Gone Fishin'!

We will be closed for Labor Day weekend, from August 29th through September 1st.

See you next month!

Hairy Maclary and Slinki Malinki!

We have some new friends at Alphabet Soup! The famous-in-New-Zealand dog and cat pals have arrived in Wallingford. Meet the whole gang: Hercules Morse, Bottomley Potts, Muffin McLay, Bitzer Maloney, Schnitzel von Krumm, Stickybeak Sid, and Zachary Quack. Join in the fun as this not-so-motley crew have adventures at the vet, in a pet show, and around the fields and yards closer to home.

With illustrations described as “amiably animated and suitably silly” and a rhyming story using “wonderfully waggish words” they’ll be friends you’re glad to have!

Titles in the series:

Collect them all!

Hairy Maclary from Donaldson’s Dairy
Hairy Maclary’s Bone
Hairy Maclary Scattercat
Hairy Maclary’s Rumpus at the Vet
Hairy Maclary and Zachary Quack
Slinky Malinki
Slinky Malinki Catflaps
Slinky Malinki, Open the Door

Clyde, Cyrus, Kermit & a Troll

Bill Peet created whimsical fantasies featuring a bevy of lifelike and lovable creatures, consistently combining excellent storytelling with enduring illustrations, becoming one of the most popular picture book creators of our time. Born in Grandview, Indiana, Bill Peet nurtured his childhood drawing talent and was awarded a scholarship to the John Herron Art Institute in Indianapolis, where he studied painting and design. After a brief apprenticeship period, he went to work for Walt Disney as a sketch artist, eventually becoming a screenwriter and helping to produce such beloved films as “Fantasia,” “101 Dalmatians” and “Peter Pan.” In 1959 Bill published his first book, “Hubert’s Hair-Raising Adventure,” going on to write and illustrate more than 30 successful books for children.

We have many of these titles in stock, and can special order any title:

Ant and the Elephant, The
Big Bad Bruce
Buford the Little Bighorn
Caboose who Got Loose, The
Capyboppy
Chester the Worldly Pig
Cock-a-doodle Dudley
Cowardly Clyde
Cyrus the Unsinkable Sea Serpent
Eli
Ella
Encore for Eleanor
Farewell to Shady Glen
Fly, Homer, Fly
Gnats of Knotty Pine, The
How Droofus the Dragon Lost His Head
Hubert’s Hair-Raising Adventure
Huge Harold
Jennifer and Josephine
Jethro and Joel Were a Troll
Kermit the Hermit
Kweeks of Kookatumdee, The
Luckiest One of All, The
Merle the High Flying Squirrel
No Such Things
Pamela Camel
Pinkish, Purplish, Bluish Egg, The
Randy’s Dandy Lions
Smokey
Spooky Trail of Prewitt Peacock, The
Whingdingdilly
Wump World
Zella, Zack and Zodiac

We also have second-hand copies of Bill Peet’s autobiography.

Meet Our Staff: Rhea!

Rhea’s favorite children story is one her mother read to her very often. "Love You Forever" by Robert Munsch is one that will always make her smile and remember exactly how her mom would read it to her at night before bed. Now working at a wonderful children’s book store she is reminded of the many children’s books she used to enjoy. She also loves when kids come in and are excited to read and learn from books. Working at Alphabet Soup has made her become excited about reading for fun again. Rhea is currently a sophomore at Washington State University majoring in Early Education.

Meet our Staff -- Abbey!

Abbey’s favorite children’s book is Old Hat, New Hat, by the Berensteins. To this day, she loves to recite the line “Too beady, too bumpy, too leafy, too lumpy, too twisty, too twirly, too wrinkly, too curly” whenever it is appropriate (and equally as often when it is not appropriate). The rhyming is great, but more importantly, the message is something that resonates for years. The story recognizes that when something is “just right,” it can be as fulfilling and wonderful as any new and shiny thing. Truer words were never spoken, whether about relationships or material things. She has also developed a love of children’s books from the Green Tiger Press, as the colors and pictures always make for such amazing renditions of classic stories. When not at Alphabet Soup, Abbey enjoys spending time with her two cats, Elliot and Evan. She sings them a “good morning” song every day.

Meet our Staff: Anna!

Anna in another member of the Alphabet Soup family. She grew up in San Diego but fell in love with Seattle – both the city and the people – five years ago and now makes her home in North Seattle. She first learned about “The Soup” at Fremont Sunday Market, where Alphabet Soup has a booth every Sunday. Remembering her love for children’s illustrated books, she started spending more time at the shop in Wallingford.

Anna’s favorite book growing up was "Chickens Aren’t the Only Ones," by Ruth Heller. Both the information and the illustrations fascinated her. This should have been a big clue to her parents that she would end up studying biology and engineering in college but eventually run her own jewelry design and art business.

"Chickens Aren’t the Only Ones" combines the everyday knowledge most children have of eggs with more advanced scientific knowledge of animals other than birds. The illustrations beautifully compliment the slightly more technical side of the text through big, bright and memorable depictions of animals and their eggs. In some cases, the pictures are far more expressive than the text, showing different life stages of common animals.

Anna recommends this book for anyone, big or small, that has a deep appreciation for color and an appetite for knowledge. She also recommends it for younger children that may need some encouragement with reading and science. The bright illustrations make learning about science and animals much more visually entertaining and stimulating, and the short concise sentences help increase attention to specific words.

Meet Our Staff: Michael

Michael’s favorite children’s book is In the Night Kitchen by Maurice Sendak. His favorite young adult books are The Trumpet of the Swan by E.B. White and A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle. He’s a graduate of the University of Washington and enjoys listening to public radio, creating music and riding his motorcycle. He was originally born with six toes on his left foot.