What Rachel Wants to Buy This Week - Episode 28

There's a bunch of cool stuff this week, and also an awesome new feature--our resident shipping room king/epic doodler of post-it notes/webmaster has taught me how to put the things I want to buy up on our website, so that even if you're reading this from outside Boston, you can pick up featured items from our store online! I retroactively linked a few items from the last few weeks' posts to get the hang of it, but from now on it will be a regular feature! So if you see something in my posts that you like, just click the picture to order it via our website!

And now, without further ado, this week's choices:



Confetti Glitter Ball by Decor Craft Inc
$4.95
Located in the Hello Kitty display

The general consensus around the store is that these big bouncy balls are made of AWESOME. They have a nice size and heft to them, big enough that they're pretty easy to catch or juggle or bounce without them going wild, and they're filled with a neon rainbow of delightful round sprinkles suspended in liquid, rather like a snow globe. The effect of all those multicolored sprinkles floating around as the ball bounces or gets thrown around is mesmerizing! This is the perfect item to focus and entertain anyone with a short attention span (namely me, as usual) who likes bright colors.


Hink Pink by Discovery Bay Games
$21.95
Located downstairs in the Chapter Book Room

This game caught my attention because of the weird shape of the box--kind of like a chess piece mixed with a very small guitar case--but it kept my attention because it sounds extremely fun. A Hink Pink is a word riddle answered with a pair of rhyming words, and in this party game players give their teammates riddle clues as teams try to guess as many 1-, 2- or 3-syllable Hink Pinks as possible. It's a fun portable shape, it sounds like a hilarious time, and it sounds like the kind of thing my friends and I might just make up on our own, all of which guarantee it'll be a hit in my apartment, and in lots of other places too!


What Michelle Wants This Week:

3-Headed Dragon Puppet by Folkmanis
$23.95
Located on the Puppet Tree

Our GM extraordinaire, Michelle, pointed this awesome puppet out to me as her must-have item this week--and I completely agree! Equipped with interestingly textured wings, three cute/scary heads with snake tongues and T-rex-ish arms, this puppet uses all five fingers to make fun varied movement. (Michelle wishes it also came with the random bones scattered around the rocky landscape in Folkman's photo, but sadly bones are not included.) This item isn't going up on our website, because we've only got two in stock--but if you've just gotta have one, come on in or order by phone (617.498.0062)!


That's it for this week--and that's plenty! Don't forget to check out the new online buying feature, and I'll see you next time!

It's raining cats and.... drum-playing cows?

Hot on the heels of the Jarrett Krosozcka event and our Graveyard Book-themed Halloween party, we have not one but three events coming up in the next few weeks! Our handy-dandy sidebar has the short version, but you want all the juicy details, right?

Saturday, November 7 at 1pm -- yes, that's THIS SATURDAY -- First Lieutenant David Falvey will be visiting to talk about his experiences in Iraq and sign his book Letters to a Soldier, a collection of his correspondence with a New Jersey fourth grade class. He'll be bringing along photos from the period of his deployment and some super-cool equipment. This is an event not to miss for the awesome gadget factor, but much more importantly for the insight it will give into the lives of our troops and how we can help them in this difficult time. Get a preview here at Wicked Local.

Next Friday, November 13 at 1pm, author/illustrator Alex Beard is coming to lead a drawing activity and sign his new picture book, The Jungle Grapevine. If you haven't already seen this hilarious comedy of errors for the preschool set, make sure to peruse it -- and his incredible puzzles downstairs in the chapter book room -- prior to the event so you can "ooh" and "ahh" properly at the event!

Finally, on December 12 at 1pm, right smack in the full swing of holiday shopping season, author/illustrator Cynthia von Buhler will read from and sign her new picture book, But Who Will Bell the Cats? This fresh retelling of a traditional tale is done in a beautifully surreal multimedia style, unlike anything you've seen before.

I just discovered this nifty "add video" feature in Blogger (stop rolling your eyes; it's not nice), so here's a video from Jarrett's visit -- relive the glory, or see what you missed!


