Once Upon A Time Bookstore
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shoponceuponatime.bsky.social
Once Upon A Time Bookstore
@shoponceuponatime.bsky.social
170 followers 110 following 30 posts
America's Oldest Children's Bookstore nurturing a love of reading.
Mon-Sat: 10 am - 6 pm
Sun: 11 am - 4 pm
https://www.shoponceuponatime.com/link-bio
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Reposted by Once Upon A Time Bookstore
kirstenwlarson.bsky.social
🎁 Holiday shopping is here! I'm offering signed & personalized copies of my books through @shoponceuponatime.bsky.social -- perfect gifts for young readers! Order now! https://shoponceuponatime.com/autographed-books-kirsten-w-larson
#HolidayGifts #SignedBooks #ChildrensBooks
"Promotional graphic showing three children's books by Kirsten W. Larson: 'This Is How You Know' with illustrated children and science imagery, 'A True Wonder' featuring Wonder Woman, and 'The Fire of Stars' showing a woman under a starry sky. Text reads 'Get a signed & personalized book!' Author photo and Once Upon A Time bookstore logo included at bottom."
November 17, 2025 at 1:01 AM
shoponceuponatime.bsky.social
This is the last chance to get tickets for our BIGGEST EVENT OF THE YEAR!

Meet bestselling author @goraina.bsky.social and legendary creator @scottmccloud.bsky.social on Saturday, October 26th at 6 pm at the Glendale Performing Arts Center.
Tickets here: bit.ly/cartoonists-...
Iz - a white person with short dirty-blond hair wearing a black t-shirt - behind stacks of The Cartoonists Club on a table holding up a large purple sign that matches the title font and reads “The Cartoonists Club”. Graphic for the Cartoonists Club event. Text reads “Raina Telgemeier & Scott McCloud LIVE & IN-PERSON! Saturday, October 25th at 6 pm. Glendale Performing Arts Center at Glendale High School, 1440 East Broadway, Glendale, CA 91205. Get Tickets Now! bit.ly/cartoonists-club.” The background is a numcwh of different colored smiley faces making different faces.
October 24, 2025 at 12:17 AM
shoponceuponatime.bsky.social
Celebrate Indigenous Peoples Day with us on Sunday, October 12th at 2 pm with a story time and book signing with author @brookmthompson.bsky.social for her picture book I LOVE SALMON AND LAMPREYS. Best for ages 4+.

