From Mountain Trails to Brooklyn Bookshelves
September is here—that transitional time of year when the days grow shorter, the weather begins to cool, and children head back to school. If you have younger children, now is a lovely time to switch out the summer picture books for back-to-school and autumn stories, keeping the bookshelf fresh and inviting.
This summer, I took a little break from the bookshop to travel with my family on a road trip across Western Canada and the northern United States. Along the way, we stopped at as many glorious national parks as we could, pitching our tent and eating far more mac-and-cheese-style camping food than I would like to admit.
One of my favorite hikes was at Logan Pass in Glacier National Park, where the landscape looked as though it had come straight out of Robert McCloskey’s picture book Blueberries for Sal. We didn’t see any bears, but we did meet a family of mountain goats and lots of adorable hoary marmots.
Since returning from our trip my kids have been wanting to learn more about all the fascinating animals & landscapes we saw along the way so I pulled down our set of Books for Young Explorers. This classic children's non-fiction book series published by the National Geographic Society during the 1970s and 1980s has stood the test of time and introduces children to wildlife, science, nature, history and features great vintage photography.
Throughout the trip, I kept thinking about different ways to bring books to life for children. One starry night, I had the idea of creating a video series in which I read some of my favorite vintage picture books in natural settings. I managed to film a few readings along the way—although some attempts failed rather spectacularly!
In Badlands National Park, on the ancestral lands of the Lakota people, I thought it would be fitting to read a Native American story connected to the region and was thrilled to find a copy of The Girl who Loved Wild Horses by Paul Goble in the National Parks gift shop. However during a solo hike I had forgotten my tripod, and while trying to balance the camera on a pile of rocks, I nearly stepped on a napping rattlesnake! At that point, I gave up and began to wonder whether the entire project was too crazy of an idea.
After such an inspiring summer, I’m feeling refreshed and happy to be back in Brooklyn. I’m now working hard to add more beautiful vintage books to the website for everyone to discover and enjoy. Keep checking back—I’ll be adding hundreds of new titles over the coming weeks.
UPCOMING POP-UPs
Old Stone House Fall Artisans Bazaar
Brooklyn, NY
Saturday, October 17, 2026
10 a.m.–5 p.m.