Elizabeth Bluemle and Josie Leavitt
Your bookstore is named "The Flying Pig." Beyond the presence of multitudes of pigs in children's literature–like Wilbur in Charlotte's Web, James Marshall's Emily the pig, Pearl in William Steig's The Amazing Bone, and the infamous Three Little Pigs, to name just a few–is there any other reason why you gave your store its unique name?
Actually, the store name has nothing to do with any book in particular. It popped into Elizabeth's head while we were driving to the Small Business Administration offices before the store opened. Later, we discovered all kinds of wonderful literary references. But if you were to assign meaning to the name it's more a realization of a dream. And, as we hoped, children love the name and remember it.
How did you come to be the proprietors of a book store?
We fell into it. The building was for lease and we wanted it to be something the community could enjoy. We thought about the space for two days and making it a kid's bookstore was what we knew we had to do because that was our area of expertise. Elizabeth was a children's librarian at a private school and Josie was a high school English teacher and a stand-up comic.
Why not sell hardware, or groceries, or office supplies?
You can't curl up with a hammer on a rainy day and be transported to an ancient city. A radish, while worthy and enjoyable in limited quantities, is not something to be lingered over and revisited. A fresh stack of paper, while immensely appealing, would not make a friend's hospital stay more bearable. Books hold everything there is in the world, and more. That's why we opened a bookstore.
Why did you choose the Lake Champlain region of Vermont for your store location instead of, say a large city local? Does the Internet expand your audience?
We had moved to Charlotte before even thinking of the bookstore, but when the old Post Office building-turned-cafe suddenly had a "For Lease" sign hanging up, we leaped. The Internet has broadened our audience, especially when our regular customers and summer tourists recommend us out of state.
Were you avid readers as kids? Do you write?
Elizabeth was an extremely avid reader as a child. She taught herself how to read at three and is seldom without a book in her hands. Josie struggled with reading in grammar school. Once she "got it," she enjoyed books tremendously. She's found that many children at the store have been encouraged by her first-hand experience overcoming early reading struggles.
Both Elizabeth and Josie write. In fact, Elizabeth is soon to be a published author. Her first book, My Father the Dog, will be coming out from Candlewick Press in Fall 2005. Josie writes screenplays, the most recent based on her real-life experience as the Rescue Chief of Charlotte.
What were your favorite books to read as kids? What are your favorite books now?...Do you have personal favorites amongst all the great children's book writers and illustrators?
That's just a torturous question to ask a book lover. Elizabeth thinks Charlotte's Web is a perfect novel. She also read the books of E. Nesbit, Edward Eager, Elizabeth Enright, Frances Hodgson Burnett, and Julie Andrews Edwards many, many times over. Gerald Durrell's My Family and Other Animals ranks in her top ten favorite books of all time. Favorite illustrators for Josie include Bob Graham, David Weisner and Holly Hobbie.
Do independent bookstores, especially books stores that specialize in books for young people, serve a role in the community that goes beyond membership in the Chamber of Commerce? If so, what do they do that is different and how do they serve the community? What do you do at The Flying Pig to serve your community and the children's book community at large?
Our town is actually too small for a Chamber of Commerce, but that doesn't mean we're not involved. Aside from frequent book talks at locals schools, Elizabeth serves on the Dorothy Canfield Fisher Award committee, which is a student decided award for books for 4th-8th graders. She also co-founded ‚ with an artist friend, Sumru Tekin -- the Charlotte Bookshelf, which gives foodshelf families free new books every month. The BookShelf is funded through performance proceeds of The Charlotte Town Players, a community theatre group also co-founded by Elizabeth and Sumru. Josie spent several years on the Charlotte Planning Commission and is currently the chief of Charlotte Volunteer Rescue Squad. As a store we also sponsor frequent author events and costume character events, all free to the public.
Why should parents and teachers look to independent children's book stores for guidance, rather than some of the larger chain book stores or discount department stores?
Generally, independent bookstores have a more knowledgeable staff than the larger chain stores. That's not to say there aren't good employees to be found at the chains, but it's safe to say that at an independent, everyone is passionate about books. We know our 40,000 books on hand because we personally ordered them, we unboxed them happily and shelved them eagerly so customers will find the treasures.
Thousands of books are published for young people every year, plus many publishing companies have extensive backlists of books. How do you choose which books The Flying Pig will sell, which books you will promote and feature? Should parents and teachers use the same criteria for choosing books for their children that you use in choosing books for your store?
Everyone should use the same criteria for picking books: good writing, great stories, memorable characters, and something that resonates with you. We feature what we love. So every week it's a little different, depending on what's just come in and what favorites we've rediscovered.
Do you have a website? And if so, do you have information on your website that is helpful for kids, parents and teachers?
We do have a website: www.flyingpigbooks.com. We have different sections of the website such as staff picks, all-time favorites, Vermont authors, etc. The website offers 20%-25% off, so teachers can get their usual schools discounts ordering online. Our search engine database accesses more than 2 million books in print, so it's very customer-friendly.
I understand you publish your own newsletter? What information is included in it? Can anyone get on your mailing list?
Our newsletter is called Pig-Tales. It's a collection of brief book reviews highlighting our favorite books of the new season as well as worthy "quiet" books that might get overlooked without some extra attention. We organize the newsletter by age group, which parents and teachers love. The most popular section is probably our Flying Pig XY Guide – If you liked X, try Y! Anyone can be on the mailing list.
The school year has started and many children and teens are being assigned books to read for school. Can you suggest some new books that they may want to read for fun and entertainment? Are there books for Halloween and Thanksgiving that you particularly like?
This fall has brought so many eagerly anticipated sequels and books by favorite authors! Kids are flocking to the new Lemony Snicket, or course, and to Cornelia Funke's Dragon Rider, Zizou Corder's Lionboy: The Chase, Jonathan Stroud's Bartimaeus 2: The Golem's Eye, Philip Reeve's Predator's Gold, and many, many others. We just read the best book! Carolyn Coman's The Big House is absolutely delightful and funny and wonderful for ages 8-12. Carolyn Coman has won many awards for her serious books, so it is a marvelous surprise to find that she's a comic genius. We're also great fans of Leaping Beauty, Eight Animal Fairy Tales, by Gregory Maguire.
What are you reading right now?
Josie:The Complete Cartoons of the New Yorker. Elizabeth: The Anybodies, by N.E. Bode and Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell, by Susanna Clarke.
What one thing about kids, books, and reading would you like to share with the teachers and parents of America?
There is no such thing as a bad reader, just the wrong book at the wrong time. Not everyone is a bookworm, but everyone loves and needs stories. Kids need patient help sometimes to find the right one, but that's what we adults are here for. At the Flying Pig, we love to match children with great books. Our favorite sign of success is a child hugging a book!
To get on The Flying Pig's newsletter mailing list, contact Josie and Elizabeth at:
Flying Pig Children's & Adults' Books
86 Ferry Road
P.O. Box 147
Charlotte, VT 05445
tel: 802-425-2600
fax: 802-425-4974
email: FlyingPig2@aol.com
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