The Sketchbook Project's storefront library is a cozy, low-key destination for kids interested in art. When my son and I went, we had the place almost entirely to ourselves, so it's a great indoor destination in bad weather. Its tens of thousands of sketchbooks were submitted by diverse artists from across the globe. The youngest contributor (thus far) is just four-years old, but even so, this venue is probably best appreciated by school-age kids.

There's one long communal table where families can peruse sketchbooks. My son and I started by flipping through a few left out by staff, and then we decided to search for others to leaf through. Although only staff members can take sketchbooks off the shelves, visitors can use the library's iPad to search the extensive collection by artist's name, location, artistic medium or keyword. The staff warned us that a keyword query might not work the way we expected since the library's criteria is pretty broad. My son searched the word "squid" and, though we were shown two results, as predicted, neither sketchbook actually contained any octopuses. But they were still pretty cool—one was filled with sketches of what the artist saw out her cabin porthole on her voyage to Antarctica! That was a huge hit with my son.

As we looked through other sketchbooks, my son was amazed by the diversity of subjects and mediums. The library sells art supplies and sketchbooks, if your children are inspired to start one of their own, which can serve as a wonderful chronicle of their growth as artists and people. Who knows? Maybe your kid will end up submitting their sketchbook for inclusion one day!

One warning if visiting with young or sensitive kids: the sketchbooks aren't rated, so there's always a chance of stumbling across mature content, like nudity or violence. Want to get a taste of the Sketchbook Project from the comfort of your own home? You can view some of its collection online.

The Sketchbook Project's Brooklyn Art Library is located at 103 North 3rd Street between Wythe Avenue and Berry Street. It's open daily from 11am to 7pm and admission is FREE.

After your visit, check out other cool things to do in Williamsburg with kids.