With recommendations from Rene Holderman at Third Place Books, these must-read children’s books celebrating Black stories are perfect for sparking important conversations and inspiring young minds.

“Big”

By Vashti Harrison

The first picture book written and illustrated by award-winning creator Vashti Harrison traces a child’s journey to self-love and shows the power of words to both hurt and heal. With spare text and exquisite illustrations, this emotional exploration of being big in a world that prizes small is a tender portrayal of how you can stand out and feel invisible at the same time.

“How Do You Spell Unfair”

 By Carole Boston Weatherford

In 1936, eighth grader MacNolia Cox became the first African American to win the Akron, Ohio, spelling bee. And with that win, she was asked to compete at the prestigious National Spelling Bee in Washington, DC, where she and a girl from New Jersey were the first African Americans invited since its founding. She left her home state a celebrity — right up there with Ohio’s own Joe Louis and Jesse Owens — with a military band and a crowd of thousands to see her off at the station. But celebration turned to chill when the train crossed the state line into Maryland, where segregation was the law of the land. Prejudice and discrimination ruled — on the train, in the hotel, and, sadly, at the spelling bee itself.

“An American Story”

By Kwame Alexander; illustrated by Dare Coulter

From the fireside tales in an African village, through the unspeakable passage across the Atlantic, to the backbreaking work in the fields of the South, this is a story of a people’s struggle and strength, horror and hope. This is the story of American slavery, a story that needs to be told and understood by all of us. A testament to the resilience of the African American community, this book honors what has been and envisions what is to be.

“Holding Her Own: The Exceptional Life of Jackie Ormes”

By Traci N. Todd; illustrated by Shannon Wright

Jackie Ormes made history. She was the first Black woman cartoonist nationally syndicated in the United States. She was also a journalist, fashionista, philanthropist, and activist, and she used her incredible talent and artistry to bring joy and hope to people everywhere. But in post-World War II America, Black people were still being denied their civil rights, and Jackie found herself in a dilemma: How could her art stay true to her signature “Jackie joy” while remaining honest about the inequalities Black people had been fighting?

“There Was a Party for Langston”

By Jason Reynolds; illustrated by Jerome Pumphery and Jarrett Pumphrey

Back in the day, there was a heckuva party, a jam, for a word-making man. The King of Letters. Langston Hughes. His ABCs became drums, bumping jumping thumping like a heart the size of the whole country. They sent some people yelling and others, his word-children, to write their own glory.

“The Last Stand”

by Antwan Eady; illustrated by Jerome Pumphery and Jarrett Pumphrey

Saturday is for harvesting. One little boy is excited to work alongside his Papa as they collect eggs, plums, peppers, and pumpkins to sell at their stand in the farmer’s market. Of course, it’s more than a farmer’s market. Papa knows each customer’s order, from Ms. Rosa’s pumpkins to Mr. Johnny’s peppers. And when Papa can’t make it to the stand, his community gathers around him with dishes made of his produce.

Read more:

Celebrate Black History Month around the Puget Sound

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Blue Highway Games: Queen Anne’s community hub for board games

2203 Queen Anne Ave. N.

Located in Queen Anne, Blue Highway Games encourages everyone to “unplug and reconnect.” The shop carries board and card games from around the world, specializing in those that appeal to kids, families and enthusiasts. 

Their extensive library contains hundreds of games — from puzzles and cards to chess and checkers. Guests can play at any time, including at the free Friday Game Night Meet Up or at the BHG Board Game Challenge. The challenge is held monthly, with a different game each time. Prizes are awarded for participation and players earn points toward yearly challenge awards. (Winners get their name on Blue Highway’s trophy wall!) 

As a bonus, Ginger — the owners’ dog — makes occasional appearances on-site.

Meeples Games: West Seattle’s game store + café

3727 California Ave. SW, Suite 2B

The staff at Meeples Games is well incorporated into the gaming community, and it includes  experts in board games, collectible card games and role-playing games, helping visitors to find a  niche. This West Seattle staple features a café, in case visitors get hungry between moves, as well as the Meeples store — a retail space specializing in a broad range of goods like board games, Pokémon cards, tabletop miniatures, toys and more. Families can come for tournaments or drop-in play, whether for Family Game Night or at any other time. Meeples events like Open D&D (Dungeons & Dragons, for the uninitiated), Star Wars/Marvel Night and Pokémon Training Camp are just a couple of the community favorites.

