Coastside Books, Linden Tree,TTMD and Baby!!!

As I've been busy with Coastside Books- Hey I got an article in the Half Moon Bay Review this week! I also read that another local independent bookstore, Linden Tree is looking for a new owner. The couple who started the store are planning retirement after 25 years in business and I do hope the community will rally to find a buyer to step-up and keep the doors open to this valuable resource.

Many of you many have read Through the Magic Door's, Charles Bayless' opinions on the kidlit listserv following the blogger/publisher relationship thread. I particularly liked TTMD's slide-show presentation on Building a Reading Culture which I've embedded below. Bayless notes that 50% of the population elects not to read anything other than what is necessary for their jobs or to function in society. Are we as a society that distracted? Is it consumer culture that is robbing us of time to read and reflect? Beethoven said that music was the medium between the spiritual and sensual worlds. I think that is also true for art and literature. And where besides the majesty of nature is your favorite place for discovery?

As I've been writing this post, I just got a call that Kim had her baby! It's grandmother Caroline's birthday too! Congratulations Kim and Steve! We can't wait to meet him!!!!

Growing A Reading Culture

View more presentations from Charles Bayless.

2009 Tattoo Barbie

One thing that I love to do for visual inspiration is browse etsy and add images to my favorites. Last night I came across these magnetic paper dolls. Oh, I could have soooo much fun playing dress-up with these tattoo ladies on my fridge! Aren't they lovely?

While filling up on visual inspiration, I came across an article featuring the hottest toys of the summer and found the contoversial and top selling "Tattoo Barbie" near the top of the list.
Jokingly, I told my husband, "Maybe we should get this for S," (my sister's little girl who will turn 3 in a few days).

Ironically, my sister just called me this morning from a coffee shop because the barrista there had beautiful colorful tattoos on her shoulder and it somehow reminded her of me. I told her about tattoo barbie and we laughed. We both agreed this was a post-worthy subject!

For Barbie's 50th Birthday this year, Mattel has released Totally Stylin' Tattoos Barbie. It must be a sign of the times. She has over 40 fun tattooo stickers for both the doll and the kids and even comes with a pink tattoo stamp gun!
While I see this as a future collector's item and something hilarious that's also edgy and cool, I probably wouldn't buy it for my own daughter. And my goodness Barbie! I wouldn't recommend any young girl to get a tattoo of a man's name on her body!

That's a BIG No No Noooooo! in my book.

Okay, since this IS a blog about childrens literature, I found this untoppable kidlit tattoo blog post by 100 Scopenotes. Seems there are kids books about EVERYTHING nowdays!

Can you believe this one? Mommy Has A Tattoo Oh....I just can't stop laughing!

And here's some more for your entertainment:

She's Lost Her Head

Summer has become a blur of raising young children and navigating the details involved with a new business venture. It seems the last few days I've been bumping up against images of headless dolls, and the Red Queen. My three year old exclaimed very matter of factly, "Yes well, she's lost her head." I took that as a metaphorical reflection of my personality the past week. Children know us and test us. It's their job.
"The Gryphon sat up and rubbed its eyes: then it watched the Queen till she was out of sight: then it chuckled. 'What fun!' said the Gryphon, half to itself, half to Alice.

'What is the fun?' said Alice

'Why she,' said the Gryphon. 'It's all her fancy, that: they never executes nobody, you know. Come on!'"
- Lewis Carrol


The photo is from Tim Burton's version of Alice in Wonderland due out in March. Burton's fiance, Helena Bonham Carter plays the Red Queen. We won't be taking the kiddos to see this film, but I'm looking forward to it. BTW late in the evening when all the household mess is somewhat cleared I've been escaping the noise and clutter with Olive Kitteridge . It's terrific summer reading.

For Pizza Lovers

Tony and the Pizza Champions is a picture book that was just released this year,2009. It was written by the famous nine-time world winning pizza champion himself, Tony Gemignani.

It's a fun book for kids of all ages based on the true story of Tony and his team's travel to Italy to compete in an international pizza tossing competition. It also includes Tony's famous pizza recipe and dough tossing instructions (which we haven't tried yet).

Matthew Trueman who was raised in Italy and is now living in New Jersey, did a Primo job with his colorful illustrations, capturing the humor of it all.

Tony and his brother Frank own Pyzano's Pizza in Northern California and just opened up a new place: Napoletana and pizza school in North Beach, San Francisco. We'll have to stop by for an autograph and a slice when we visit Nancy.

