Illustrator Workshop: Jen de Oliveira
Sunday, May 10 at 4pm
SOLD OUT

Calling all young artists ages 10-13! Join us this spring for a series of hands-on art workshops led by a quartet of talented, published illustrators:

• Steph Lau, author-illustrator of The Abominable Snow Dancer
• Julie Downing, author-illustrator of Night in the City, Hello Sun, and more
• Bo Lu, author-illustrator of Bao’s Doll and Ren’s Pencil
• Jen de Oliveira, author-illustrator of the Reggie: Kid Penguin series

Each workshop lasts 90 minutes and costs $50. Materials (paper, pens, etc) will be provided and, at the end of each workshop, students will receive a signed copy of one of the featured illustrator’s books. Space for each workshop is limited, so sign up now!

Story Write-athon
Sunday, May 17 at 2:30pm

Our popular Write-athon is back!

This is a community event where children, teens, and adults (ages 7+) are all invited to drop in any time between 2:30-4:30pm to work on a creative project. We'll start at 2:30pm with our group storytelling game, share a few tips for creating stories, and then allow everyone to dive into their sketching and/or writing. All genres and projects are welcome, including comics, poetry, stories, plays, research, and nonfiction topics.

We'll have a maximum of 20 seats available. To RSVP, contact [email protected]

Book Launch with Joanna Ho
Saturday, May 23 at 11am

We’re excited to welcome New York Times bestselling author Joanna Ho back to the store to celebrate the launch of her brand-new picture book, A Room with a View, another sweet, funny picture book about summertime outdoor adventures and the unforgettable memories often made along the way.

Mama’s decided it’s time for their next big outdoor adventure, but Oliver’s not so sure.

He's no fan of bazillion-mile, brain-melting car rides, sleeping someplace with bears, bugs, and bats, or the sticky, icky food! Blech!

Mama may be convinced that memories are best made outdoors, but Oliver’s determined to make this adventure his last. But is it all that bad? After hide n’ seek, hiking, and s’mores, Oliver realizes that there just might be fun times and unforgettable moments to treasure after all.

Storytime with Sandra Salsbury
Sunday, May 24 at 10:30am

We’re excited to welcome author-illustrator Sandra Salsbury back to the store to celebrate the launch of her adorable new picture book, The Baby Who Only Said No!

Breakfast? NO! Sharing? NO! Clean diaper? NO! Baby is a good talker but she only knows ONE word, and she's going to use it—a lot! 

But when Baby is asked a very special question—"Do you need a kiss?"—it's finally time to learn a new word: YES. 

Celebrate the joys and challenges of toddlerhood and independence with this funny and heartwarming picture book. Parents and older siblings will love laughing along together as they try to get their own ferociously fussy little one to say anything . . . anything . . . but NO!

Middle Grade Book Club: A Tale of Plagues and Perfumes
Sunday, May 30 at 4pm

It’s the next meeting of our middle grade book club for ages 9+! Led by bookseller extraordinaire Lorilee, we hope to introduce interested readers to amazing new books and the opportunity to talk about them in a fun, relaxed group setting.

This month’s book is A Tale of Plagues and Perfumes by Jake Halpern and Peter Kujawinski, an immersive middle grade fantasy adventure that follows a girl who must use her remarkable sense of smell to save the world from a terrifying plague. Please email [email protected] to RSVP. 

The last thing Nia wants is to be branded a “Sinsory.” Where she comes from, that's just as deadly as the plagues that arrive and ravage every generation. That's why she keeps her unusually keen sense of smell a secret. Only two people in the city of Yerat know of her special abilities: her beloved Auntie and her best friend, Fox. But once the worst plague in a century hits their desert continent, all of that suddenly changes.

That’s when an invitation arrives in the shape of a jar of blackcurrant jam. Nia is asked to join the Cloister, a select and secluded school for children with heightened senses. There she meets Scentiers, like her, but also Gazers, Whisper-Gatherers, and many more, whose sensory powers go far beyond what regular folk can smell, see, or hear.

It's there that Nia learns her nose knows far more than she ever dreamed . . . maybe enough to find the cure for the plague. Or even sniff out the sinister secrets hiding in the Cloister's walls . . .

Storytime with Suzanne Lang
Saturday, June 6 at 11am

We’re excited to welcome New York Times bestselling author Suzanne Lang to share her latest Grumpy Monkey adventure, Grumpy Monkey: Father’s Day Fuss!

The latest book in the #1 New York Times bestselling Grumpy Monkey series celebrates fathers and grandfathers - plus we learn where Jim gets his grumpiness from!

It’s Father’s Day and Jim’s dad is all about it. He LOVES having a day where he is the center of attention. But when Jim asks his father what he does for his father on Father’s Day, he learns that Grandpanzee thinks the holiday is “a bunch of malarkey!”

Storytime with Judy Campbell-Smith
Sunday, June 7 at 10:30am

Join us for a special storytime with author Judy Campbell-Smith as she shares her new picture book, Baseball for Breakfast.

Jimmy’s family loves going to Milwaukee Brewers games together, but all that changes during World War II when Pop goes overseas to fight and Ma starts working nights in a factory. Then Jimmy has a chance meeting with the team’s owner and helps inspire a new idea: morning baseball games!

Jimmy is about to experience baseball in a whole new way (it may involve Cornflakes). A perfect solution so night shift workers can end their day with a game while others begin theirs.

Outdoor Storytimes
Sundays at 10:30am

Join us every Sunday morning at 10:30am in front of the store as one of our booksellers (or perhaps a local author) shares some of their favorite read-alouds. (Grab a tasty treat from our neighbors at Manresa Bread while your kids enjoy the stories!) All storytimes feature picture books and are appropriate for all ages.