Tabletop Village: Pokémon and family game nights in Chinatown-ID

616 Eighth Ave S.

For both skilled Pokémon players and novices, Tabletop Village is the place to be. Masters are there to teach anyone willing to learn. Visitors can help build and modify decks, preparing for a casual game or more competitive play. On days with numerous participants, impromptu tournaments often take place. And kids can browse collectibles like Pokémon, Digimon, MetaZoo, Flesh and Blood and DBZ.

Regular tournaments happen on Wednesdays and Fridays. Every Sunday is officially Family Day, but people are welcome to grab a table and play any time the doors are open. 

Tech-savvy Tabletop occasionally streams players who want to be featured on Twitch, a live video-streaming service for gamers. Tabletop Village, which is BIPOC-owned and operated, connects to youth in the International District/Chinatown community and beyond.

Mox Boarding House: Ballard and Bellevue’s board game dining experience

5105 Leary Ave NW; 13310 Bel-Red Road, Bellevue

At first glance, Ballard’s Mox Boarding House may seem like it’s only for adults, but it’s indeed family-friendly. You can play games at one of the restaurant’s long tables or reserve a private room. After being seated, guests are free to visit Card Kingdom next door to explore or to get a board game suggestion. Staff picks like Dragonwood, Fluxx and, of course, D&D can be played at the café, and customers can purchase games and other merchandise, such as miniatures, paint and supplies, in the retail section. Mox has a full menu, which encourages famished families to stay for yet another round of play. Bonus: There’s an Eastside location, too (as well as a site in Portland).

Looking for more games in Seattle? Here are 20 of our favorite board games, and four wonderful card games you can take to play anywhere.

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It all started in 1925, when Russell Johnson began crafting and selling chocolates while working at his parents’ shop in Tacoma. He and his wife, Irene, soon bought the business, managing it as a restaurant with a decadent candy selection. By the 1940s, the pair moved a few blocks away to the storefront in the city that the community now knows as the Johnson Candy Company.

Today, behind that same window-filled storefront, featuring rows of handmade candies, the family-owned shop has become a true fixture in the city, with many loyal customers, some of whom have been patrons for more than half a century.

Keeping it in the Johnson candy family

The business is now co-owned by Russell and Irene’s son Ron Johnson, and his wife, Bee Johnson. Now Ron and Bee’s son, Bill Johnson, who used to help out at the shop when he was just 12, serves as its production manager. He says he hopes his own sons, ages 7 and 10, will be able to start helping out soon.

Over the years, the shop has had a few upgrades, including an expansion of its building, but at its core it has never strayed far from its roots.

Bill Johnson explains that the family still uses some of the same candy recipes as the ones his grandfather bought from a retiring Greek candymaker in the 1920s. And several current pieces of machinery are from the business’s infancy, including a FireMixer, which the candymakers use to make caramel.

“I love to keep the old stuff going as long as I can,” he says. “You just can’t beat that stuff.”

The challenge of COVID

The candy company has also faced its fair share of challenges, the most recent being the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2020, the family had to close the retail shop and quickly switch to selling candy boxes and ice cream bars through a window. The shop also launched Johnson Candy Company online.

By the fall of 2020, with newly installed plexiglass and mask requirements, the family was able to reopen the business to walk-in customers.

For the Valentine’s Day holiday, one of the busiest times of the year, the candy company plans  to sell its popular packed heart boxes, which include an assortment of candies customers can select themselves, and also one of the biggest sellers, brandied cherries.

Bill Johnson, now 50, attributes the business’s longevity to his parents’ and grandparents’ hard work and commitment to not expanding it beyond what they could handle, as well as their small but dedicated team of employees. 

The small business can be a challenge, he says, but over the years he’s come to understand and truly appreciate its importance for the community at large.

He says, “When you have people come in and they say, ‘We’ve been coming here with our family, and we just love coming here’ … you realize that it’s more than just somewhere where you come to work, but it’s a part of the community.”

Johnson Candy Company: 924 Martin Luther King Jr. Way, Tacoma

Published Jan. 13, 2022

Learn about more locally owned Seattle-area businesses

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I Can Make This Promise

What are your favorite stories to read to children? 