Hope to see you here for these great events -- and in the meantime, be sure to keep reviewing your favorite books on our Curious Kid Pick review board (located in the chapter book room) so we know who else you'd like to write, draw, chat, and scaream "E-I-E-I-O!" with. (I'm looking at you, Jarrett!)

Herbivores, omnivores, and carnivores alike will gobble up these veg-approved goodies.

The 14th annual Boston Vegetarian Food Festival took place this past weekend, and I hope you were able to get out in the beautiful weather and eat some yummy animal-friendly food! Many of us CG staffers (myself included) are vegetarian or vegan, so we were there in spirit even if we were here at the store, eating yummy animal-friendly food we brought from home instead.

As a long-time herbivore, I subscribe to the magazine Vegetarian Times. Imagine my delight at seeing George-approved items for veggie and green kids as I browsed the latest issue for vegan holiday recipes. It was like "what Vegetarian Times wants to buy this week"! First up is a Q&A with author Michael Pollan, who's just adapted his best-selling adult nonfiction book The Omnivore's Dilemma into a young reader's edition. (You can find it upstairs on the features table!) Several of us read the "grown-up" Omnivore's Dilemma for our book club, and while it was enlightening, I definitely would have preferred to read this more accessible version: all the same info, but made more digestible (har-har).

VT also featured a few of our green faves in their "Kid Stuff" holiday recommendations. Crocodile Creek's Moo Cow 7-inch ball -- like all their playground balls -- is already a hot seller around here! Trend-spotter Rachel long ago called the coolness of their other pick, the Green Toys Recycling Truck. Rach says, "Not only is this awesome green truck an excellent, sturdy toy, but it's also made entirely of recycled plastic! It has different compartments for bottles, cans and paper, catering to all the recycling needs of your toy room (or driveway, or sandbox). It's always a bonus when buying a really fun toy truck actually benefits the environment!" (Pssst... I think the Recycled News Colored Pencils are an awesome choice for the older kid in your life. I sense an impending "green gift" round-up!)

A dear friend who's a fellow children's bookseller, vegetarian, and book club member (hi Ari!) recently sent me a signed copy of Jonathan Safran Foer's new nonfiction book Eating Animals. We don't carry it at Curious George (....yet...), and I haven't even read it all the way through yet, but I am recommending it to vegetarian parents ANYWAY. Foer struggles with two of the herbivore's biggest dilemmas: eating local vs. eating veggie, and whether to raise kids vegetarian. This promises to be a compelling nonfiction read with the emotional complexity of his novels Everything is Illuminated and Extremely Close and Incredibly Loud.

Those parents who do have vegetarian kiddos should check out That's Why We Don't Eat Animals: A Book About Vegans, Vegetarians, and All Living Things by Ruby Roth. While upholding every family's right to make their own choices, this gently illustrated and compassionately written picture book explains the many ethical, environmental, and health reasons some families don't eat meat. That's Why We Don't Eat Animals not only inspires readers to consider living in a more animal-conscious way, but also empowers them with concrete examples of how to do so.

It's almost time to put up our "Happy Thanksgiving -- Save a Turkey!" poster. If you are also of the "No Turkey" or "Tofurkey" Day persuasion, make sure to pick up one of our vegetarian kids' cookbooks! Judi Gillies and Jennifer Glossop's Jumbo Vegetarian Cookbook is a no-fuss multicultural veggie cookbook for the middle grade set. This book offers oodles of vegetarian and vegan dishes from around the world, appropriate for any occasion from breakfast to midnight snack. A handy key indicates each recipe's difficulty and time investment -- always a consideration! -- and whether it is suitable for vegans. They've also provided lots of information on nutritional needs for vegetarian kids, and give all measurements in metric as well as the more familiar (to us Americans) cup-and-teaspoon system.

Salad People, Pretend Salad, and Honest Pretzels by Mollie Katzen are three great vegetarian cookbooks for "preschoolers and up." You may recognize Katzen's name from the beloved Moosewood Restaurant, her adult vegetarian cookbooks, and Moosewood's frozen vegetarian foods (yum!). These adorable books are also ingenious: kid-friendly language and sequential panels clearly illustrate the steps for young chefs. Each recipe is a carefully planned balance of nutrition, education, creativity, and fun. Every "cartoon" diagram ends with the directive "EAT!" or "DRINK!" -- which really is the point of the whole cooking exercise, and one adults often seem to miss. Honest Pretzels just came out in paperback, which makes it even more kid-accessible and kitchen-sensible.

