Thank you, thank you to all the folks who put together Wordstock this year! Thank you to the the visiting authors, and to all the new and old friends of Green Bean who visited our booth! We loved spending time in the children's area--the scavenger hunt was a big hit!








We were so happy to see friends from bookstores like Broadway Books and Powell's, organizations like the IPRC, and publishers like Tin House at the fest as well. It is awesome to live in a place that gathers so energetically on behalf of the literary arts!

Meeting Jon Klassen was a total highlight for us, and his new book This is Not My Hat--a sequel to I Want my Hat Back--will remain a fall-favorite post fest! His illustrations are the coolest on the kid's book block these days. See also: Extra Yarn and House Held Up By Trees.

Harlem's Little Blackbird by  Renée Watson and irresistibly illustrated with collages by Christian Robinson was one of the very cutest books at the whole festival! Come check it out this marvelous story about Florence Mills--a marvelous singer and dancer overcoming adversity during the Harlem Renaissance!

A special thanks to the wonderful Christopher Healy who visited Green Bean Books for a special event, in addition to gracing Wordstock with his presence. Everybody at Green Bean Adores The Hero's Guide to Saving Your Kingdom--a middle-grade fractured fairy tale on the truth about princes!

Whew! What a couple of weeks it's been!

I don't know if any of you've noticed but October at Green Bean Books has been full of fun events for the whole family- and we're only halfway through the month!

Our regular Tuesday story times continue to be popular and a great way to share some of our favorite new titles. Have you read Jon Klassen's latest book "This is Not My Hat?" It's a hilarious follow up to his bestselling "I Want My Hat Back."

As usual, we've enjoyed having Portland Early Learning Project stop by for our monthly Spanish story time! "Los Gatos Black on Halloween" was the current pick.

Last Monday, I had the pleasure of holding my first in store arts and crafts project teaching people how to make origami jack-o-lanterns. I'm always blown away by how creative kids are!

We had a full house for our 2nd Bookmaking Around the World class with the wonderful Sarah Fagan. Kids worked on their very own Totem Tales! There are a couple spots left for each of the remaining classes.

This past Saturday, Christopher Healy read from his fun middle reader novel "The Hero's Guide to Saving Your Kingdom." We even raffled off a gift basket full of wonderful stuff from some of our fellow businesses in Alberta. Thanks to Candy Babel, Milagros, Collage, and Tin Shed! Congratulations to our lucky winner!

Since working here, I never know who's going to drop by our store. Alexis Smith stopped by to shop and even signed her book "Glaciers" for us. Monday morning had John Stephens ("The Emerald Atlas" and "The Fire Chronicle") coming in to check out our store, which was a nice surprise.

Of course, the big event we had recently was Wordstock- Portland's annual literary festival. Having attended it the past few years, I've got to say I was impressed by how fun and creative they got during this go around- especially the Little Word area for kids!

We were lucky to be right in front of KinderCare's Carnival of Stories so we got to see just how excited the kids were visiting us and our neighboring exhibitors as they read to the dogs, sat in for a reading of their favorite authors, and picked out their prizes after completing their scavenger hunt- as well as doing countless other activities!

We enjoyed sharing our book recommendations with people stopping by our tables (yes, we had two locations this year!) and it was a real treat meeting authors who stopped by to sign copies of their books! Tad Hills ("How Rocket Learned to Read" and "Rocket Writes a Story") even drew a special piece for our store!

Thank you to everyone at Wordstock for doing such a great job- as evidenced by how many people shared with us how much fun they were having! We're already looking forward to next year's!

I want to end this rather lengthy post with a thank you to all our customers who make working at Green Bean so much fun however hectic it may get around here!

We hope to see you in our upcoming events. Happy Reading!

-Earl

One of the best things about working here is sorting through the new titles we get in and discovering books I normally wouldn't be paying attention to. Lately, I've been quite tickled by the board books I've come across.

While we have the more typical board books that teach babies basic concepts and the familiar stories we grew up with, we also have fun and innovative titles.

In the tradition of Dorothy Kunhardt's Pat the Bunny series, Amelie Graux wrote and illustrated a couple of touch-and-feel books that give English, French, and Spanish translations of first words centering around certain themes like eating and sleeping. Every page is vibrant and colorful and is sure to captivate even the youngest readers while they learn different languages.

These next books by Sebestian Braun have been all the rage with us. Kids (and adults!) will enjoy flipping the pages and trying on the different masks they turn into! The titles in the series are: "Look at Me, I'm a Monster!", "Look at Me, I'm a Robot!", "Look at Me, I'm an Alien!", and "Look at Me, I'm a Clown!"

Here we are as an alien and robot!

So, if you're looking for fun books for your young ones, these board books are for you!