Because I can't talk about our family trip to New York without mentioning pizza! Here I am, round as a tomato (due any day) enjoying a slice at Stromboli's with the kids. While the sauce here is on the sweet side, it's perfect for the kids' first taste of New York and it's in my old East Village neighborhood which brings me back to many a good time.

By the way, the hottest new pizza joint in NYC is Artichoke Pizza on 14th street, so if you're on the east coast, be sure to get a slice!

Now here's the Amazing Tony:

Coastside Books and Lafayette Library

I've always been a DIYer and when a good bookstore in our little town closed and another went up for sale, we pulled together all our resources and some future resources and decided to buy and run the store. So now I'm in the midst of owning a store and all that entails, promoting Maybelle, Bunny of the North which released April 1st and publishing Marjolein Varekamp's book, A Wonderful Week, which releases October 1st. Yeah it's a busy season in my life.

Coastside Books has been in Half Moon Bay for 30 years and we will be the third owners. Our oldest daughter will start kindergarten in the fall and our little one has one more year of preschool, so I'm jumping back into full-time work in September. Is it a bit risky? Probably, but life is short, the children are growing quickly. Soon enough there will be college to pay for and I don't need to be telling stories about the missed opportunities of my youthful days when I'm 80- God willing I'll ever be 80. Plus the bookstore business will dovetail nicely with our fledgling publishing projects and it all makes me happy and grateful.

Kim is also in the middle of big changes. Here she is, almost ready to deliver their third child in July and reading Maybelle, Bunny of the North to a group of children at the Layfayette Library's Storytime. I love that the book is available for circulation in libraries and Keith Patterson's endearing illustrations are reaching a wider audience. Kim and her family are moving to California a month after the baby is born. And she is working on illustrations for a book of stories that we plan to release in the spring. I'm not the only one juggling here : ))

Because of this juggling I'm behind on letting you all know about these links to Maybelle Reviews from fellow kidslit bloggers and a post at the Two Sister's Bakery in Homer, Alaska! Enjoy the weekend!!!

Menasha Library
(BTW this is an excellent resource for children's literature.)

Examiner.com Children's Book Reviews
(By the wonderful children's writer, and also very busy, Lori Calabrese)

Two Sisters Bakes
(This is a fun blogspot with recipes, and what's on their ipod.)

The Moomins Take Over NYC

Our Trip to New York was Fabulous and I must report several Moomin sightings all over town. I've always found NYC to be way ahead with the trends and the book stores and toy stores must be well aware from PW that the Moomin books by Tove Jansson are being re-released for their 65th anniversary next year (by Square Fish, the Macmillan imprint) with new cover art by Taeeun Yoo. There will also be some new Pre-school Moomin books! I haven't read all of the original books and I can't wait to have them in our collection.

The Moomins were very popular throughout Europe and Japan in the 60's and 70's but their popularity didn't reach America. Our last night in the city was spent with a friend who grew up in Japan and I got to sleep on a Moomins pillow case! She told me that the Moomins are very big in Japan right now and that's where much of the adorable product spoons, bowls, plush dolls and candies are made these days.

The Old Pirate of Central Park

We had a blast at the annual Hampton Blackbeard Festival this year. Especially little D! Unfortunately, his friend and little sister were afraid to get in this shot........

In a few days we will be headed to New York City for a family vacation and so, I thought I'd combine our vacation fun with this one great book: The Old Pirate of Central Park. Originally, I picked up this book because the illustrations looked like lionocuts and I was baffled by how the artist/author, Robert Priest managed to block in all the colors to perfection. After reading the copyright page I learned that his method was not linocut but airbrushed enamel on clayboard, amazing! Stencils and scratching? I may have to track down Mr. Priest for an interview and find out more.

The kids' choice for bedtime for the past 3 nights, it's the story of an old, retired pirate living in New York city. He builds a tiny replica vessel of his ship, The Laughing Dog, and sets it to sail on the model boat pond in Central Park. Then, along comes a retired queen with her ship, The S.S. Uppity Duchess, which took over the pond nearly sinking all the other ships and sailboats. A cannonball war ensues between the two and "Thus began the infamous Battle of Central Park." The cannonballs were flying and "people hid under tables and dogs broke free and ran wild after years of being cooped up in tiny apartments."

Finally a truce is called as both retirees need to go home to take their naps. Now these two "Old Retirates" become the best of friends and can be found sitting together on a bench beside the pond in Central Park. I will be on the lookout for them when we visit.

The Central Park Water Conservancy model boat pond was inspired by the model boat ponds of Paris. It was also the setting for E. B. White's famous boat race in Stuart Little.

So if you're in New York with your little pirates, be sure to drop by the sailboat pond located on the east side between 72-75th Street. It's free and so much fun!