Once you've discovered your new favorite vegetarian recipe, let us know... We need goodies to keep us in prime condition for the upcoming holiday season! (P.S. I will personally taste-test any vegan fudge recipes you may be worried are not up to snuff for Christmas cookie platters.)

What an incredibly fun party! Thanks to everybody who came, and thanks to Sweet for generously donating their delicious cupcakes for us to decorate!

We've put some photos up on our Facebook page if you'd like to see some of what went on - I'm sure more will be coming soon. Let's cross our fingers and hope Neil Gaiman liked our tribute party and will come visit us!

What Rachel Wants to Buy This Week - Episode 27

Happy Halloween! It's unseasonably warm here at the store, but a little heat can't keep me from shopping--so here are this week's choices.

Collector's Edition Slinky by James Industries Inc.
$8.95
Located downstairs in the Chapter Book Room

There aren't many toys more time-tested and endlessly fun than the Slinky, and this particular version is perhaps my favorite. It's the smallish metal kind, except this one is black--very chic--and comes in a recycled-paper box with graphics and instructions on it (which just makes the whole thing funny and appealing, because really, who doesn't know how to use a Slinky?). It's compact, it's super fun, it's a most remarkable toy! I want one! ;)

Geometrical Riddles - Master Level by MindTrap
Ages 12+
$9.95
Located downstairs in the Chapter Book Room

Lately I've been feeling like my brain needs some exercise, and this set of puzzle cards is just the way to do it. Including pattern recognition, geometry and math riddles, each card gives your brain a nice brisk workout. This set would be perfect for a long car ride (or a long commute on the T). We carry the Master and Novice levels in the store, so you can work your brain as hard (or as gently) as you want!

That's all for this week. Have a great Halloween, and be sure to eat lots of candy! :)

It's here, it's here, it's finally here!!!

...The Graveyard Book Party, that is!

We've been painting gravestones, stockpiling candy and covering plushie animals with tulle (I mean, real cobwebs and cemetery moss). I think this is going to be our best event yet, especially if we manage to keep our paws off those Sweet cupcakes kids are going to decorate!


Don't forget to stop in during Harvard Scare - we'll be writing MadLib style epitaphs, reading ghost stories, making masks and bookmarks, decorating those tasty cupcakes with ghosts and ghoul candies from 5 til 8 pm. If you see our costume parade dancing down the street, join in!

Staff Pick Bento Box

Hungry for more tasty reads? This rain is perfect weather for read-a-thons with hot chocolate and candy corn. This round has a heavier focus on middle grade than usual - so read on for our latest additions to our staff favorites.

Elijah of Buxton by Christopher Paul Curtis
Bookseller: Miruna
Genre: historical fiction
Suggested reading level: ages 9 up

Christopher Paul Curtis does a wonderful job presenting heart-breaking subjects and making you laugh at the same time. You will absolutely love Elijah and you'll find him very smart and a great improviser.

Prince of Fenway Park by Julianna Baggott
Bookseller: Anne
Genre: fiction
Suggested reading level: ages 9 up


Not for Red Sox fans only...but it's even better if you are! You will find yourself rooting for Oscar against school bullies and bullies of a completely different sort as he sets out to break the legendary "curse." A lovely story about the growing pains of not just a young man, but the Red Sox and baseball as a sport.


Witch's Guide to Cooking with Children by Keith McGowan
Bookseller: Natasha
Genre: mystery, fantasy
Suggested reading level: ages 8 up

Reads like realistic fiction, but is a modern-day "Hansel and Gretel." Sol is a 10-year-old "bad" scientist and Connie is his mischievous 8-year-old sister. When they move to a new town they start to suspect their new neighbor prefers children to cheeseburgers for dinner! Wonderful illustrations!