Happy Reading,
Earl

Being surrounded by books all day, I can't help but be inspired by them. I've wanted to be a writer since I was a young boy growing up in the Philippines. I often got in trouble because I would scribble on the pages of the Little Golden Books my grandmother bought me. I like to think that was just my subconscious trying to tell me what I should do with my life.

If you've caught the writing bug yourself, we definitely have fun stuff you need- and don't need! We have your traditional journals to scribble down your ideas in- as well as a handful of Ex Libris Anonymous' wonderful hand-made vintage ones. My favorites though are the mini-book and pencil sets that dispenses from a vending machine! Not very practical but they're quite interesting.

I'm a bit jealous of the Bookmaking Around the World classes for the kiddies (grades K to 2) starting up later this month. Fortunately, we have great titles for adults interested in creating their own books- "How to Make Books" and "Magic Books and Paper Toys" both by Esther K. Smith, just to name a few.

If you're looking for a great book to give to the aspiring writer in your life (or even for yourself), consider "Rocket Writes a Story" by Tad Hills. I think it's perfect for anyone regardless of how old they are.

I'm sure you'll find just the "write" stuff on your next visit here to get your creative juices flowing!

Happy Reading (and Happy Writing!),
Earl

Dearest Reader!

We hope this letter finds you well and wild-minded! As the weather turns and we turn to our writing desks and our reading chairs, a couple of are new books are reviving our love for books about LETTER-writing!

Same Sun Here by Silas House and Neela Vaswani: What starts as a class project penpalship between an Indian girl who has just emigrated to Queens and a boy living on a mountain in the Appalachians buds into an incredible best-friendship. This book is a great primer on activism, what it means to be American, and cross-cultural understanding--all written in letter form! A totally eye-opening look at two unfamiliar worlds for kids growing up in the NW! As a bonus, both of the correspondents are emerging creative writers exchanging artistic ideas by mail like real grown-up writers do!

Letters to Leo by Amy Hest: A totally darling book of letters from spunky fourth-grade budding writer and artist Annie Rossie to her new pup Leo. Annie has a marvelous sense of humor in merry moods and muddy ones. Annie confides in Leo re. normal school things like spelling bees and best friend spats, but also writes about the death of her mother, which Hest treats tenderly and thoughtfully. This book could spur some pretty cool writing prompts too! A good reminder that you can write letters to reveal things to yourself and that addressing them to a real reader is NOT NECESSARY! 

Thank You, Miss Doover by Robin Pulver: A riotous book about letter-writing conventions, creative communication, and the role of revision! Jack makes knee-slapping mistake after knee-slapping mistake in thanking his Great Aunt Gertie for a stationary set he was less than ecstatic to receive: "Dear Aunt Gertie, Thank you for the USEFUL gift. It's my own personal paper, in case you forgot. It's not my favorite gift, but I have used it a lot. Just ask my mom. Love, Jack."

The Jolly Postman by veteran children's book authors the Ahlbergs: This interactive "archive" of letters between nursery rhyme characters was my prize possession as a kid and a fledgling epistler! The book contains a series of real pullout letters! Very sophisticated. I made a whole series knockoffs, composing possible exchanges between my favorite storybook personalities! What might a Wild Thing have to say to Stellaluna!?

It's a bit early for Christmas considerations, but J.R.R. Tolkien's collection of Letters from Father Christmas to his own children is stunning, silly, and utterly special. Tolkien wrote and illustrated the book himself, adding a new letter each Christmas until his children were grown! Check out the regular version or the pop-out version, structured like The Jolly Postman.

Visit the store to check out kajillions of accessories to jumpstart creative correspondence--
things like our WORLD'S SMALLEST POSTAL SERVICE kit, cartoony stationary sets, letterpress greeting cards, and Japanese stickers!

"Life returned to the old bus. Stella's fingers fluttered and her soccer players spun. Babies crawled, people laughed, kids fought, granddad's scratched dogs, meetings were planned, couples met..."

Bob Graham's new book A Bus Called Heaven is an inspiring story about turning trash to treasure, community organizing, and standing up for what you believe in! This book stars a stellar little activist named Stella and is set in a colorful, real-life neighborhood! She and her friends and family work together to turn an abandoned bus into a place where folks can take a load off, play fussball, dance, or do homework in good company!

We've been thinking a lot about community-building and grass roots efforts here at Green Bean Books! We've recently been awarded a  grant through our local development commission to fund 75% of an amazing project to build an open air fort for our garden.

We have created an indiegogo campaign in hopes of funding the final 25%, which amounts to approximately $10,000. If we reach our goal, Green Bean's garden will serve as a year-round, all-weather fort for our children's programming, art advocacy, as well as a place for families and friends to read away any afternoon!

We are passionate about doing our little part to prevent the demise of independent bookstores and by exposing children to the joyful experience of touching, feeling and turning actual pages in a fun and curiosity-provoking setting. We really appreciate your help in fulfilling this mission!

