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Secondhand celebration

Deals to your door Kids on 45th has been a consignment destination for Seattle parents since the ’80s, but new owner Elise Worthy took the store into the 21st century. The company just celebrated their one-year anniversary of subscription service. Busy parents can sign up for seasonal wardrobe delivery and get the same great (and delightfully weird) stuff without spending hours combing the racks. kidson45th.com

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Lively + locally made

Things we love Career dolls “I started Rad Gal because I wanted to give my girls an imaginative toy that was wild, adventurous and that they could see themselves

and their limitless potential in,” says Sarah McCammon, Des Moines mother of two. The durable canvas dolls come in Zola the Zoologist, Ruth the Judge, Greta the Artist and Astrid the Astronaut. 3 shopradgal.com

Bernadette and her daughter show off an artistic rendering of The Princess and the Pea by Rachel Isadora.

Weaving a new story

Local artist Bernadette Merikle reinterprets classic children’s tales to heal from loss

by CARLA BELL / photo by JOSHUA HUSTON

After months of fertility treatments, Bernadette Merikle

and her husband Robert had finally made it to 20 weeks — the longest yet. The couple was elated, but ever so cautiously. They had discussed and planned for this day — decoration of the nursery at 20 weeks — but with wisdom gained along the way of their journey, they tempered the desire to go headlong into it. They allowed themselves a timid kind of joy, and waited. Then, in a follow-up sonogram, she sensed something was off.

“Trying not to panic, trying to keep my mind occupied, trying not to expect the worst,” Merikle says, “I did what any artist would have.” She became inspired. And through her rediscovery of characters in childhood tales, Storybook Weavings, a work of CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE >

Teething treasures

Jennifer Choi wants to soothe your baby’s teething aches with a French Bulldog. The Lynnwood mom works as a dental manager by day and runs her Etsy shop I Got Chew by night. With Choi’s creations, your baby can gnaw on a cute unicorn, bubble tea or flamingo and get the relief you’ve been dreaming of. 3 etsy.com/shop/ IGotChew

WASHINGTON’S BIGGEST CELEBRATION OF SPRING!

NEW! The Farm at SillyVille This FREE “farmer for a day” experience connects kids to our state’s agriculture industry, the farming story, and healthy eating choices.

SPRING FAIR HOURS • THURS: 2–10PM | FRI & SAT: 10AM–10PM | SUN: 10AM–8PM

#SpringIsInTheFair THEFAIR.COM

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textiles, gratitude, love, time and tears, took shape.

She describes her handmade works as “textile weavings and wall hangings depicting characters from our favorite children’s books.” As she and her husband were once again coming to terms with their hopes deferred, “other mothers in waiting were snapping up my creations for their own nurseries.”

Now Merikle is a mother to John, 15 months, and Julia, who with her own hashtag, #julia unbothered, commands an adoring audience at just 3 years old. Both of these beautiful children were adopted. Merikle’s Instagram account displays their many wide-eyed smiles and serious play.

Thinking back on that time, Merikle recalls her devastation at the loss of her unborn child, but a new kind of bond as well: “I love working with moms who have struggled to persevere through the journey to motherhood.”

“Folks commission me to remake popular children’s book characters,” says Merikle. For example, the Wolf from Three Little Pigs, the Owl from Owl Moon, and Baby Bear from Goldilocks and the Three Bears. Each comes with a copy of the book on which the art is based. One of her favorite parts of the process is thrift-store hunting for books and textiles that allow her to tell stories in this new way, through deconstruction and reconstruction.

Custom pieces are accompanied by a studio diary that details Merikle’s creation process. These are heirloom pieces; one day, parents will pass them down to their children. Lineage is especially important to her.

Like her mother before her, Merikle was born in El Paso, Texas, and her grandmother on her mother’s side is from Alabama. She hails, she says, from “very Southern women.” Black women, Southern ones specifically, have long created whole worlds made from necessity, persistence, and the work of their hands. There’s a certain pride in that. q Find Bernadette Merikle at bmerikle. com. Artist-selected 8 x 10-inch weavings priced from $150; custom work priced from $250. q Watch Merikle’s website for info about Mommy and Me, guided opportunities to create art and memories with your children, coming this spring.

» TheBookCorner

SPRING INTO POETRY MONTH April is National Poetry Month! These artistic, unique books teach your kids about how they can use their love of language to think and learn outside the box. — Nicholas Carr

Snowman - Cold = Puddle: Spring Equations By Laura Purdie Salas, illustrated by Micha Archer Ages 4-8 An exploration of spring, where math and metaphor meet in the form of equations; tiny, perfect poems enabling readers to view the ordinary and see the miraculous. The science is revealed in a series of engaging sidebars. Our Food: A Healthy Serving of Science and Poems By Grace Lin and Ranida T. McKneally, illustrated by Grace Zong Ages 5-8 Get kids talking about the science of food and what a healthy meal looks like. Cheerful haiku poems and a straightforward Q&A format make for a nutritious treat.

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At the Sea Floor Café: Odd Ocean Critter Poems By Leslie Bulion, illustrated by Leslie Evans Ages 8-12 The eating habits of unusual undersea creatures are introduced through elegant artwork and witty poems. Science notes detail the behavior of each animal, and poetry notes detail the types and forms of poems included.

Struttin’ with Some Barbecue: Lil Hardin Armstrong Becomes the First Lady of Jazz By Patricia Hruby Powell, illustrated by Rachel Himes Ages 9-12 In the early days of Chicago’s jazz scene, Lil Hardin Armstrong overcame race and gender barriers to become a successful pianist, composer and bandleader.

one step closer to being an astronaut.

University Book Store’s Kids Books and YA sections are hand-picked by experts for the most exciting titles to help young readers take their dreams further.