Washington

Presiding over the Puget Sound region, Mount Rainier has lured adventurers and entrepreneurs to its slopes since the earliest settlers. Visitors rode packhorses or hiked miles to tent "hotels" at Theosophy Ridge, Indian Henry's Hunting Ground, and Ohanapecosh. James Longmire opened Longmire Springs Hotel near bubbling mineral springs. In 1899, Mount Rainier became a national park, and eventually, a motley array of services was consolidated by the Rainier National Park Company, which built National Park Inn and Paradise Inn. Roads, services, and activities expanded, and guests poured in. Winter activities, such as skiing and tobogganing, increased the park's popularity. The 1936 Winter Olympic Ski Trials and training for World War II ski troops were even hosted there. Visitors today might be surprised to know that many inns, rental cabins, bathhouses, and other buildings have come and gone, leaving some areas more pristine now than for much of the park's history.

The river community of Bothell began with the arrival of Columbus Greenleaf and George Wilson in 1870. They staked claims along the Sammamish River after navigating from Seattle across Lake Washington and then east along the meandering Sammamish. Bothell was first a logging community, with several mills producing boards and shingles. After the forests were harvested, it became a farming community, connected to other settlements by the river and, after 1887, the railroad. In 1909, Bothell incorporated as a city after a contentious campaign. The vote was 79 to 70 in favor of becoming a city. The population of Bothell in 1910 was 599, but many lived outside the two-thirds square mile original city limits. This book tells the story of Bothell as a central hub, with distinct neighborhoods having their own personalities. Bothell's population today is almost 43,000, divided between two counties: King and Snohomish.

Thick-framed eyewear and skinny jeans abound in this refreshing rendition of the classic Twelve Days of Christmas carol that finally answers the age old question: What do you give a hipster for Christmas? Could it be a potlatch near the Salish Sea? Or maybe three flannel shirts? One thing is for sure, if it's a Northwest Christmas, you can count on at least five weeks of rain!
Bearded and straight-banged locals and non-locals of all ages alike will lift a brow at the humorous depictions of coffee shops, pods of orcas, and other familiar scenes in this happenin' holiday update. It's sure to put a smile on any beatnik's face, especially since they heard it first, before it went all mainstream.

Read-aloud time is about to get a lot more fun!

The Washington Wise Animal Handbook offers laugh-out-loud animal kingdom advice for kids of every age! Engaging animal photos entertain while charming read-aloud rhymes help jump-start conversations about practical life solutions.
The Read Together/Do Together? experience continues with pull out coloring pages in the back of the book featuring fun facts about special Evergreen State animals including the orca whale and Pacific chorus frog.
Enjoy the opportunity to share your own practical wisdom with your favorite little one as you read-aloud... and laugh-aloud....again and again.