Toy recalls, Goosebumps HorrorLand, and other things that go bump in the night

There's been a lot in the news lately about toy safety, and we'd like to reassure our customers that children's health is our first concern. As an independent store, we're fortunate to have our own buyer who can keep tight control over the toys that are coming into the shop. Additionally, the CE certification marking on many of our items indicates they conform to the strict European Safety of Toys Directive standards. When you see this logo you will know a toy has been extensively tested for physical hazards and toxicity and been deemed safe.

On a more fun-scary note, remember Goosebumps, R.L. Stine's frighteningly popular middle-grade horror novels? Stine's back with another Goosebumps series called Goosebumps HorrorLand, featuring an amusement park populated by just the kinds of supernatural creepy-crawlies you'd expect from Stine. You can pick up the first two books in the series, Revenge of the Living Dummy and Creep from the Deep, in the Curious George chapter book room, in addition to several original Goosebumps installments. Be sure to check out another middle-grade frightfest favorite series, Choose Your Own Adventure, where you decide the characters' fates.

If murder most foul is more your kind of scary, check out the recreation of Parker Brother's 1963 "Clue." Everything about this cool, retro board game will make you want to hunker down and figure out who done it. Perfect for a dark and stormy spring night!

A brand-new addition to our graphic novel section is the Toon Books series, which combines the simple sentence structure and accessible vocabulary of an early reader with the visual excitement of a comic book. Otto's Orange Day and Silly Lilly and the Four Seasons are perfect for even the youngest comics fan.

New (and totally hip!) for spring is a slew of Paul Frank merchandise. One cannot live on George alone, so grab your Julius monkey journals, alphabet flash cards and stationary sets before someone else gets their paws on them.

Baseball season is upon us and we've devoted the JFK Street window display to Boston's favorite summer pastime. Be sure to pick up copies of Red Sox 101 for all the little fans in your life, peruse the vast selection of baseball-themed novels on display in the chapter book room, and devour the gorgeous paintings in Kadir Nelson's We are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball (the clean design and informative but friendly text make this heavily illustrated gem a must-have for baseball fans and art enthusiasts alike). Go Sox!

Harvard Square's Bookish Ball update - Goings on at Curious George:
3 p.m. Illustrator and Curious George staff member Julia Denos will display sketches and join children in bookmark making.
4 p.m. Local sailor, painter, and story-teller Timothy Basil Ering will appear at Curious George Books and Toys. Ering will help to celebrate children's books by reading and signing his own quirky picture books Frog Belly Rat Bone and Necks Out for Adventure.
5 p.m. Clarinetist Todd Brunel, Curious George's own pied piper, will lead children in an hour of musical activities.