Green Bean Books - blog

Independent Bookstore Day

8/23/2020

Celebrate
Independent Bookstore Day
with Green Bean Books
on Saturday, August 29th!

This is such an important time to support small, local businesses, especially businesses who give back to their communities. You can help by giving us a call to order books, or place an online order on Independent Bookstore Day! We are so grateful for your support!

To celebrate and show our appreciation along with over 600 local independent bookstores across the nation, we'll have virtual events, freebies and giveaways, exclusive merchandise for sale, and fun surprises throughout the day!

Virtual Events

Make sure you follow us on social media- Facebook and Instagram- where we will be sharing the links to these events! You will also find links on the Virtual Events Page of our Green Bean Books website!

First up:
At 10am
Join us for a fun and interactive drawing demonstration with illustrator and author Lisa Brown for her picture book Goldfish Ghost.

At 10:30am
Join us for a graphic novel discussion and drawing class with Gene Luen Yang for his latest masterpiece Dragon Hoops.

At 11am
Join us for some Middle-Grade Fun with Renee Watson (Ways to Make Sunshine) and illustrator Nina Mata (I Promise written by LeBron James) with moderator Isaac Fitzgerald (How to Be a Pirate with illustrations by Brigette Barrager).

PLUS!
Special Guest Emily Arrow will be in our Book Advice Booth on our outdoor browsing deck from 12-1pm to offer her best reading recommendations with a musical touch! Come see with social distance!

Giveaway

All customers who make a purchase on Independent Bookstore Day will be entered to win a copy of the exclusive edition of Ways to Make Sunshine by Renee Watson which includes a letter from the author!

Freebies

The first 10 customers on Independent Bookstore Day will receive this Awesome Friendly tote bag!

There will be stickers for everyone. Plus, there will be surprise t-shirt and buttons giveaways throughout the day as well!

Exclusive Merchandise

We're excited to offer two exclusive items for sale on Independent Bookstore Day! The first is a "I want my book back." onesie with art by Jon Klassen! The second is a "Read" Narwhal tote bag with art by Jessie Sima.

These will be available starting Saturday, August 29th. No holds or preorders for these items. They will sell quickly make sure to grab them before they're gone for good.

Emily Arrow's Ukulele Moon Album Virtual Launch Party!

8/14/2020

Mark you calendars! Portland kidlit musician Emily Arrow will celebrate the release of her newest album, Ukelele Moon, with a virtual live show on Saturday, September 5th at 2pm PST in partnership with Green Bean Books!

With the purchase of the CD ($15), you'll also get the exclusive link to this event emailed to you!
Plus, 100% of the sales will benefit The Children's Book Bank!

Click here to buy the CD and get an event link emailed to you:

More Book Recommendations to Help You Diversify Your Bookshelves:

6/7/2020

In the words of Ezra Hyland,
Humans don’t make our stories, it’s stories that make us human. It’s not until we know the stories of each other that we embrace our humanity. When I know the stories of my people and my culture, that’s when I become human myself.

Continuing on from our previous post, we wanted to share some more titles that might help you diversify your reading experience. These are books we currently have in store but they will go quickly so give us a call (503-954-2354) to place an order now!

Board Books

-I am Brave: A Little Book about Martin Luther King, Jr. by Brad Meltzer and illustrated by Christopher Eliopoulos
-All Kinds of People by Shelley Rotner and Sheila M. Kelly
-I Look Up to Misty Copeland by Anna Membrino
-Be Boy Buzz by bell hooks
-Baby Says by John Steptoe
-Happy to Be Nappy by bell hooks
-Hey Black Child by Useni Eugene Perkins
-My First Wilma Rudolph by Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara
-My First Muhammad Ali by Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara
-My First Ella Fitzgerald by Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara

Picture Books

-A Boy Like Me by Frank Murphy
-When Aidan Became a Brother by Kyle Lukoff
-Black is a Rainbow Color by Angela Joy
-Brown Sugar Babe by Charlotte Watson Sherman
-Welcome to the Party by Gabrielle Union
-Superluminous by Ian de Haes
-The Sun is So Quiet by Nikki Giovanni
-Bronzeville by Gwendolyn Brooks
-Poet: The Remarkable Story of George Moses Horton by Don Tate
-Cool Cuts by Mechal Renee Roe
-Thank You, Omu! By Oge Mora
-The Bell Rang by James E. Ransome

