Seattle Family Calendar
Subscribe
An adventure for every reader
In movies, kids are either bookish or active, but parents know that kids love adventures both on and off the page. And if your own kid does need a little encouragement in one area or the other, you can use what they like to support the other — have an adventure and they’ll be more likely to read a book about it; reading a book can inspire adventure. Scroll through the arrows above to find Pacific Northwest books and adventure pairings for every reader.
Picture books
“Wheedle on the Needle” (Stephen Cosgrove, pre-K–grade 2)
After reading this classic picture book that imagines a reclusive forest creature making its home on top of the Space Needle, any little kid is sure to want to reach the top and check for themselves whether he’s still there. Visit the Space Needle as part of a city break adventure. Exploring the Seattle Center can be an adventure for all ages. If you’re taking the whole weekend, follow it up with a Lake Union hike full of bridges, boats and trolls. Pair that adventure with “CliFF the Failed Troll” or read the Hannah West series, written by a Seattle Public Library librarian, in which Hannah solves mysteries in neighborhoods all around Seattle.
“To Live on an Island” (Emma Bland Smith, pre-K–grade 1)
“To Live on an Island” explores what it’s like to grow up on an island in the Pacific Northwest, from waking up to the sound of a ferry horn, to hikes through the woods and seafood for dinner. This celebration of island culture includes a nonfiction element on each spread that prepares kids for their own trip. That trip could be to beautiful Whidbey Island or further afield to the San Juans. (Keep an eye out in secondhand book stores for “The Summerfolk,” a hard-to-find classic about a day trip to the San Juan Islands.) But be warned, once you start visiting the islands in the PNW, you’ll probably want to explore more. And if your kids start to fantasize about having an island of their own, suggest “Dear Miss Karana,” a middle-grade book about a girl determined to translate the only recording of the woman who inspired the book “Island of the Blue Dolphins.”
“The Camping Trip”(Jennifer K. Mann, pre-K–grade 2)
The 2021 Washington State Book Award picture book winner tells the story of Ernestine’s first camping trip. Reading about Ernestine’s challenges putting up a tent and her encounters with wildlife is the perfect way to prep kids for their own camping adventure. Read ParentMap’s ultimate camping guide to prepare yourself, and don’t worry, with the right hacks, camping with kids doesn’t have to be hard. If you’re still unconvinced, kids will have just as much fun trailer camping or camping in the backyard. Bring along some classic “Campfire Stories for Kids,” and get older kids involved in the action with “Wilderness Adventure Camp: Essential Outdoor Survival Skills for Kids.”
Chapter books and early readers
“Journey: Based on the True Story of OR7, the Most Famous Wolf in the West” (Emma Bland Smith, K–grade 4)
Formatted like a picture book, “Journey” is nonetheless packed with data recorded by Fish and Wildlife scientists who studied the first wild wolf in California after almost a century. Told from the point of view of a little girl who follows news reports of the wolf’s 2,000-mile journey from Oregon and teaching about wolves and the conservation issues specific to them, it’s a perfect prequel to visiting Wolf Haven. This 82-acre park, located 10 miles south of Olympia, provides sanctuary for captive-born wolves, and also promotes wolf conservation and education. Although Wolf Haven keeps visitors appropriately separated from the wolves, older kids can read the classic “Julie of the Wolves” to imagine what it’s like running with the pack, and younger ones can enjoy “Little Wolf’s First Howling” to inspire their own wild howl.
“Hockey Hero” (Zachary Hyman, grades 1–4)
Written by a professional hockey player, “Hockey Hero” tells the story of an awkward boy who finds his place on the ice. It’s a perfect read now that Seattle has its own hockey team. Their practice rink, Kraken Community Iceplex, is now open to families for public skating sessions. Convince uncertain skaters that there are scarier things than falling down with “Little Red Gliding Hood,” and offer figure skaters the graphic memoir “Spinning.”
“Rescuing Rialto: A Baby Sea Otter’s Story” (Lynda V. Mapes, grades 1–4)
Let Rialto inspire your own otter and ocean adventure. Written by Seattle Times reporter Lynda Mapes, “Rescuing Rialto” is the true story of the orphaned baby sea otter raised at Seattle Aquarium. Families can meet other sea otters (Rialto now lives in Vancouver) at the Seattle Aquarium or Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium. Read “Elliot the Otter: The Totally Untrue Story of Elliott, Boss of the Bay” to learn more about the comings and goings of everyone on Elliott Bay, from cargo freighters to salmon. Then catch a glimpse of all this activity from Blake Island or from the deck of any ferry. (Parents think ferries are transportation, but kids know the journey is the destination.) When you get home, drift off to sleep with “Sea Star Wishes: Poems From the Coast” for sweet dreams of the sea.
Middle grade books
“The Honest Truth”(Dan Gemeinhart, grades 3–7)
Written by a former school librarian who lives in Washington state, Dan Gemeinhart’s “The Honest Truth” may be too harrowing a tale for some kids. But this story about a boy with cancer who runs away with his dog to climb Mount Rainier is anything but boring. Whether it fires your kids up for a similar adventure or simply convinces them that your family’s trip isn’t so hard after all, grab your Every Kid Outdoors National Parks Pass and head out to one of these Mount Rainier hikes. And if it’s the grown-ups who struggle with elevation and altitude, reward yourselves with a stay at Paradise Inn, where you can read a much older Mount Rainier story in “Miser on the Mountain: A Nisqually Legend of Mount Rainier” and regroup for another day’s adventure filling in the kids “Discovering Mt. Rainier: Nature Activity Book.”
“Galloping Gertie: The True Story of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge” (Amanda Abler, grade 2–5)
The Pacific Northwest is famous for its natural environment, but that doesn’t mean there’s nothing to capture the attention of more science- and engineering-minded kids. Read “Galloping Gertie” to inspire a trip to Tacoma to hike the current Tacoma Narrows Bridge and visit the LeMay Car Museum. Read “Tacoma Adventures” for more outing ideas or head back home to undertake some “Adventures in Engineering for Kids.”
“The Whale Child” (Keith Egawa and Chenoa Egawa, grades 2–5)
Written by Coast Salish authors and featuring Coast Salish characters “The Whale Child” tells the story of a young whale that chooses to become a human boy to alert humans to the harm they are causing the ocean. Kids who are inspired to make a difference can participate in habitat restoration events on Orca Recovery Day (Oct. 16) with the King Conservation District and Duwamish Alive! Coalition. Conservation doesn’t only happen on observance days, though; families can take action to help our orca neighbors any time. Read 2021 Washington State Book Award picture book finalist “The Spirit of Springer” to learn the true story of an orca calf separated and reunited with her family. Or enjoy a fictional adventure survival story featuring young orcas in “A Whale of the Wild.”
Looking for more? Here are five more local adventures inspired by books!
