On their day off from school Monday, 9-year-olds Tony and Arielle Comella got out of bed early and cycled to the library with their mom, Wendy.

They were among the first to check out books at the Palmetto Bay Branch Library in the new Ludovici Park, 17641 Old Cutler Rd.

It was a new experience for the family, who used to drive out of their community to the Coral Reef Branch.

``We're out of our mind. It's so beautiful, and it's ours,'' Wendy Comella said as she helped her daughter search for books by Roald Dahl.

A small, eager crowd formed outside the building before opening at 9:30 a.m.

Among the early visitors was Palmetto Bay Mayor Eugene Flinn, whose daughter checked out the first book, New Moon, part of Stephenie Meyer's Twilight series.

The cozy new branch houses more than 21,000 books, plus DVDs and computer games.

Elizabeth Symic of Cutler Bay said she drove by the building for months waiting for it to open. She was there Monday morning, scanning the adult section for suspense novels with her mother, Alaire Detert.

``We're just a couple minutes from the house. It's a gorgeous setting,'' Symic said.

``You feel like you want to go for a picnic,'' Detert added.

Branch manager Gabrielle Imbimbo was glad to see every part of the library being used.

She said it was only a matter of seconds before kids separated from their parents and headed to the young adults corner or over to a computer.

``They just jumped right in and all found their place,'' Imbimbo said. ``I've taken part in other openings, and this is by far the biggest turnout I've seen. It really shows that we needed a library.''

Monday was a chance for employees to iron out any problems before the grand opening in about two months.

Imbimbo said the new library, which features a bicycle path, was designed with comfort in mind.

The layout includes self-checkout centers, eight computers, tables with built-in electrical outlets and a colorfully decorated kids' corner with miniature tables and chairs, tucked away in the back of the building.

Victoria Galan, the library's public affairs manager, said kids won't get yelled at for talking or lying on the floor with a laptop at this branch.

``Our goal is to be a compelling destination. This is their family room,'' Galan said.

If a visitor can't find what he's looking for, he can search the Miami-Dade County Library system's four million pieces and have an item delivered to the branch.

Tony, a fourth-grader at Coral Reef Elementary, had no problem finding what he wanted.

He left the library with two books from Jeff Kinney's Diary of a Wimpy Kid series.

``They're hard to find. Some of my friends have them, but they're torn up, so they can't finish the book,'' said Tony, who likes the new library because it was smaller, cleaner and had new books.

``It's awesome,'' he said. ``My dad said next year I can ride my bike here on my own.''

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