Beginning Readers/ Early Chapter Books

-I Am a Super Girl! by Kelly Greenawalt
-Layla and the Bots by Vicky Fang
-Pass the Ball, Mo by David A. Adler
-Buzz Beaker and the Cave Creatures by Cari Meister
-King & Kayla and the Case of the Mysterious Mouse by Dori Hillestad Butler
-Sadiq and the Green Thumbs by Siman Nuurali
-Mia Mayhem is a Superhero! by Kara West
-Jada Jones: Class Act by Kelly Starling Lyons
-Absolutely Alfie and the Furry Furry Secret by Sally Warner
-Clubhouse Mysteries by Sharon M. Draper
-Dog Days by Karen English
-Backyard Witch: Maya’s Story by Christine Heppermann
-Ada Twist and the Perilous Pants by Andrea Beaty
-Mighty Meg and the Magical Ring by Sammy Griffin

Middle Grade Novels

-The Parker Inheritance by Varian Johnson
-Ways to Make Sunshine by Renee Watson
-Dragons in the Bag by Zetta Elliott
-The Jumbies by Tracy Baptiste
-Rebound by Kwame Alexander
-Black Brother, Black Brother by Jewell Parker Rhodes
-Genesis Begins Again by Alicia D. Williams
-Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson
-Ghost by Jason Reynolds
-Some Places More than Others by Renee Watson
-Walking with Miss Millie by Tamara Bundy
-Child of the Dream by Sharon Robinson
-Ghost Boys by Jewell Parker Rhodes
-The Stars Beneath Our Feet by David Barclay Moore

Older Readers

-On the Come Up by Angie Thomas
-You Should See Me in a Crown By Leah Johnson
-Dear Martin by Nic Stone

Recommendations for Books about Racism, Anti-racism and Resistance

6/2/2020

We find ourselves in troubling times with a familiar problem that frankly, feels like it's getting worse. Racism is not an abstract idea tucked away in history books. It is unfortunately still alive and it is everywhere. It is a large systemic problem that won’t be solved overnight. But it is something we do need to confront head-on if we want to make a difference, and a lasting change.

One thing we can do now is to read books to open our minds and to educate ourselves about our biases and issues at stake. We can also diversify our bookshelves, and amplify the voices of writers and illustrators of color. That's where we can help.

We'd like to share some of our favorite titles with themes of racism, antirasicm and resistance to help you get started on your journey to helping make a better world.

Special Note:
Many of these titles are currently sold out and on back-order due to recent high demand. You can still call us up (503-954-2354) and place an order with us and we will get them to you as soon as they are available again. Please be patient and know that they are worth the wait!

Board Books

Counting on Community by Innosanto Nagara
Anti-Racist Baby by Ibram X. Kendi and illustrated by Ashley Lukashevsky
A is for Activist by Innosanto Nagara
Woke Baby by Mahogany L. Browne and illustrated by Theodore Taylor, III

Picture Books

Separate Is Never Equal by Duncan Tonatiuh
We March by Shane W. Evans
Something Happened in Our Town by Marianne Celano and Marietta Collins and illustrated by Ann Hazzard
Let’s Talk About Race by Julius Lester and illustrated by Karen Barbour
You Matter by Christian Robinson
Skin Again by Bell Hooks and illustrated by Chris Raschka
All Because You Matter by Tami Charles and illustrated by Bryan Collier
Not My Idea by Anastasia Higginbotham
Say Something! by Peter H. Reynolds
The Skin You Live In by Michael Tyler and illustrated by David Lee Csicsko

Middle Grade Novels

Harbor Me by Jacqueline Woodson
The Stars Beneath Our Feet by David Barclay Moore
One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia
Ghost Boys by Jewell Parker Rhodes
Stella by Starlight by Sharon M. Draper
Piecing Me Together by Renée Watson
Dear Martin by Nic Stone
Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson

Young Adult Titles

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
All American Boys by Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely
Dreamland Burning by Jennifer Latham
This Book is Anti-Racist by Tiffany Jewell and illustrated by Aurelia Durand
Stamped by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi

Graphic Novels

New Kid by Jerry Craft
I Am Alfonso Jones by Tony Medina and illustrated by Stacey Robinson & John Jennings
March: Book One by John Lewis and Andrew Aydin and illustrated by Nate Powell

For Grown-Ups

Me and White Supremacy by Layla Saad
Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria? by Beverly Daniel Tatum, PhD
White Fragility by Robin DiAngelo
The Color of Law by Richard Rothstein

Below are links to other pages with more book recommendations:

Resources for Race, Equity, Anti-Racism, and Inclusion
from We Need Diverse Books

How to Talk to Kids About Race: Books and Resources That Can Help
from Brightly

Anti-Racist Reading List from Ibram X. Kendi
from The Atlantic

What Can You Do?

Read books that will open your mind and educate yourself.

Discuss what you’ve read and learned with others.

Act. Do something and make a difference.

If you are in position of privilege, help those who aren’t.

Don’t forget. Don’t stop fighting to change things. Don’t give up.

History, despite its wrenching pain, cannot be unlived, but if faced with courage, need not be lived again.

-Maya Angelou

Middle Grade Reviews, Part Four

5/23/2020

We know you’ve been missing browsing our shelves and discovering a book that wasn’t on your radar. So, we’ll be sharing some newer middle grade releases throughout the week.

Give us a call at 503-954-2354 if you want any of them. And have your kids leave reviews in the comments of good books they’ve read recently.

All the Impossible Things by Lindsay Lackey

Ruby “Red” Byrd has moved around from one foster home to another. And, when she thinks her life is settling down a bit, an unexpected arrival shakes things up again. Not to mention she also has the magical power to control the wind based on her emotions. If you want a moving story with a touch of magical elements, look not further!

For fans of The Thing about Jellyfish by Ali Benjamin.

How to Make Friends with the Sea by Tanya Guerrero

After moving around all his life, Pablo and his recently divorced mother have settled down in the Philippines. As if that wasn’t enough to take in, they end up taking in an orphaned girl with a cleft lip. Will Pablo find a way to make his new situation feel like home?

For fans of Everlasting Nora by Marie Miranda Cruz, Hello, Universe by Erin Entrada Kelly and Pie in the Sky by Remy Lai.

Middle Grade Reviews, Part Three

5/10/2020

We know you’ve been missing browsing our shelves and discovering a book that wasn’t on your radar. So, we’ll be sharing some newer middle grade releases throughout the week.

Give us a call at 503-954-2354 if you want any of them. And have your kids leave reviews in the comments of good books they’ve read recently.

Echo Mountain by Lauren Wolk

One of the masters of historical fiction for young readers returns with another gripping novel that sees a family down on their luck try to make it in a new town with its own witch or hag on top of the mountain that may be able to solve their problems. Echo Mountain by Lauren Wolk is a must read.

Stuffed by Liz Braswell

Fans of Monsters, Inc. will enjoy this novel about a ten-year-old boy who must convince everyone around him that the stuffed animals we all know and love are fighting a battle that is getting too close to home!

Middle Grade Reviews, Part Two

5/9/2020

We know you’ve been missing browsing our shelves and discovering a book that wasn’t on your radar. So, we’ll be sharing some newer middle grade releases throughout the week.

Give us a call at 503-954-2354 if you want any of them. And have your kids leave reviews in the comments of good books they’ve read recently.

Itch by Polly Farquhar

Isaac (a.k.a. Itch) is having the worst school year ever. First, a tornado damages the school cafeteria. And, he may have caused one of his friends to have a severe food allergy reaction when they traded lunches. How can things get better for him when the troubles seem to be non-stop?

For fans of: Lost in the Sun by Lisa Graff and Ivy Aberdeen's Letter to the World by Ashley Herring Blake

Mary Underwater by Shannon Doleski

Mary Murphy doesn’t have the easiest life ever with an abusive father at home and a potentially failing grade at school. But she’s sick and tired of playing the victim. So she hatches a plan involving a submarine to save herself.