A Northern Light by Jennifer Donnelly
Bookseller: Katie
Genre: historical fiction, murder mystery
Suggested reading level: ages 12 up



Mattie dreams of being a writer, but it seems impossible for a farmer's daughter in 1906. Then Grace Brown, a guest at the hotel where Mattie works, mysteriously drowns, immediately after sharing a secret with her. Mattie must choose whether to keep silent or find her voice.



Shelf Discovery: The Teen Classics We Never Stopped Reading by Lizzie Skurnick
Bookseller: Michelle
Genre: literary criticism
Suggested reading level: teen, adult

Collected here are the incisive reviews, reading memories, and funny anecdotes of blogger lit critic Skurnick, with guest appearances from Cecil Von Ziegesar ad Meg Cabot. Covers favorites from Blume's Forever to Andrews' Flowers in the Attic.


The Name of This Book Is Secret by Pseudonymous Bosch
Bookseller: Rachel
Genre: funny mystery adventure
Suggested reading level: ages 8 up


When Cass and Max-Ernest, two fearless young detectives, stumble upon a dangerous mystery involving a box of smelly vials, anything could happen - some things that are event too secret for the narrator to reveal. Be sure to check out the sequels - If You're Reading This, It's Too Late, and This Book Is Not Good For You.


We're toiling away behind the scenes here on a truly massive round up of all things fantasy - thanks for bearing with us! It's been a lot of fun reading for it, and we hope you'll think so too!

What Rachel Wants to Buy This Week - Episode 26

I'm all over the place with my choices this week, because there's just so much cool stuff that I can't be limited to a theme. If you can come up with something that unifies these awesome items, let me know! ;)



Tomo Tomo Eraser/Bento Box by BC USA
$7.95
Located around the Hut

BC USA's adorable "Japanese Erasers" have been taking Harvard Square (and probably other places too) by storm. They make everything from cupcakes to toothpaste to samurai to hamsters, all in pocketable, collectible eraser form. Of course I always want to buy those--I'm a sucker for small cute things that I can line up and admire while my roommate rolls her eyes. This week, though, I'm inspired to buy this little eraser box, which doubles as a tiny bento! It's just the right size (about 4" square, 2" deep) for a collection of eraser food or for a real snack or side dish to slip into my lunch box. It's got two clips on the sides of the lid for an airtight seal, and it's got sweet little woodland or zoo animals on it, to boot! It just doesn't get better than that!


Grow a Crystal Formation by Smithsonian
$8.95
Located downstairs in the Chapter Book Room

Trust the folks at Smithsonian to come up with something as great as this! All it takes is the base rocks and chemical powder provided, some boiling water, and the kit's blister packaging to grow awesome crystals in green, yellow or blue! The step by step instructions on the back of the package explain the process in detail, including little illustrations, so even the least instructions-capable person can figure them out. I also really like the fact that the plastic blister packaging that the kit comes in gets re-used as mixing and growing cups for the crystals--way to be green and cut down on waste, Smithsonian!


The Wild Things by Dave Eggers
$19.95
Located downstairs in the Chapter Book Room

I don't usually post about books, because it's a given that I want to buy those, and our other staff pick roundups and other posts often touch on the newest and coolest. Still, since the Where the Wild Things Are movie just opened last weekend, I think I'll take this opportunity to voice my interest in this cool-looking title. According to the awesomely-designed back cover, it's an "all-ages novel" that's loosely based both on Sendak's original Where the Wild Things Are as well as the Spike Jonze movie version. I'll let the book speak for itself, because this quote is what caught my interest: "Who is Max? What is a Wild Thing? Is it ever okay to eat someone's head? What if it falls off? Then can you eat it?" I can already tell that this Max is the kind of kid I want to hang with.

That's it for this week--see you soon!

Staff Pick Goodie Bag

It's been a bit since the last staff pick sampler dish, eh? We've been reading all kinds of new fall titles as well as revisiting some classics, so here is a tasting of our latest recommended reads. (Look out for some new chroom staffer names on here too!)

The Color of Earth by Kim Dong Hwa
Bookseller: Rachel
Genre: graphic novel, biography, romance
Suggested reading level: ages 14 up

Ehwa is a young girl just beginning to blossom while her widowed mother longs for love to come again; both of them must bear the weight of social tradition in their turn-of-the-century Korean village. Also check out the other books in this trilogy, The Color of Water and The Color of Heaven.


