We will be closed Saturday, May 19th. 

We apologize for any inconvenience, please visit us soon! 

Old Book, New Book -- Start a Holiday Tradition!

A dear friend who has been an inspiration to me for more than 20 years shared this wonderful new tradition that she started for her son. We all have old favorite, nearly forgotten, books that have been sitting on the shelf, set aside unread as we collect new favorites.

Recycle a selection of your child's old books by wrapping up a mix of 24 old favorites with a sprinkling of new ones to be unwrapped, one each night of December, like an Advent calendar with books. The excitement of choosing which book to unwrap and the anticipation of a new story -- or rediscovery of an old favorite -- will add to the magic of the season.

Even better, be creative with the wrapping, using as many different wraps as possible. At first the pile will seem endless, and a "new" story each night will be a timeless, priceless gift to remember and share again and again throughout the coming year.

Alphabet Soup is Six Years Old!

Thank you to all of our loyal customers as Alphabet Soup celebrates six years!

We couldn't have done it without you. Some of our best customers have been coming here for most of their life (and some for all of their life!), and we are especially grateful to them.

Be sure to stop by soon, sign up for our newsletter, or check back with the blog to keep up with the special events and new arrivals we are planning for 2011.

In the meantime, check out our holiday store hours and upcoming sales:

Holiday Store Hours:

December 22nd 5 - 9

December 23rd 10 - 8

December 24th 10 - 6

December 25th CLOSED

December 26th 1 - 5

December 30th 10 - 8

December 31st 10 - 6

January 1st CLOSED

January 2nd 10 - 8 (regular store hours)

ALL Christmas and Hannukah books are 25 % off Dec 26, Dec 30, and Dec 31st.

And, as a special thank you to our friends, mention this "anniversary posting" and receive 20% off of your purchase Dec. 26th, Dec. 30th, and Dec .31st.

Have a warm and wonderful holiday and happy healthy new year!

Best wishes from,

Your friends at Alphabet Soup

Janet, Abbey, Rhea, Anne, & Dante

Alphabet Soup Turns Five Years Old!

Join our celebrations!

Friday, Nov. 27th ONLY 20% off all new books & framed pictures

Saturday, Nov. 28th @ 10:30 LIVE music with Board of Education

Saturday, Nov. 28th @ 11:30 author reading with Kevin Emerson

Saturday, Dec. 5th @ 1:30 p.m. LIVE music with Caspar Babypants

See below for details!

Stop by for refreshments & fun with your friends at Alphabet Soup as we celebrate five years in Wallingford.

Be sure to sign up for our raffles and win great prizes -- just in time for the holidays.

[Raffle One]
Put your name in the hat to win a Seattle Music Pack: a bundle of CDs from our favorite Seattle Bands!

Central Services presents...Board of Education
Caspar Babypants, "More, Please!"
The Not Its, "We are the Not Its!"
Recess Monkey, "Field Trip"

[Raffle Two]
Give us your list of ten favorite children's books. A randomly picked entry will win a $50 gift certificate -- just in time for the holidays!

[Raffle Three]
Guess how many m&ms are in the cookie jar (there are a lot) to win a $50 gift certificate.



All winners will be notified on Sunday, December 6th.

Central Services Presents....The Board of Education! November 28th @ 10:30

One of our favorite Seattle bands,

The Board of Education,

will perform songs from their release

"Central Services Presents...The Board of Education!"

....and other old favorites.

Saturday, November 28th @ 10:30 a.m.

more on the band (from their website)...

"The Board of Education sprang to life in 2007 as a side project of Seattle band Central Services. While the band was gaining notoriety in the indie music scene (a stint in rotation at CMJ station-of-the-year KEXP in Seattle, a month-long stay on CMJ’s national charts, a spot in Three Imaginary Girls Top Northwest Releases, and a performance at Bumbershoot), frontman Kevin Emerson, a former elementary school science teacher turned children’s novelist, had been toying around with a few songs written for kids.

Kevin showed the kids’ songs to the band. With song topics like a lonely tomato, the dangers of commas and the wonders of tin foil, it was immediately obvious to everyone how refreshing it would be to play music that was so original, so smart, and so much pure fun. They decided to do a couple shows as the BoE and the response was so positive that well… they went and made a whole record!

The press response has been great, with favorable reviews in the Seattle Times, the PI, Seattle Weekly, Three Imaginery Girls, MSN.com, and NPR’s All Things Considered. The Board of Education has performance booked all over the Northwest this summer, including Folklife, Kidsfest and Bumbershoot."

Kevin Emerson, Author of the "Oliver Nocturne" Series

Saturday, November 28th, @ 11:30, local author and Board of Education band member Kevin Emerson will read from his Oliver Nocturne series. Suspenseful adventure for tween readers.

"Though he experiences typical middle school troubles—being bullied, fighting with his older brother Bane, thinking his parents don't understand him, and feeling like a misfit—Oliver is a vampire. Like others his age, he still consumes only animal blood, but Bane, who has recently bonded with his otherworldly demon to become an adult vampire, now enjoys human blood. Despite the ironclad prohibition against associating with mortals, Oliver is attracted to the daylight world and fascinated by Emalie, a human girl who has been exploring the ruins above his family's crypt home. He soon learns that she suspects the existence of vampires and intends to write an exposé—something the highly secretive undead want to avoid. Oliver agrees to help her, even guiding Emalie and her cousin into the hidden subsurface city to consult Dead Désirée, the weird keeper of secrets and powers that even vampires fear. He soon realizes that there is something mysterious about his background, and that danger threatens not only his human friends, but also himself. This volume devotes considerable space to background exposition about the vampire meta-world. While the pacing is slow in spots, the details help to fully realize the idea of parallel human and undead worlds, and the cliff-hanger ending promises more excitement." -- From School Library Journal review of Book One, The Vampire's Photograph.

Caspar Babypants LIVE at the Soup December 5th @ 1:30

Come dance and sing with us when Caspar Babypants returns to the Soup on Saturday, December 5th at 1:30 p.m.

The second album "More Please" is now available with more sunshiney and happy-time tunes!

SIMPLE GOOD TIME SING ALONG MUSIC FOR BABIES BRAINS AND PARENTS EARS!

When you check out Caspar's website, be sure to click on "stories" for the down-low on your favorite Babypants tunes.

See you there!