Check out some of our other favorite picture books about community!

• Stone Soup
• A Sick Day for Amos McGee
• Madlenka
• The Bicycle Man

Here at Green Bean Books we wax ecstatic at the mere MENTION of a muskrat! We've paid homage to these semi-aquatic rodents with an old-fashioned muskrat vending machine after all! Imagine my delight when, during this muggy morning's re-reading of Tove Jansson's Comet in Moominland , I made the acquaintance of a PHILOSOPHER MUSKRAT! 

"I am the Muskrat," said the wretched creature faintly. "A philosopher, you know. I should just like to point out that your bridge-building activities have completely ruined my house in the river bank, and although ultimately it doesn't matter what happens, I must say even a philosopher does not care for being soaked to the skin!"

Thus proceeds Muskrat's first surly soliloquy. Muskrat moves in with the Moomins and begins to conduct his vita contemplativa from a hammock among their flowering trees, deeming all endeavors save musing, the drinking of palm-tree wine, and the munching of an occasional ginger-nut "UNNECESSARY!" Muskrat remains stoic even regards the impending arrival of an EARTH-SHATTERING super comet! (Real-life muskrats are notoriously adaptable and omnivorous. (NOT PICKY EATERS!))

The only crack in the facade of his dispassion is occasioned by his sitting on Moomintroll's lemon peel and crystallized pear cake! "'Now I shall be sticky for the rest of my life, I suppose," said the Muskrat bitterly. "I only hope I can bear it like a man and a philosopher." The motley crew gobbles up the contriturated treat despite the muskiness!

Muskrat is just one scruffy sample of how Jansson's stories integrate goofiness and gravity. She's a master of both sincerity and slapstick! Big Questions and bloopers! This is true of her Moomin chapter books, her comics, and even of her grown-up books--of which I am an especially vocal enthusiast! The Summer Book is a riotous and heart-wrenching story about the life of an island-dwelling little girl and her grandmother. Read more about this prolific author, illustratress and fellow muskrat-maniac here!

Bonus muskrats in literature! From Raggedy Ann's Wishing Pebble by Johnny Gruelle ! "Everyone is invited for ice cream soda at the Muskrats' house."

Maybe it's because I was born smack-dab in the middle of summer... or maybe it's because I'm about to have a summer baby of my own... or maybe (just maybe) it's just that summer is so elusive here in the Pacific Northwest, that even though I never considered myself a summer person before living here, I've finally learned to love these lazy days of July and August.  Bikes, sunshine, trips to Sauvie Island and the sound of fresh berries hitting the bottom of a tin pail: "kuplink, kuplank, kuplunk!" No matter how busy I get (and it doesn't get much busier than preparing for a new baby!), Summer is about burying my nose in a book--picking up new titles and revisiting old favorites.

One of my newest traditions (inspired a young customer!) has been to kick off the past few summers with a re-read of The Penderwicks series by Jeanne Birdsall. As breezy and carefree as any day in July, the hilarious Penderwick girls always leave me longing for more adventures. And if the Penderwicks are a lighthearted day at the beach, then my new favorite summer middle-reader, Summer of the Gypsy Moths, by Sara Pennypacker, is a hot dark night full of gorgeous fireflies. Packing a wallop of intrigue, mystery and heart, Gypsy Moths is the perfect book for late-night reading by flashlight.

It's nearly impossible to pick a favorite summer picture book from the crop of new releases in the store. A sleuth of gorgeous titles like Holly Hobbie's Gem, Beach Feet, by Konagaya Kiyomi, and Jonathan and the Big Blue Boat, by Caldecott Award-Winner Philip Stead, all arrived in just the past few weeks.  Our summery store display keeps on growing, and includes favorites from years past, like Mama Is It Summer Yet? by Nikki McClure, A Beach Tail by Karen Lynn Williams, and Suzy Lee's, Wave.

It's also been especially wonderful searching for summery board books for this baby-on-the-way. Look Look Outside!, the fourth book in the Look Look! series by Peter Linenthal is just as incredible as the others, and will be the perfect compliment to a summer stroll through our neighborhood. Customer favorites like Summer, by Gerda Muller and What Do You See?, by Martine Perrin, have also found their way onto my shelves at home. (I have no willpower when it comes to books.)

Clearly, I spend an awful lot of time thinking about what makes a great summer read. (I even wrote a  piece on some favorite Young Adult summer books a few years back, over here.) If there's one thing they all seem to have in common, it's the overarching theme of limitless possibility. Kids know what adults so easily forget--that summer is a time when anything can happen. Adventure is always around the corner if only we are open to it. And as we move into these last days of high summer, I hope you find plenty of adventure and fun, both in your books and your days. (I know I will.)

All love,
*Andrea