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serve as a resource for families, offering a play area for kids and buying and reselling used items. “We opened to be both a business and an experience,” she says. The business prides itself on fitting kids for shoes and helping parents and caregivers learn how to use baby carriers. The shop has temporarily closed the play area, and it’s been a challenge to replace the fun pre-COVID experience of discovering new items for shoppers. Childish Things carries more than 10,000 pieces and sells new items online, but it will never be a fully online store, Powell says: “It’s just not who we are.” The store walks a fine line keeping people safe and working with the various restrictions, which can often be confusing. Powell happily welcomes people to shop in person, limiting the amount of time they can spend inside. The shop is also open for curbside pickup. Math ’n’ Stuff, located in Maple Leaf, has seen firsthand how shoppers’ pandemic choices have changed. “This has been the year of the jigsaw puzzle,” manager Mikaela
Wingard-Phillips says. “Kites are through the roof.” The games and toy store moved its popular Magic: The Gathering card game tournaments online after the pandemic hit in 2020. Every solution is an imperfect one, but Wingard-Phillips has found that the last thing kids and families need right now is more screen time. “Families have been looking for escapism,” she says. Her mother opened the store more than 28 years ago. It’s been supported by a loyal fan base, and has been able to reopen its board game rental library. Math ’n’ Stuff currently has made in-store shopping, curbside pickup and online ordering available. Math ’n’ Stuff has also seen a popular addition to the neighborhood: a local baker, Backyard Bakery, holds a pop-up outside the store on the weekends. “Sometimes a small baked good on the weekend is just the right amount of joy,” says Wingard-Phillips. q Two Owls: 1429 12th Ave., Suite D3,
WASHINGTON STATE
shoptwoowls.com
Book Corner
Titles to inspire change I am so excited to share these inspiring books about ways kids can and do make a difference in their communities. The power and impact of young voices should never be underestimated. — Rene Holderman, children’s book buyer, Third Place Books
Our Skin: A First Conversation About Race by Megan Madison and Jessica Ralli; illustrated by Isabel Roxas This board book offers an opportunity for both adults and children to learn the importance of discussion and increasing awareness of bias and stereotypes. Early conversations about race will encourage young voices to speak up about racial injustices.
Call 888-754-8798 ext.1 q Bootyland Kids: 1429 12th Ave., Suite D3, bootylandkids.com
q Childish Things: 9776 Holman Rd. NW, #102, childishresale.com
https://ddetf.wa.gov
WASHINGTON STATE
q Math ’n’ Stuff: 8926 Roosevelt Way NE, mathnificent.com
WASHINGTON STATE
Call 888-754-8798 ext.1
Call 888-754-8798 ext.1
https://ddetf.wa.gov
https://ddetf.wa.gov
Call 888-754-8798 ext.1
https://ddetf.wa.gov
Rise Up and Write It by Nandini Ahuja; illustrated by Anoosha Syed Farah Patel is determined to see an empty lot developed into a community garden for her neighborhood. As Farah pursues her goal, the reader can unfold her letters, petitions, posters and postcards, located in sturdy envelopes that serve as pages in the book.
Old Enough to Save the Planet by Loll Kirby; illustrated by Adelina Lirius Old Enough to Save the Planet showcases kids who’ve made a difference in all parts of the world with their passion and commitment. This book is full of concrete examples of ways youth can create change, and how to help empower young activists at home or at school.
Taking on the Plastics Crisis by Hannah Testa; illustrated by Ashley Lukashevsky A small but mighty book chronicling the efforts of 18-yearold Hannah Testa to reduce single-use plastic and its effect on the ocean. Hannah writes about her efforts from the age of 10 to inspire change, and provides concrete steps to help thwart the crisis.
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