I love sharing board books with my 1-year-old daughter. Lately, our favorite is Little You, written by Richard Van Camp and illustrated by Julie Flett.

What do you read at bedtime now for yourself? 

Recently, I’ve been reading a lot of parenting memoirs and books about early childhood development. I really enjoyed There’s No Such Thing as Bad Weather by Linda Åkeson McGurk, and The Montessori Toddler by Simone Davis.

What’s your favorite place to read in Seattle? 

Onboard the Puget Sound ferries.

Did you read a lot as a child? 

Yes! I was an avid reader and a regular patron of the Shoreline and Richmond Beach libraries.

Would the kid version of yourself be surprised that you grew up to be a writer? 

No, because it has always been my dream job, and I’ve always been determined and stubborn enough to make it happen. 

Donna Barba Higuera

Lupe Wong Won’t Dance
El Cucuy Is Scared, Too
The Last Cuentista 

What’s the hardest part about writing for children?

I have to remind myself at times that I’m not there to teach a lesson or preach to a child. My job is to tell a story and let the reader determine if they learn something. I have to set my parent voice aside and be a storyteller. If a writer tries to push a message or lesson, a child will sniff it out and won’t enjoy the story. 

Did you read a lot growing up?

Oh, yes! To the point, I was that kid who got in trouble for staying up too late with a flashlight under the covers to read a book.

Would the kid version of yourself be surprised that you grew up to be a writer?

Yes! I wanted to be a writer, but kid Donna didn’t think it was possible. I think this is mainly because no one ever told me I could be a writer. I tell kids at school visits all the time: You don’t have to be known as the kid who is the “writer” or “artist” in your class. You don’t have to be the best. You just have to want to do that thing and keep pursuing it and practicing.

[Editor’s note: On January 24, 2022, Donna Barba Higuera was awarded the Newbery Medal for Children’s Literature for “The Last Cuentista,” her novel for middle-schoolers.]

Amanda Abler

The Spirit of Springer

How do you get ideas for new books? 

I get ideas all the time from articles I see or interesting scientific facts I read. Often, a friend or family member will say, “You should write a book about XYZ …” When I die, there will be a long list of obscure and unfinished book ideas on my phone.

What are your favorite bedtime stories to read to children?

Some of my favorites are The Seven Silly Eaters by Mary Ann

Hoberman and the Bunny Planet books by Rosemary Wells because on a rough day, everyone needs a trip to the Bunny Planet. 

Ben Clanton

The Narwhal and Jelly series

Who is your favorite literary character?

[Bill Peet’s] Droofus the Dragon has been one of my favorites since I was 5 years old. A kind, helpful, fun vegetarian dragon is all the sort of stuff I aspire to.

Favorite place to read in Seattle?

I love to listen to books while walking around Seattle, especially by the water.  

Do you have advice for young writers?

Get to know your characters so well that they become real to you, then they’ll share their stories.

Did you read a lot growing up?

I struggled with learning to read as a kid. Or rather I should say I struggled with reading words. I loved books with lots of pictures and would devour comics.

Tyrah Majors

Grammy and Me

What books do you most remember from childhood?

[Eric Carle’s] Pancakes, Pancakes! was my favorite at the time. Debbie Allen’s Dancing in the Wings was another childhood favorite. It’s the first memory I have of seeing a character in a fiction book who looked like me. It centers the story of a young Black ballerina. 

Do you have tips for young writers?

My advice for any young writer would be to write about what you are passionate about. Everyone has something or someone that is important to them. For me, it was family. 

JD Davis

Rodney Raccoon in Special Delivery

What book made you want to write? 

I don’t recall a specific book that sparked my interest. I do remember getting an assignment from my first-grade teacher to write a story. That story was one of my first introductions into capturing my imagination on paper. I later went on to write songs, scripts and … books.

How do you get ideas for books? 

Ideas are all around. An idea may come when I’m having a conversation with my 9-year-old daughter or driving down the street on any given day. My best ideas come when I can get away from everything and just sit quietly, allowing my thoughts to run free. 

Katherine Pryor

Bea’s Bees

How do you inspire your children to read?

I’ve read aloud to my twins since they were newborns. I remember reading New Yorker articles out loud because it seemed to calm them and I literally had no other time to read. (Bonus: Sometimes we all fell asleep.)

What do you read at bedtime now?

