Whitney Johnson remembered watching construction in her neighborhood and wondering what was being built.
“I hope it’s something different,” Johnson said she recalled thinking at the time.
That construction site became the Reby Cary Youth Library. The space that adults can only enter if accompanied by a minor is the only of its kind in the Fort Worth library system.
The library is named after Reby Cary, a civil rights activist, historian and former state legislator. Now as its 5th anniversary approaches this fall, staff say it is a third space — separate from home and school — for families, one where kids can be loud, learn through play and build literacy skills from infancy through adolescence.
The library is designed to inspire learning from the minute you walk in, said former and current branch managers Jenny Dean and Cindy Rich. The branch logged nearly 2,700 visitors in December and circulated close to 7,000 books in January, according to the Fort Worth Public Library system.
Programming at Reby Cary serves kids from newborn to 18 years old. Baby storytime introduces infants to books, and toddler storytime builds socialization alongside early literacy skills. Sensory storytime, which was piloted at the branch, provides a space for children with sensory needs, while a teen Dungeons & Dragons program gets older kids telling stories and problem-solving.
Now a regular at the library just minutes from her home, Johnson brings her 2-year-old daughter, Sabra, and 6-month-old son to toddler storytime on Thursday mornings.
“It’s so child focused and child centered,” Johnson said. “They make it really fun.”
Learning through play
On a recent Thursday, toddlers piled onto a multicolored mat in the center of a room, their hands fidgeting and eyes wandering from their parents to the teacher holding the morning read, “ABC Black History and Me,” by Queenbe Monyei.
Library assistant George Robinson opened the class with a greeting song.
Around 15 toddlers and their caregivers line a multicolored mat for storytime Feb. 13 at the Reby Cary Youth Library in Fort Worth. The library logged nearly 2,700 visitors in December 2025 alone. (Nicole Williams Quezada | Fort Worth Report)
“It’s so good to see you,” Robinson sang.
“It’s so good to see you,” the group murmured back.
Robinson held the toddlers’ attention for just enough time to finish the first book before launching into a series of songs they all know by heart.
He paused before starting the “Marchando! We’re Marching” song. As he noted it was in Spanish, one mother turned to her daughter with a smile.
“Español, Anna,” she said.
The moment speaks to a broader effort at the library. When families asked for bilingual storytime, staff added it, first as a monthly event and now weekly. Staff want to meet the needs of families, Rich said.
Robinson, who started working at the youth library a year and a half ago, said the toddler sessions never get old.
It’s watching the kids return weekly — interacting with one another and picking up social skills — that keeps him coming back.
The class ends on a high note. Students jumping, scarves flying and a closing chorus sung in unison.
“See you later, alligator!”
Toddlers and their caregivers gather for storytime at Reby Cary Youth Library on Feb. 13. It is the only branch in Fort Worth’s library system dedicated exclusively to children and teenagers. (Nicole Williams Quezada | Fort Worth Report)
Creating a third space
Johnson has watched Sabra grow from an infant in baby storytime to a toddler at the mat. She keeps returning because she’s drawn by the library’s community.
“Socialization especially,” she said. “Learning how to share, how to be human to each other, that’s something that happens in a community center. You can’t just do that at home.”
Rich said the branch hears some version of that sentiment regularly, even from families discovering it for the first time. Some families drive from across the metroplex and come back even after moving away for an experience only the Reby Cary library can deliver, Rich said.
“That speaks volumes,” he said.
A sign on the entrance to Reby Cary Youth Library reminds visitors that no adults are allowed without a child. The restriction helps create a safe, child-centered learning environment according to library staff. (Nicole Williams Quezada | Fort Worth Report)
First-time visitor Landri Mays brought her 16-month-old daughter after discovering the youth library online.
Mays, who typically attends a Southlake library, said it was nice to not worry about being quiet.
“At some other libraries you’re worried about interrupting other people,” Mays said. “Here it’s (about) children, so they can run around and do their own thing.”
In September, Reby Cary’s daughter is expected to visit the library for the first time since attending its grand opening, Rich said. Her visit will mark a homecoming of sorts for a place still introducing itself to the city.
“We still get a lot of families who say, ‘I just found you,’” Rich said. “Even though we’ve been here five years, there are still so many people who don’t know we exist.”
Nicole Williams Quezada is a reporting fellow for the Fort Worth Report. Contact her at nicole.williams@fortworthreport.org.
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