For fans of: The Line Tender by Kate Allen, No Fixed Address by Susan Nielsen, and Mostly the Honest Truth by Jody Little

Ghost Squad by Claribel A. Ortega

When Lucely and Syd inadvertently releases evil spirits into the real world, it’ll be up to them with the help of Syd’s witch grandmother to bring things back to normal.

For fans of: Goosebumps by R.L. Stine, Ghosts by Raina Telgemeier, and The Real Boy by Anne Ursu

Middle Grade Reviews, Part One

5/4/2020

We know you’ve been missing browsing our shelves and discovering a book that wasn’t on your radar. So, we’ll be sharing some newer middle grade releases throughout the week.

Give us a call at 503-954-2354 if you want any of them. And have your kids leave reviews in the comments of good books they’ve read recently.

The Newspaper Club by Beth Vrabel

Cub reporter Nellie Murrow is on the case when a series of theft and vandalism rock her town of Bear Creek. It’ll take all her journalistic skills to solve the mystery in this new mystery series inspired by Nellie Bly herself.

For fans of: Awkward by Svetlana Chmakova, The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart, and Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library by Chris Grabenstein

Fins by Randy Wayne White

Poachers are endangering the shark population to use their fins in soup. It’ll be up to the newly formed Sharks Inc. to make sure they don’t get away with it. Will the kids succeed in their mission? Or have they bitten off more than they can chew?

For fans of: The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl by Stacy McAnulty, Ali Cross by James Patterson, and Science Comics: Sharks by Joe Flood

Can You See Me? by Libby Scott ad Rebecca Westcott

Inspired by Libby’s real life experiences, this moving middle grade novel explores Tally trying to fit in without letting her autism completely define who she is.

For fans of: Wonder by R. J. Palacio, Rules by Cynthia Lord, and Mockingbird by Kathryn Erskine

New Green Bean Books COVID-19 Crisis Services!

3/14/2020

During these unusual times, Green Bean Books will be rolling out some new services to make sure we get books to people who need books and also want to support your local independent bookstore! These services will start Monday, March 16th.

Go, Green Bean, Go! Delivery Service

We’ll deliver books to you for free with a purchase of $25 or more- if you live within a 2-mile radius of Green Bean Books! (If you live a little farther away, let us know if we can make an exception!) It’s easy as 1-2-3!

1. Give us a call at 503-954-2354- or send us a message through our contact form- with the books you want. If we don’t have a certain book, we can special order most books in print-including adult books!!!
2. Then just make a payment over the phone.
3. We’ll take down your information and let you know when we’ll be delivering your books! If we have the book in the store we will make every effort to do same day delivery!

Green Bean To-Go Curbside Pick-Up Service

If you prefer to pick-up your books but don’t want to leave your car, give us a call when you’re outside the store and we’ll be more than happy to walk your books up to your car window! This service is for any purchase of any amount.

Other Ways to Support Us:

Gift Certificates

You can buy a gift certificate for any denomination over the phone. Give us a call at 503-954-2354. We can mail it to you or the recipient. We can also keep it at the store until you're ready to use it!

Birthdays and Other Occasions

If you know someone who’s celebrating a birthday or any special occasion and want to give them books as gifts, follow the directions for our Delivery Service and give us their information so we can deliver the books to them! We'll even wrap them for you!

Not sure of what you're in the mood for reading? Give us a call at 503-954-2354 or send us a message through our contact form. We’re always happy to make book recommendations. Check our social media daily because we'll be suggesting many of our favorites for you to call-in and order over the coming weeks.

Most of all, we thank you from the bottoms of our hearts for supporting Green Bean Books during these difficult times!
Stay well and keep reading!!!

Oregon Children's Theatre presents The Journal of Ben Uchida: Citizen 13559

2/18/2020

We're thrilled to partner with Oregon Children's Theatre for their amazing 2019-2020 season to bring children’s books to life on stage.

We'll periodically have special story times with cast members of current shows. We'll also be recommending perfect book companions with each show's big ideas. These recommended books will be 20% off at Green Bean Books while each show is running!

Next up is The Journal of Ben Uchida: Citizen 13559.