I’ve been parenting 2-, then 3-, now 4-year-old twins through a global pandemic, so I’ve been reading a lot of parenting books to help get us all through a very challenging time. I try to alternate parenting books with page-turning fiction to keep things interesting.

Liz Wong

The Goose Egg

How do you get ideas for new books and new characters?

I usually get new ideas by drawing something. Fellow author/illustrator Elizabeth Rose Stanton calls it “procrasti-doodling.” 

What’s the hardest part about writing for children?

Self-doubt. I ask myself if something is “good” a lot and find myself comparing my work to other people’s work. It’s easy to start thinking that your work isn’t as good as everyone else’s so you shouldn’t even try. You really just need to focus on yourself and what you can control instead of worrying about what other people will like. 

Kazu Kibuishi

The Amulet series

What’s the hardest part about writing for children?

When I started writing, it was difficult to write for children because I was so young, and I was not yet a father or someone who spent much time with kids. Since then, I’ve become a father of two. I’ve encountered many readers, and I’ve learned from other parents, teachers and librarians about what being a children’s book author means to them and the kids. 

What’s on your reading list now?

Recently I’ve been revisiting Something Like an Autobiography by Akira Kurosawa and The Island of Dr. Moreau by H.G. Wells.

How do you get ideas for new books and/or new characters?

Most of the ideas I’ve been working on are ideas I’ve had since I was a teenager. I hope to eventually get to some of my newer ideas! As far as how they come about, I think they generally start as something small, like a joke, or a random thought. Then they start growing into something bigger, and eventually they just need to get made.

Do you have any tips for young writers?

Live an interesting life and the stories will follow you.

Kerri Kokias

Clever Hans: The True Story of the Counting, Adding, and Time-Telling Horse

What book made you want to become a writer?

I don’t think there was a specific book but definitely the experience of reading to my daughter when she was a toddler made me want to write specifically for kids. … I loved that period of time when she was just beginning to talk and I could see her observant little mind putting everything together when we read. 

Who is your favorite literary character?

I’m going to have to say Charlie Brown. Yes, I consider comics literature, and Chuck and I go way back. I’ve always appreciated how philosophical the Peanuts comic strip could be.

Nina Laden

Roberto: The Insect Architect

What book made you want to become a writer?

I started making books before I could write. I used to tell my mother the story and we’d fold paper and she’d write it down so I could illustrate it. There wasn’t one book that did that. It was books in general.

Do you have advice for young writers?

Read, read, read. Read everything. Even the cereal box. And keep a journal. It doesn’t matter what type of journal. I prefer blank sketchbooks so I can write and draw, and paste things in there. And I have only one rule: You can’t tear the pages out. You have to keep everything you’ve done.

Jessixa Bagley

Henry and Bea

Favorite place to read in Seattle?

I don’t leave the house much these days, but I used to love reading on the bus when I commuted to my day job. When else are you in one spot for a specific amount of time twice a day and don’t have to explain your time?

How do you inspire your child to read?

I read to Baxter every night and have ever since he was an infant. I read picture books and chapter books and try to do voices or make the characters expressive so it’s fun for him as a listener. I stop and ask him questions about the story to keep him connected. I love that he can listen, really listen, to what I am reading and think about the story. 

Did you read a lot growing up?

I remember my mom taking me to Powell’s Books in downtown Portland and getting this huge stack of picture books to sit and read in the café while we ate shortbread cookies. We’d be there for hours. It was such a special ritual and really gave me the feeling that books are to be honored, read and devoured.

Joy McCullough

Champ and Major: First Dogs

Who is your favorite literary character?

 I cannot pick one! But [Beverly Cleary’s] Ramona Quimby is way up there. 

How do you inspire your kids to read? 

 One thing I do, which I believe is really important, is give them free rein on what they want to read. Graphic novels are reading. Audiobooks are reading. There is no need to push classics or what might be deemed “high quality” over what kids want to read. The main thing is to encourage a love of reading. Forcing kids to read boring, “important” books is sure to squash that love really quickly!

Asia Citro
The Zoey and Sassafras series

Who is your favorite literary character?

Snake in the Elephant and Piggie book Can I Play Too? He is hilarious and so creative.

Did you read a lot growing up?

Absolutely, yes. I always checked out the maximum number of library books possible and pretty much whenever I was awake I had my nose in a book. My parents joke that they had to pry books out of my hands to get me to do anything else!

