Tomás and the Library Lady
by Childsplay
Grades K-5
A bilingual musical, based on the beloved book and true story of the Mexican-American author and educator Tomás Rivera, who became the first minority Chancellor in the University of California system.
Young Tomás knows all his grandfather’s stories by heart. His thirst for knowledge expands upon meeting an inspiring librarian, and the two find themselves learning more about each other than what’s written in pages. This moving production shows how self-esteem, reading, and education make anything possible.
LBC performance may not include pieces from above video.
Set the Stage
Coming soon!
Prepare your students for their trip to the virtual theater with these free resource materials.
- Artist’s Study Guide
- Talking Points for Classroom Discussion
- Classroom Activities
Common Core Content Standards
Easily apply these content standards in your classroom:
- 1.RI.3: Describe the connection between two individuals, events, ideas, or pieces of information in a text.
- 3.RL.3: Describe characters in a story (e.g., their traits, motivations, or feelings) and explain how their actions contribute to the sequence of events.
- 5.RI.5: Compare and contrast the overall structure (e.g., chronology, comparison, cause/effect, problem/solution) of events, ideas, concepts, or information in two or more texts.
Lesson Plan Idea
Students research the real Tomás Rivera and compare details from his real life to those in the book.
On sale Wednesday, August 9, 2023 starting at 9:00 am.
Event Information
9:30 am & 11:30 am
Wednesday, Jan. 24, 2024
60 minutes
childsplayaz.org
In-Person at LBC!
11:30 am performance added due to popular demand!
Use the application to join either show time.
Students: $9
$3 discount per student on the National Lunch Program!
Adults: $9
1 free adult for every 10 students!
Extend and enrich your field trip to LBC with a self-guided tour of our outdoor Sculpture Garden!
Students can safely explore our outdoor Sculpture Garden the main exhibits as well as the landscape, bridges, and walkways. Its giant oak trees offer shady seating where classes can discuss their recent experience as consumers of the arts.
LBC opened the Sculpture Garden in 2015 as a gift to our North Bay community. With the support of Sutter Hospital and other generous donors, the Sculpture Garden presents rotating works from contemporary regional artists who create monumental outdoor art that becomes incorporated into the landscaped natural setting.
The LBC’s current exhibition for the outdoor Sculpture Garden, Thousand Ways: A Work in Progress is running now through September 2023. Our new exhibition will be open near the end of September 2023!
You can sign up for a self-guided tour right on your School Show application or email us.
Click here for more information about the Sculpture Garden.

MORE INFORMATION
- To contact us, email Chrystie Prokopakis, Education Operations & Services Supervisor, or call 707.800.7504.
- Find terms and conditions plus more resources here.