About the show

In 1942, 12-year-old Ben Uchida and his family are forcibly removed from their home in San Francisco and imprisoned at Mirror Lake, an American concentration camp, along with hundreds of thousands of other Japanese-American families. In this unfamiliar place, removed from everything he once knew, Ben’s emotional journey is even more upsetting than his physical one.
Originally commissioned by the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, this play details—with anger, despair, sadness, and hope—a dark chapter in this country’s history; it tells a story that is relevant, moving, and one that cannot be forgotten.

Recommended for
Ages 10 and up

Content Advisory
This show uses historically accurate language (from the 1940s/WWII), including racial slurs, and bias-motivated violence. Additionally, the play contains visual imagery and indirect references to suicide in the concentration camp. The word suicide is not used in the play, nor is the act dramatized or seen on stage.

The Journal of Ben Uchida: Citizen 13559
February 29–March 22, 2020
Saturdays at 2pm & 5pm
Sundays at 11am & 2pm
Fridays 3/6 & 3/13 at 7pm
Runtime: 60 minutes

Location
Winningstad Theatre, 1111 SW Broadway

Ticket prices starting at $15

For show info and to get your tickets now, click here.

Book Recommendations
Check out our curated list of 10 books related to themes in the play.

The Big Ideas
Hearing personal stories are a powerful way to learn about painful historical events.
Remembering family and relationships can help in difficult times.
Learning about your family’s history and culture is important.

These books will be 20% off during the run of the play.

Baseball Saved Us
by Ken Mochizuki
iluustrated by Dom Lee

Shorty and his family, along with thousands of Japanese Americans, are sent to an internment camp after the attack on Pearl Harbor. Fighting the heat and dust of the desert, Shorty and his father decide to build a baseball diamond and form a league in order to boost the spirits of the internees. Shorty quickly learns that he is playing not only to win, but to gain dignity and self-respect as well.

Baseball Saved Us is the ultimate rite of passage story. It will appeal again and again to readers who enjoy cheering for the underdog.

So Far from the Sea
by Eve Bunting
illustrated by Chris K. Soentpiet

Laura Iwasaki and her family are paying what may be their last visit to Laura's grandfather's grave. The grave is at Manzanar, where thousands of Americans of Japanese heritage were interned during World War II. Among those rounded up and taken to the internment camp were Laura's father, then a small boy, and his parents. Now Laura says goodbye to Grandfather in her own special way, with a gesture that crosses generational lines and bears witness to the patriotism that survived a shameful episode in America's history. Eve Bunting's poignant text and Chris K. Soentpiet's detailed, evocative paintings make the story of this family's visit to Manzanar, and of the memories stirred by the experience, one that will linger in readers' minds and hearts.

The Bracelet
by Yoshiko Uchida
illustrated by Joanna Yardley

In 1942, during the war with Japan, a Japanese-American girl must leave her home. She receives a good-bye gift from her best friend, but loses it at her new home. Emi is afraid that without the bracelet Laurie will disappear from her mind forever. Warm watercolor paintings beautifully complement this story of the power of memory.

Emmanuel's Dream: The True Story of Emmanuel Ofosu Yeboah
by Laurie Ann Thompson
illustrated by Sean Qualls

Emmanuel Ofosu Yeboah's inspiring true story—which was turned into a film, Emmanuel's Gift, narrated by Oprah Winfrey—is nothing short of remarkable.

Born in Ghana, West Africa, with one deformed leg, he was dismissed by most people—but not by his mother, who taught him to reach for his dreams. As a boy, Emmanuel hopped to school more than two miles each way, learned to play soccer, left home at age thirteen to provide for his family, and, eventually, became a cyclist. He rode an astonishing four hundred miles across Ghana in 2001, spreading his powerful message: disability is not inability. Today, Emmanuel continues to work on behalf of the disabled.

Thompson's lyrical prose and Qualls's bold collage illustrations offer a powerful celebration of triumphing over adversity.

Includes an author's note with more information about Emmanuel's charity.

The Dreamer
by Il Sung Na

Even pigs can learn to fly: Once, there was a pig who admired birds. But he could never join them. Or could he? Thus begins the journey of a pig with big dreams, and the perseverance to make them come true. He develops flight plans, builds experimental contraptions, and has far-flung adventures, but at the end of the day, his favorite thing to do is sit and watch for those he loves best: birds.