How do you inspire your child to read? 

By checking out giant stacks of books from the library as often as possible. 

Published Jan. 1, 2022

For more fun with books, see these questions asked by JiaYing Grygiel in our June 2017 Book Bender issue at seattleschild.com.

The post Q&A: Seattle-area children’s book authors talk about reading, writing and more appeared first on Seattle's Child.

Annie Garrett

Parent education faculty, South Seattle College

Ages 0-2: “At this age, children are learning through their bodies. If the book isn’t squeezable, crunchable, singable, bangable, or edible, I question who it was really made for. Here are a few that engage the little ones without losing the big ones (that’s us): There’s a Monster in Your Book by Tom Fletcher, Press Here by Hervé Tullet and good old Jamberry by Bruce Degen.” 

Ages 2-4:  “If you’re having fun, your kid probably is, too. The prolific Sandra Boynton brings the generations together via her silly, playful board books. If play is the work of children and silly is their language, then her books are more than just a good time. They’re a tutorial in modern parenting. Although you can’t go wrong with Boynton, my personal favorite is Belly Button Book.”

Christy McDanold

Owner, Secret Garden Books, Ballard

Infants

Black & White

by Tana Hoban

 “Some brilliant designer had the idea of folding it into a frieze that you can prop up for your child on the floor around their playmat. Very striking black and white art of common everyday things, and that’s what they respond to in the early months.” 

Picture books

Negative Cat

by Sophie Blackall

“The first part of the book is all about the child begging and begging and begging [for a cat]. They bring a cat home and the cat is really a stinker! … It’s a great read-aloud.”

Age 9 and up

Ophie’s Ghosts 

by Justina Ireland

Ophie’s family flees Georgia in the 1920s South. “As she gets to know her up north family, she learns her aunt also has the gift of seeing dead people … It’s mystery. It’s historical fiction. It’s adventure. It’s really good.” 

Favorite kids’ books: Kari Ferguson

Owner, Oh Hello Again, Capitol Hill

Ages 4-6

This Is How We Do It: One Day in the Lives of Seven Kids from around the World

by Matt Lamothe

“A really great book to introduce children to the lifestyles of other cultures around the world.”

Chirri + Chirra

by Kaya Doi

“This super-adorable duo goes on a lot of fun adventures.”

Mia Mayhem
by Kara West; illustrated by Leeza Hernandez 

“Perfect superhero adventures for little readers.”

Ages 6-8

A History of Music for Children

by Mary Richards and David Schweitzer; illustrated by Rose Blake

“A perfect primer for young musicians.”

Princess in Black
by Shannon Hale and Dean Hale; illustrated by LeUyen Pham

“A princess AND a superhero.”

How to Make Friends With a Ghost

by Rebecca Green 

“A beautiful, super-sweet read-aloud picture book.”

Ages 8-10

Snow & Rose

by Emily Winfield Martin

“A sweet, beautifully illustrated fairy-tale chapter book by a Pacific Northwest author.” 

Mr. Wolf’s Class series

by Aron Nels Steinke

“A fun graphic novel series by an Oregon-based teacher.” 

Age 10 and up

The Chronicles of Prydain series

by Lloyd Alexander

“A classic fantasy series that entertained both me and my kids.” 

Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus

by Dusti Bowling 

“A great novel tackling physical disabilities.”

Holes

by Louis Sachar

“A perfect classic for boys and girls.”

More book recommendations and news in Seattle’s Child

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Bo Leong, the parent group manager at Families of Color Seattle and parent to twin toddler boys, believes that the word we are all looking for is “pivot.” 

“Not just physical pivoting,” Bo says, referring to the pandemic retreat into the home, “but psychological, social, even cognitive pivoting as a parent.”

COVID: Kids take it in stride

“We tell our kids, ‘Go out and play,’ but during a pandemic there are some added steps,” Bo says. Wear a mask, wash your hands, be aware of how close you are to other people. For adults, these changes might serve as foreboding reminders of the dangers our children face. But to young kids, they register as simply another milestone in their learning lives, not wildly different from their pivot away from diapers, or learning that toilets need flushing. 

