Greetings from sunny Cambridge!

After his appearance in our store during the Bookish Ball last Saturday, we were so excited to have email from Timothy Basil Ering! Turns out The Rogue Artists Ensemble will be performing their stage adaptation of The Story of Frog Belly Rat Bone on Sunday, April 27, at the Los Angeles Times/UCLA Festival of Books. We're hoping for a world tour in the near future, but for the moment we'll have to make do with this trailer he forwarded to us -- not to mention poring over our signed copies of Frog Belly and Necks Out for Adventure!

Speaking of the Bookish Ball, we think it was a great success! We've got lots of signed books still available not only from Timothy Basil Ering, but from local illustrator and Curious George staffer Julia Denos as well. Despite the odd rain squalls, lots of folks were out and about in Harvard Square soaking up the offerings at the area's varied selection of bookstores. It was a great new way to get people interested in our little store, chat up our friends and fellow booksellers, and it was just plain fun. We hope the Harvard Business Association makes it an annual event. (You listening out there?!) The post-Bookish Ball signing by Kate Bernheimer, author of The Girl in the Castle Inside the Museum, on Wednesday also served to pack our store and bring about awareness of new, intriguing picture books. Thanks to everyone who turned out for these events. You can keep up with all our exciting events here at the blog and at our new GoCityKids Boston store listing. Find other kid-friendly activities happening in the community by clicking around their site.

Another local author we absolutely love, Lois Lowry, has gotten some well-deserved attention in this Monday's Boston Globe. (Is it just us, or is the Globe all about children's lit lately? We like this trend.) Hear her read from her hilarious new book, The Willoughbys; then come into Curious George to peruse the fruits of her incredibly prolific career -- 31 amazing books in the last 33 years!

We got a large shipment of adult and youth Curious George t-shirts this week. These are probably the last we'll have for a while as Curious George t-shirts are being discontinued due to licensing issues. Be sure to grab up a few before they're gone! We especially like the new "The Fast and the Curious" shirt featuring George and the man in the yellow hat racing away in a yellow convertible.

Next week is April vacation for Cambridge public schools. Are you ready? We have lots of books and games to offer stir crazy kids (and parents!). Check out the new book about our favorite sisters, The Penderwicks on Gardam Street, by Jeanne Birdsall. Sarah Dessen also has a new one called Lock and Key. Gary Soto's Facts of Life and Tim Wynne-Jones's Rex Zero, King of Nothing are fresh offerings which may appeal more to the dudes in the crowd. Look forward to New England summer with picture books The Wave by Suzy Lee and T is for Tugboat, a deliciously nautical alphabet book from Chronicle.

Once you've selected your spring break reading, check out our suggestions for outdoor (and emergency indoor) activities. The art room has tons of supplies perfect for a rainy April day, including chubby crayons, markers, finger paints, Floam, Play-Doh, and Easy Squeezy Paints from Parents (Brush built right in! Awesome! And not messy!). The game table is stacked with Sequence, Rush Hour, retro editions of Monopoly, Parcheesi and dominoes, as well as every variation on Scrabble you could possibly want. We also have a new coloring and activity book display with doodle books from Taro Gomi. For the younger ones, there are myriad Klutz Chicken Socks activity books to explore. Everyone can enjoy some outdoor time with bubbles, giant flying rings, Frisbees, Skyrocopters, and balsa gliders. Don’t forget your sunhat! Find SPF 30 Walaroo sunhats at Curious George too. We’ve got April vacation covered. Necks out for spring!

One last thing: over her own spring vacation, CG staff member Katie visited the "Over Rainbows and Down Rabbit Holes: The Art of Children's Books" exhibit at the Santa Barbara Museum of Art. After hearing her rave about the amazing array of illustrations by Leo and Diane Dillon, Leo Lionni, Chris Van Allsburg, Trina Schartt Hyman, and more, we can't wait for the exhibition to move to its permanent home at the Eric Carle Museum this fall. If your summer travels take you to southern California, make sure to stop in!