We just stopped by our local children’s bookstore Out On A Whim today. That place is magical. There are murals on the wall, there’s a craft room with a bunch of tables, it has a big painted plaster tree in one room, there are stuffed animals and instruments to play with – it’s just great. The first time I went there, Ashley was still pregnant. I asked the owner the store about story times, because I had heard they did a few story times every day. She replied, “Yes, we do story times 10:30, 2 and 4. But if there are children here at other times that want to hear a story, I’ll read to them.” How great is that?!

Today, I took Edie over to a carpeted spot where there were some drums and tambourines. We sat down and started playing, and the owner came over and turned on a bubble machine above Edie’s head. All of a sudden, Edie was surrounded by bubbles slowly floating down, and she just looked awestruck. Later, another boy there asked for a story, and sure enough, she sat down and read Please, Mr. Crocodile to him, Edie and another little girl.

Now, don’t get me wrong. Yakima has a lot of great things to offer, especially outside. But it also feels like a hole sometimes. So finding this kind of place here is just amazing. I thought more about it on the way home, and I think providing such a magical, wondrous place for children to learn about reading is a great gift. And it’s something that larger bookstores just don’t do. Even in other independent bookstores that I like going to, the children’s sections sometimes have a few decorations, but nothing close to Out On A Whim.

We are very lucky to have such a gem so close to us.