Turns out toddlers are toddlers, even during a pandemic. Lindsey Denault, toddler class chair at Phinney Neighborhood Preschool Co-op, says when her 2-year-old son, Ben, returned to preschool it was, well, pretty normal. “Parents were all learning how to socialize again, and the kids were like, ‘This is great! Let’s go.’ ” 

Lindsey, who also has a 4-year-old daughter, Nora, reports that the toddler class is navigating standard social 2-year-old challenges, pandemic or no pandemic: toy sharing, waiting for turns and age-appropriate independence from parents.

Of course, COVID complicated early social development in some ways. For example, Nicolette Riggins, founder and head teacher of north Seattle’s Chrysalis Forest School, says, “It’s typical for young kids to have speech impediments. I didn’t realize how much I relied on lip-reading until everyone was wearing a mask.” 

“Kids get frustrated when they have a clear idea of what they’re trying to communicate with me and it isn’t getting through.”

Heather Collins, whose 4-year-old daughter M attends Chrysalis, experienced that frustration firsthand. “M tends to be quiet, and when you add a mask, it makes it hard for her to be understood.”

As a teacher, Nicolette pivoted. She taught her students to draw pictures of their feelings and integrated sign language into her curriculum so they could sign for basic needs like food, water, bathroom and “stop.” 

Heather says, “M is a better human, getting that interaction with other kids.”

Creative solutions

In the north Seattle co-op where Bo’s twins attend preschool, their teacher utilizes gestures and call-and-response auditory cues, as well as stimulating multisensory pretend play, like imagining the smell of chocolate chip cookies in the classroom. These creative solutions seek to enhance both the social growth of the kids and the inclusion and equity of the class as a whole.

In a conversation about socializing children, it’s easy to zoom in on individual social skills as parents see them: Can my child share? Can my child wait? Can my child use their words? Of course, those skills are important. But now more than ever, we must also zoom out, recognize our children’s social growth as an act of community care, and cultivate their early understanding of the beauty of inclusion and diversity.

Bo says a key element of pandemic navigation is commitment to community and to modeling behavior. “It’s not just about the pandemic, but about how the pandemic circles around culture, race, identity, values, socioeconomic status.” 

“That’s what’s beautiful about these conversations. These families are growing together in a loving community.”

Supporting parents through COVID

In 2021, FOCS parent educators for Waddlers (children 6 months to 3 years old) supported 77 families through issues like finding work-life balance, parenting kids of different ages and coping with the mental health challenges of the pandemic. Another FOCS group, the Redmond Black Mothers affinity group, supports its members through facilitated discussions about issues like Black hair and beauty, the impact of systemic racism on children, Black feminism, anti-bias and the Black Lives Matter movement. 

Maybe our pandemic toddlers didn’t get Gymboree music classes, or a trip to Disneyland, or the chance to share snacks in new friends’ houses. But I would argue that they — and we — are still learning invaluable socialization: We are learning to communicate in new ways. We’re learning that our personal choices, like wearing a mask, show love to the people around us. 

And we’re learning that even upended communities can reach across loving distance and connect. 

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Tacoma Nature Center Family Nature Experience

Note: The Tacoma Nature Center building will be closing May 30-July 4 (2022) for repairs and improvements. During that time trail and play area access. Find the latest here.

You don’t have to drive for hours to have a guided outdoor experience. Enjoy a private winter family walk and learn all about plant and animal adaptations to the seasons. (An optional Turtle Time indoor add-on is available).

When: Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. Select Saturdays between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. 

Where: Tacoma Nature Center, 1919 S. Tyler St., Tacoma. 

Cost: $35 per family up to 6 people ($30 for members). Must be from the same household or pod.

Age guidelines: Little ones welcome. Adaptable for most developmental stages.

Register: Request a time at least 1 to 2 weeks in advance by emailing tnc@tacomaparks.com or calling 253-404-3930.

Kids listen attentively as Amy, an instructor with Mount Rainier Institute, explains how to make a playdough spider from a laminated model. Photo by Natasha Dillinger

More outdoor activities for kids:

Mount Rainier Institute 

This partnership between the University of Washington and Mount Rainier National Park offers year-round family programming, but the sweetest option is their Big Leaf Maple Syrup Program. Families have hands-on opportunities to learn about these special trees and the process of syrup making, plus a chance to taste-test! 

Where: Pack Forest at 9010 453rd St. E. in Eatonville.

Cost: $45 per family of 2, $60 per family of 3, $70 per family of 4, $80 per family of 5. Children 2 and under are free.

