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SUMMARY:Jane Carlson-Pickering (Have You Seen the Berry Monster) Saturday Storytime
DESCRIPTION:Jane Carlson-Pickering (Have You Seen the Berry Monster) Saturday Storytime comes to Bank Square Books in Mystic on Saturday\, August 8\, inviting young readers and their families to enjoy an interactive storytime\, meet the author\, and have books signed after the program. The event introduces children to a playful mystery while encouraging curiosity about the natural world. \nCentered around the picture book Have You Seen the Berry Monster\, the story follows two children as they investigate why their blueberries keep disappearing. Through observation\, asking questions\, and using simple scientific reasoning\, they discover that solving a mystery often begins by paying close attention to the world around them. \nHosted by one of Mystic’s favorite independent bookstores\, this Saturday Storytime offers families an opportunity to combine reading\, learning\, and meeting an experienced educator who has spent her career helping children discover the excitement of science. \nAbout the Book\nHave You Seen the Berry Monster is a rhyming picture book that blends storytelling with early science concepts. As the mystery unfolds\, young readers learn about animal habitats\, food chains\, and the importance of making observations. \nThe story encourages children to think like scientists by asking questions\, gathering clues\, and using inductive reasoning to reach their own conclusions. Its colorful illustrations and engaging format make it well suited for preschool and elementary-aged readers. \nMeet the Author\nJane Carlson-Pickering spent 34 years as a K–college educator with a focus on gifted education\, technology integration\, and science curriculum development for students in kindergarten through eighth grade. Her background in education helped shape Have You Seen the Berry Monster\, making science approachable through storytelling and hands-on thinking. \nFollowing the reading\, families will have an opportunity to meet the author and have books signed. \nA Great Event for Young Readers\nSaturday Storytime is ideal for families looking to encourage a love of books while introducing children to STEM concepts in an enjoyable way. Parents\, grandparents\, caregivers\, and teachers will find plenty of opportunities to continue conversations about nature\, wildlife\, and scientific discovery long after the event ends. \nRecommended Ages\nWhile children of many ages are welcome\, the program is best suited for preschoolers and elementary school students\, generally ages 4–8. \nEvent Details\nDate\nSaturday\, August 8\, 2026 \nTime\n11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. \nLocation\nBank Square Books \nAddress\n80 Stonington Westerly Road\nMystic\, CT \nAdmission\nFree \nParking\nParking is available at Olde Mistick Village. \nAge Restrictions\nNone. \nImportant Notes\nThe event includes a storytime followed by an author signing. Arriving a few minutes early is recommended\, as seating may be limited. \nMore Information\nFor more information\, visit the event website using the Event Website link below. \n  \n\n 
URL:https://thectbeacon.com/event/jane-carlson-pickering-have-you-seen-the-berry-monster-saturday-storytime/
LOCATION:Bank Square Books\, 80 Stonington Rd\, Mystic\, 06355\, United States
CATEGORIES:Bank Square Books
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260822T110000
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SUMMARY:Marie Nichols brings Kynlee and the Sparkle Dress to Bank Square Books
DESCRIPTION:Marie Nichols brings Kynlee and the Sparkle Dress to Bank Square Books for a free Saturday Storytime on August 22\, giving young readers a chance to meet a Connecticut children’s author whose own adventures with her grandchildren helped inspire her stories. \nNichols will read her newest picture book during the 11 a.m. storytime at the Mystic bookstore. The event is free and runs until noon. \nKynlee and the Sparkle Dress is a 36-page illustrated children’s book about a little girl\, her grandmother and a birthday that becomes much more adventurous than Kynlee expected. \nA Birthday\, a Sparkling Dress and a Little Magic\nIt’s Kynlee’s birthday\, and she has been waiting for her turn. \nShe remembers the exciting adventures her older brother has shared with their grandmother\, Gram. Kynlee was always too young to join them. \nThis birthday is different. \nGram gives Kynlee a sparkling dress\, and Kynlee becomes convinced there is something magical woven into it. Soon\, grandmother and granddaughter are swept into the kind of adventure Kynlee has been waiting to experience. \nBut the story isn’t simply about a magical dress. \nAs their adventure unfolds\, Kynlee begins discovering that what makes her birthday extraordinary isn’t necessarily something hidden in the fabric. The book turns its fantasy premise into a story about confidence\, imagination and recognizing the qualities that make a child special. \nAt its center is also the relationship between a grandmother and granddaughter\, a theme that runs through much of Nichols’ work. \nThe Real-Life Gram Behind the Stories\nThere’s a good reason the grandmother feels important. \nNichols draws heavily from her own experiences as a grandmother. \nA native New Englander\, she was born and raised in Lewiston\, Maine\, growing