First Prize award recipient will receive a $400 scholarship, and each Second Prize award recipient will receive a $100 scholarship. The newly bound books – made into hardcover by the Library – will have the honor of being added to the Library’s Local Focus Collection, and winners will also receive copies of their books to cherish in their own home libraries. Desserts will be served at the reception, generously donated by The Bite Size Bake Shop. Past ceremonies have had Library Board members, teachers and top school district administrators from Three Village and The Stony Brook School, as well as elected officials from New York State, Suffolk County, and the Town of Brookhaven, all in attendance to honor the winners.
The Emma S. Clark Memorial Library, located at 120 Main Street in Setauket and online at www.emmaclark.org, provides public library service to all residents of the Three Village Central School District.
“The Heart of the Three Village Community”
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New Voting Machines Demo
Patrons are free to come in, learn about the machines, and test them out to prepare for the upcoming elections.
Questions? Email askus@emmaclark.org
The Heart of the Three Village Community