Age guidelines: Designed for kids 8 and up, but my toddler and kindergartner have participated and loved this program.

Register: Online at rainierinstitute.org.

Wenatchee River Institute

Take in the scenic views on a two-hour guided snowshoe stroll. You’ll learn about the P’squosa (Wenatchi) people and the local plants and animals they’ve stewarded since time immemorial. Snowshoes are provided for participants age 6 and up. (Bonus: Poles and gaiters are provided at the fish hatchery.)

When: Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays in January and February (starting Jan. 6). Various midday times. 

Where: Choose between two Leavenworth locations: the Wenatchee River Institute (WRI) at 347 Division St. or the Leavenworth Fish Hatchery at 12790 Fish Hatchery Road.

Cost: $5 per person at the WRI, $15 per adult or $10 per youth (6 to 14) at the fish hatchery. Children 5 and under are free.

Age guidelines: All ages are welcome, but there are no snowshoes small enough for kids under 6.

Register: Online at wenatcheeriverinstitute.org

Bellevue Parks Guided Hikes

Outdoor programming has resumed in Bellevue and families can choose from three locations: Lake Hills Greenbelt, Lewis Creek Park and the Mercer Slough Environmental Education Center. Winter registration doesn’t begin until Dec. 20 (Dec. 13 for Bellevue residents), but programs generally include a mild walk of a mile or less as participants examine flora and fauna. Special programming (like a night hike) is occasionally available. 

When: Various start times, but typically Saturday mornings at Lewis Creek and afternoons at Lake Hills and Mercer Slough.

Where: Lake Hills: 15416 SE 16th St. Lewis Creek Park: 5808 Lakemont Blvd. SE. Mercer Slough: 1625 118th Ave. SE. (All in Bellevue.)

Cost: Free

Age guidelines: Geared toward kids age 5 and up; all ages are welcome

Register: Online at register.bellevuewa.gov. Groups are limited to 15 to 20 participants. 

Outdoors for All 

This local organization focuses on supporting individuals with disabilities in outdoor sports and offers lessons in downhill skiing and snowboarding, cross-country skiing and snowshoeing.

When: Saturday and Sunday half-day sessions starting in January. 

Where: Summit at Snoqualmie and Stevens Pass.

Cost: Starts at $500 for a seven-week session with scholarships available. Gear rental and lift tickets are extra. 

Age guidelines: Age 7 and up.

Register: Online at outdoorsforall.org

Find more things to do in our Family Event Calendar

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When my own kids were born, I was determined to do it differently. I was an English literature major, by God, and no kid of mine was going to grow up without bedtime stories. When my oldest was born, we filled her room with books, and we read to her every night.

‘Daddy, you fell asleep’

That’s when I got a taste of what my mother had been up against. After a long, exhausting day at work, and the protracted push and pull of the bedtime ritual, I’d curl up with my daughter on her tiny bed and try to read. After about two minutes, I’d feel a sharp little elbow in my ribs, and a small, accusatory voice would say, “Daddy, you fell asleep.”  

Sometimes I would drift off into a trance state and babble incomprehensibly, deviating wildly from the text, which she had memorized as if it were Holy Scripture.

“Goodnight room … goodnight moon … goodnight clocks …. goodnight rocks … goodnight brush … good guy mush … goo guy … goom gum my …”

“Daddy!”

I can’t imagine how my mom felt trying to wrangle me and my three brothers at bedtime, but I’m guessing it was more like The Hunger Games than The Very Hungry Caterpillar. People tell you having kids will be joyful and transformative, which it is. Sometimes they admit that it’s really hard, which it is. What they fail to tell you is that parts of it are also brain-numbingly tedious, and reading any kids’ book for the 125th time falls firmly in that category. 

Hello, Harry Potter

I had more or less resigned myself to the meager returns of reading to my kids when suddenly that began to change. My daughter got older, and her books started to get more interesting. Little by little the plots got more complex, the characters more compelling, and the themes more satisfying. Then one day, a little after her eighth birthday, we heard about a book that had been making a big splash, first in the U.K. and then in America. We walked into our local bookstore (that’s an actual building full of books that you can buy–for those of you who’ve never seen one) and purchased a hardbound copy of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. That night, we opened it up, and I began to read it out loud.