Il Sung Na creates a world at once whimsical and aspirational, where anything is possible and, yes, even pigs can learn to fly.

A Place to Belong
by Cynthia Kadohata

A Japanese-American family, reeling from their ill treatment in the Japanese internment camps, gives up their American citizenship to move back to Hiroshima, unaware of the devastation wreaked by the atomic bomb in this piercing look at the aftermath of World War II by Newbery Medalist Cynthia Kadohata.

World War II has ended, but while America has won the war, twelve-year-old Hanako feels lost. To her, the world, and her world, seems irrevocably broken.

America, the only home she’s ever known, imprisoned then rejected her and her family—and thousands of other innocent Americans—because of their Japanese heritage, because Japan had bombed Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.

Japan, the country they’ve been forced to move to, the country they hope will be the family’s saving grace, where they were supposed to start new and better lives, is in shambles because America dropped bombs of their own—one on Hiroshima unlike any other in history. And Hanako’s grandparents live in a small village just outside the ravaged city.

The country is starving, the black markets run rampant, and countless orphans beg for food on the streets, but how can Hanako help them when there is not even enough food for her own brother?

Hanako feels she could crack under the pressure, but just because something is broken doesn’t mean it can’t be fixed. Cracks can make room for gold, her grandfather explains when he tells her about the tradition of kintsukuroi—fixing broken objects with gold lacquer, making them stronger and more beautiful than ever. As she struggles to adjust to find her place in a new world, Hanako will find that the gold can come in many forms, and family may be hers.

The War I Finally Won
by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley

Ada and her younger brother, Jamie, now have a permanent home with their loving legal guardian, Susan Smith. Although Jamie adapts more easily, Ada still struggles with the aftermath of her old life, and how to fit into her new life.

World War II continues, and forces the small community to come together and rely on one another. Ada has never been interested in getting to know her friend’s family—especially Maggie’s mother, the formidable Lady Thorton. However, circumstances bring them in close proximity along with other unexpected characters.

Ada comes face to face with another German! This time she isn’t sure what she should do. How can she help the ones she loves and keep them safe?

Ada’s first story, The War that Saved My Life, won a Newbery Honor, the Schneider Family Book Award, and the Josette Frank Award, in addition to appearing on multiple best-of-the-year lists. This second, marvelous volume continues Ada’s powerful, uplifting story.

The Red Pencil
by Andrea Davis Pinkney
illustrated by Shane W. Evans

Finally, Amira is twelve. Old enough to wear a toob, old enough for new responsibilities. And maybe old enough to go to school in Nyala--Amira's one true dream.

But life in her peaceful Sudanese village is shattered when the Janjaweed arrive. The terrifying attackers ravage the town and unleash unspeakable horrors. After she loses nearly everything, Amira needs to dig deep within herself to find the strength to make the long journey--on foot--to safety at a refugee camp. Her days are tough at the camp, until the gift of a simple red pencil opens her mind--and all kinds of possibilities.

New York Times bestselling and Coretta Scott King Award-winning author Andrea Davis Pinkney's powerful verse and Coretta Scott King Award-winning artist Shane W. Evans's breathtaking illustrations combine to tell an inspiring tale of one girl's triumph against all odds.

A Long Walk to Water
by Linda Sue Park

A Long Walk to Water begins as two stories, told in alternating sections, about a girl in Sudan in 2008 and a boy in Sudan in 1985. The girl, Nya, is fetching water from a pond that is two hours’ walk from her home: she makes two trips to the pond every day. The boy, Salva, becomes one of the "lost boys" of Sudan, refugees who cover the African continent on foot as they search for their families and for a safe place to stay. Enduring every hardship from loneliness to attack by armed rebels to contact with killer lions and crocodiles, Salva is a survivor, and his story goes on to intersect with Nya’s in an astonishing and moving way.

The Paper Crane
by Molly Bang

A beautifully illustrated retelling of an ancient Japanese folktale by Molly Bang.

A mysterious man enters a restaurant and pays for his dinner with a paper crane that magically comes alive and dances.

The Paper Crane is illustrated with cut-paper collages and paintings. It is a wonderful book to use with children learning about patterns in storytelling.