Here is an illustration sent in by Opa (Grandpa):

We used to have this overstuffed, rickety blue chair, like a great hippopotamus welcoming us into its lap. Our favoritest thing was to find "Goldilocks" or "The Billygoats Gruff" or (later) "The Great Brain," and settle down for a good read, with kids perched and dangling and snuggling all over the place.

Thanks for sharing, Opa!

We are excited you have checked in and hope that you will join us as we strive to provide quality yet affordable books and educational toys to children of all ages. Rachel is a former Kindergarten teacher and I (Shaelyn) am a former Middle School and English teacher. I also worked at a children's bookstore in Grand Rapids for a few years while I attended college. We hung up our teaching hats when we started a family, but have maintained our educator's hearts. Rachel and I established a friendship through our playdates, and discovered that our husbands (Doug and Xander) played in the same band together in college! Missing kids in the classroom and our beloved books, yet wanting to remain full-time moms, we bought Blue Chair Children's Books three years ago. Our kids have grown with the store and we have had great pleasure in teaming up with educator's, parents, students and grandparents in encouraging the desire to read, the thirst for knowledge, and the quest for adventure.

We have just updated our website and hope to be able to sell our items on-line in the near future. If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to email us. We will do our best to provide what you need. Thank you again for supporting Blue Chair Children's Books, a proud member of ABA, SCIBA and Indiebound.org! And please, feel free to bookmark our site!