up with four sisters and a brother in a family where extended-family relationships were part of everyday life. \nNichols recalls Sundays when everyone piled into the family car to visit grandmothers\, aunts\, uncles and cousins. She describes her own grandmothers as strong\, independent women who taught their children to look after one another. \nThose memories eventually found their way into another generation. \nNichols now lives in Connecticut and spends part of her time in Virginia with her grandchildren\, where bedtime stories can turn into imaginary expeditions. \nShe jokingly describes herself as the family’s “Marvel action grandmother\,” joining her grandchildren in the elaborate worlds they create. \nRather than leaving those adventures in the living room\, Nichols began turning some of that energy into children’s books. \nKynlee Has Joined the Adventures\nKynlee and the Sparkle Dress\, published in late 2025\, is particularly significant because it’s the first adventure centered on Kynlee. \nBut Kynlee isn’t the first child to head off on an adventure with Gram. \nNichols has created a growing collection of children’s stories built around grandparents and grandchildren exploring imaginary worlds together. \nIn We’re Going to the Dinosaur Forest!\, young readers head into a dinosaur adventure that emphasizes finding courage when things become frightening. \nWe’re Going on a Space Adventure! sends Gram and her grandchildren much farther from home. The story mixes imaginative play with the idea of believing in yourself when a difficult situation suddenly requires courage. \nNichols has also expanded the series with We’re Going on Safari\, following Kynlee and Bracken on an imaginary wildlife expedition with Gram. The story incorporates animal facts and questions about how animal parents care for their young. \nTogether\, the books reflect a simple philosophy Nichols uses for her children’s work: “Read\, Play\, Repeat!” \nReading becomes the beginning of play rather than the end of it. \nMore Than Just Reading the Story\nThat approach extends beyond the books themselves. \nNichols’ Step in Time Books project includes companion activities for children\, with games\, quizzes and mazes created around her stories\, including Kynlee and the Sparkle Dress. \nThe idea is to encourage children to keep interacting with a story after the final page has been turned. \nIt’s also a natural fit for Saturday Storytime. \nHearing a book directly from its author gives children something they don’t get from an ordinary bedtime reading. The person who imagined Kynlee\, Gram and the sparkling dress is sitting in front of them\, turning something normally confined to a page into a shared experience. \nMeet the Team Behind Kynlee\nNichols wrote the story\, but Kynlee and the Sparkle Dress also has a visual storyteller. \nThe book is illustrated by Penny Weber\, a New York-based children’s book illustrator whose digital artwork draws upon her background working in watercolor and acrylic paint. \nWeber has illustrated numerous children’s books and uses Photoshop to produce artwork intended to retain the warmth and texture associated with traditional painted illustrations. \nLinda H. Powers handled the book’s design. Powers has worked in creative services and publishing for decades and has designed and produced more than 45 children’s illustrated books\, along with educational and other publishing projects. \nThe finished Kynlee and the Sparkle Dress is available in both paperback and hardcover editions. \nA Saturday Morning Built for Younger Readers\nThe book is particularly suited to a storytime setting. \nAt 36 pages\, Kynlee and the Sparkle Dress is a picture book aimed at young children\, with booksellers generally placing its readership around the preschool and early elementary years. \nIts birthday theme is immediately familiar. So is Kynlee’s frustration at watching an older sibling get to do things she couldn’t yet do. \nThen comes the sparkling dress\, Gram and the possibility of magic. \nFor parents and grandparents\, meanwhile\, there’s another story running underneath it: the importance of the adventures children remember having with the adults who loved spending time with them. \nEvent Details\nEvent: Marie Nichols: Kynlee and the Sparkle Dress Saturday Storytime\nDate: Saturday\, August 22\, 2026\nTime: 11 a.m.–noon\nLocation: Bank Square Books\nAddress: 80 Stonington Road\, Suite 8\, Mystic\, CT 06355\nAdmission: Free\nAuthor: Marie Nichols\nBook: Kynlee and the Sparkle Dress\nLength: 36 pages\nIllustrator: Penny Weber\nBook Designer: Linda H. Powers\nFormat: Children’s picture book \nNichols will read Kynlee and the Sparkle Dress during the Saturday morning program\, introducing children to Kynlee\, Gram and an adventure that begins with one very special birthday present. \nSigned copies are also available through Bank Square Books for readers unable to attend the event. \nMore information is available at the Event Website link below. \n\n  \nFeatured image is an artistic representation inspired by the event and may not depict the actual people\, location\, or activities shown.
URL:https://thectbeacon.com/event/marie-nichols-brings-kynlee-and-the-sparkle-dress-to-bank-square-books/
LOCATION:Bank Square Books\, 80 Stonington Rd\, Mystic\, 06355\, United States
CATEGORIES:Bank Square Books
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