I think we finished that first book in less than a week. We quickly bought and read the next two, and devoured them just as quickly. Every night we’d plunge into a fantastical world of magic and intrigue and heroism, which I’d recount in my best selection of phony British accents. When it was time to go to sleep, it was me who begged for one more chapter.

 Once we’d caught up with the series, we had to wait for the next book to come out. As excruciating as that was, it allowed my daughter to grow up alongside Harry and his friends, getting older as they did. And as the months crept by, while we waited for the next book to be released, we explored decades worth of Newbery award winners  — A Wrinkle in Time; Bud, Not Buddy; A Single Shard; Sarah, Plain and Tall; and Because of Winn-Dixie (a Newbery Honor Book). Middle-grade fiction became my favorite genre, so much so that I ended up writing a middle-grade novel of my own. 

By the time the last Harry Potter book came out, my daughter was too old for me to read it to her. That didn’t matter. I read it to myself. And when it was over, I went back to the first book and started all over again.

So, if you’re still reading the same insipid bedtime books every night to your 3-year-old, here’s what I want you to know: It gets better. A lot better. You may feel like a house elf, trapped in tedious servitude, at the beck and call of a master who blithely ignores your suffering, but help is on the way. Somewhere out there is a boy with broken glasses and a scar on his forehead, sleeping in a cupboard beneath the stairs, waiting for his time. He is The Boy Who Lived, and he’s coming to set you free.

Jeff Lee lives and writes among the muggles in Seattle, WA.

More on books in Seattle’s Child:

2021 Best Books List from King County Library System

Sign up for our monthly Book Corner newsletter

Sad to see “Harry Potter” end? What your young reader might love next

How to throw a fun, low-cost “Harry Potter” birthday party

The post Dad Next Door: How a young wizard saved me from tedious bedtime stories appeared first on Seattle's Child.

That Little Free Library became a hit.

“I get messages from people thanking me for starting the library, saying how they got a new book they wouldn’t have known about, or sharing how much their kids love it,” observes Woods, who owns an event space in Ravensdale called Ravenwoods Farm.

In a time when community gathering isn’t always easy, Little Free Libraries are a wonderful way to establish a sense of community. They also offer families access to books and help kids understand the importance of reading.

“If you introduce books to your kids early and engage with them, you can really start a lifelong interest in reading,” says Paula Jenson, a Little Free Library steward and former lead for the Little Free Library project at Sustainable Ballard.

Little Free Libraries are an easy way for families to get started on reading. With more than 50,000 registered Little Free Libraries in Seattle and its surroundings, families can take advantage of access to free books in virtually every neighborhood in the area.  

How kids can help

Besides promoting literacy, Little Free Libraries also help families introduce a culture of community service. Kids see how their actions can have a positive impact on others.

“There are many ways kids can participate, from organizing to restocking the library,” says Jennifer Kelty, executive director of The Children’s Center (TCC) at Burke Gilman Gardens in northeast Seattle, whose Little Free Library serves not only TCC families but also families from the neighborhood.

“It’s a great way to build community,” adds Kelty. “We meet more of our neighbors because they’re donating and also stopping by to pick out books for their kiddos.”

Establishing a Little Free Library is simple. Families can purchase building supplies from LittleFreeLibrary.org. Or, for a more low-cost option, they can upcycle old furniture or appliances and use those parts to build the box.

“There’s no specific designation for any design,” explains Jenson. “You just need to make sure no moisture can get in because that can really wreck books.”

Jenson suggests visiting used and salvaged building materials stores like Ballard Reuse to source the materials. Or families can reach out to their local neighborhood groups to gather donations of materials and labor.

“A retired Boeing engineer offered to build my library,” recalls Woods. “He wanted to do something for the community too, so I bought the materials and he donated his time.”

Families who don’t want to set up their own Little Free Library but still want to contribute books can use the maps on the Little Free Library website to find libraries in their communities. For popular libraries, having multiple families adding books can be an immense help. Kelty says that kids’ books tend to get frequent wear and tear. Both she and Woods take advantage of local Buy Nothing groups to stock up on books when the need arises. 

Woods is quick to point out the role her community has in making her Little Free Library successful. Local families add books; her kids help decorate the library for different seasons. 

Their effort shows how reading can truly bring communities together.

More for book lovers

More books coverage in Seattle’s Child

Also, don’t miss the 2021 Best Books list by King County Library System

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