The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart
Bookseller: Michelle
Genre: contemporary realistic fiction, school story
Suggested reading level: ages 14 up


Private school sophomore Frankie attracts the attention of popular senior Matt, but when she discovers he is in a secret society that doesn't include girls she takes matters into her own mastermind hands. Perfect for any girl who doesn't want to be called "harmless." This Printz Honor and National Book Award Finalist is now in paperback.


A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray
Bookseller: Anne
Genre: historic fiction, fantasy
Suggested reading level: ages 12 and up

Gemma's got sass and the usual growing pains on top of being dropped off at a stuffy boarding school. Of course, there's a little gothic romance in the series, but you have to wait for it. It's great fun to watch her slowly discover her 'gift' and legacy. Strong memorable characters.


Body Drama by Nancy Amanda Redd
Bookseller: Katie
Genre: girls' health nonfiction
Suggested reading level: 13 and up


Like The Care and Keeping of You for younger girls and Our Bodies, Ourselves, for adults, Body Drama addresses questions about health and body image which young women may not know how to ask. Redd tackles tough issues with wit and tact, without talking down to teens and their concerns.


The Great Brain by John D. Fitzgerald
Bookseller: Miruna
Genre: humor
Suggested reading level: ages 8 and up

I like funny books. This one I loved! If you like to laugh, you have to get it. Tom, aka the Great Brain is really something - he gets into all sorts of trouble and always manages to get away with it. This book reminds me of Tom Sawyer, which I also LOVED.


Wonderland by Tommy Kovac, illustrated by Sonny Liew
Bookseller: Natasha
Genre: graphic novel, fantasy, retelling
Suggested reading level: ages 9 up


"Mary Ann! Mary Ann!" Just who was this Mary Ann that the White Rabbit was looking for in the Disney Alice in Wonderland? This graphic novel, with incredibly vibrant illustrations, tells the story of the White Rabbit's housemaid Mary Ann, picking up where the movie left off. Intrigue and fun abound!


Notes from the Dog by Gary Paulsen
Bookseller: Taylor
Genre: realism
Suggested reading level: ages 12 up

When Finn meets his new neighbor Johanna, a cancer survivor, he instantly realizes his summer - and perhaps his entire life - will never be the same. YA veteran Paulsen delivers another extremely relatable teenage character in this short novel that is certainly not short on emotion; be prepared to both laugh and cry your way through.

What Rachel Wants to Buy This Week - Episode 25

I'm all about shapes and patterns this week, it seems! Check out these cool items I want to buy this week:


Buckyballs by Zoomdoggle
$30.95
Located downstairs in the Chapter Book Room

How they got the name Buckyballs is beyond me, but these 216 magnetic spheres are super fun to play with! Each ball is a rare earth magnet with a positive and a negative pole, so they stick together in chains, squares, and tons of other shapes. Instructions to make a variety of geometric wonders are included, and the balls come in a handy travel case to keep them all together--though their magnetism is fairly strong, so they stick together very well on their own! They can also be mushed up into a shapeless mass that's fun to massage in your hand when your attention isn't focused enough for pattern-making. Best of all, the carrying case and Buckyballs all together are small enough to fit in a purse or tote or glove compartment, making them easy to bring along wherever you're going.


Women of the Ukiyo-e coloring book from Dover, art by Ming-Ju Sun
$4.95
Located downstairs in the Art Room or upstairs in the Activity section

I've been feeling like coloring lately, but the average coloring book is too dull for me. Luckily, we have tons of interesting and unique coloring books to choose from! My favorite today is Women of the Ukiyo-e, a coloring book adaptation of thirty classic woodblock prints and paintings of Japan's Edo period (1615-1867). Not only is each page beautifully rendered, but they all include a snipped of information about the original work and artist. Of course, aside from all that learning, there are also plenty of pretty patterns and kimono pieces that require more delicate attention than the average coloring book, which is just the kind of activity I love.


That's it for now--see you next time!