If you can't make it to the event, you can order signed books in-person or online.
A table display for Indigenous Peoples Day. Books include: All the Stars in the Sky, Of the Sun, Origin, Braiding Sweetgrass for Young Adults, Fire Keeper’s Daughter, I Love Salmon and Lampreys, The Barren Grounds, Fry Bread, Chooch Helped, Can You Hear the Plants Speak, We Are Water Protectors, and We Are Grateful.
October 12, 2025 at 12:47 AM
shoponceuponatime.bsky.social
Science is happening every day and everywhere! We are excited about our Science Saturday celebrations with three authors visiting on September 12th.
11 am: @kirstenwlarson.bsky.social
1 pm: @jamesburks.bsky.social
4 pm: @phdcomics.com
www.shoponceuponatime.com/event/scienc...
The full window display. The science books scattered among charts, graphs, jars of animals, baskets of insects, skeletons, and beakers all on a neon yellow fabric with a light blue fabric background. The left side of the display with a white lab coat hanging on the back behind piles of science themed books. From top to bottom are What About Science, Night Walk, The Super Smart Space Activity Book, Science Comics Solar System, An Immense World, DK Eyewitness Insect, Abby in Orbit Space Race, Birdwatching, Animals of Land, Sea and Air. The center of the display with the event info. Signage reads “Science Saturday! Facts matter. Calling all inquisitive minds!! Saturday, September 20th 11 am: Kirsten W. Larson. 1 pm: James Burks. 4 pm: Jorge Cham.” On each side of the author information is the author’s photo and the featured book. Below that are the books The Super Smart Space Activity Book, Science Comic Solar System, Abby in Orbit Space Race, Birdwatching, Animals of Land, Sea, and Air, Scientists are Saving the World, ABCs of Science, Origin. The right hand of the display with piles of science themed books. From top to bottom are Me and My Body, Stay Curious and Keep Exploring Next Level, What’s Inside a Bird’s Nest, Origin, How to Explain Climate Science to a Grown-Up, Say Goodbye to Plastic, Rocks, Gems and Geodes, and Animated Science: Rocks and Minerals.
September 17, 2025 at 11:45 PM
shoponceuponatime.bsky.social
Story Time Takeover with the bestselling author of If Animals Kissed Good Night, Ann Whitford Paul! Join us on Friday, September 12th at 9:30 am for a special story time to share Ann’s newest book IF ANIMALS LOVED BOOKS!
www.shoponceuponatime.com/events/tags/...
A photo of If Animals Loved Book and If Animals Kissed Good Night on a green fabric background with the matching purple elephant plush toy. The text overlay on the image reads “Story Time Takeover! Friday 9/12 at 9:30 am”.
September 12, 2025 at 12:41 AM
shoponceuponatime.bsky.social
Get swept into the Gilded Age on Sat. 9/13 at 2 pm with @julieberrybooks.bsky.social for her new historical murder mystery mythology IF LOOKS COULD KILL. Her new young adult book pits Jack the Ripper against Medusa in an odyssey of a story, for ages 13+.
www.shoponceuponatime.com/event/if-loo...
A copy of If Looks Could Kill with a red paper snake behind it all laid out in the center of a black silk fabric with red floral embroidery. The If Looks Could Kill book cover has a digital drawing of a young woman's face in shades of red and purple. Her voluminous purple and red curly hair has snakes tucked in between curls and her red eyes are looking directly and menacingly up. The title text is a sans serif font in white framing the top and bottom of her face. A copy of If Looks Could Kill without the dust jacket laid open, spine up showing the purple foil stamp Medusa art matching the cover mirrored on each side of a bright red case cover. A copy of If Looks Could Kill without the dust jacket, and with the case cover spine pointed at the viewer and the purple foil stamp Medusa art face up.
September 11, 2025 at 12:58 AM
shoponceuponatime.bsky.social
Join the launch of Sherri L Smith's new middle grade novel Candace, the Universe, and Everything on Sat. 9/6 at 2 pm. For the event, @rhymeswithcapri.bsky.social will be in conversation with @kittyfelde.bsky.social to discuss writing and inspiration. 💜 Wear purple to the event for a special gift!
A copy of Candace, the Universe, and Everything with some painted wooden bird ornaments and plastic yellow flowers around it. The Candace, the Universe, and Everything book cover has an illustration of young Black girl with short tight dark brown curls, crowned by the sun in a purple sky with swirling, whirlpool clouds. The colors of her dress blend in with the background behind her so her medium brown skin stands out vividly. She walks in a lush field of flowers in front of a river, topped by a city skyline. In her hand she holds a purple composition notebook. Blackbirds with see-through wings fly up around her as she looks upwards.
September 5, 2025 at 11:57 PM
shoponceuponatime.bsky.social
We had so much fun last Saturday welcoming @maplelam.bsky.social for Monkey King and the World of Myths: The Battle of the Beasts!

Thank you to all who came to supported our local authors. There are signed books available in-store and online.
Maple with her fellow author friends. From left to right is Keika Yamaguchi, Ken Min, Maple Lam, Kimberly Gee, John Krause, and Rodolfo Montalvo. The same parent and kid waiting for their signed books from Maple with other kids in line. A parent and child stand in front of Maple as she signs books for them. Maple - an Asian woman with straight black hair in a pixie cut wearing a gray-green button up and jeans - sitting and laughing during the Monkey King and the World of Myths presentation to the crowd.
August 29, 2025 at 12:36 AM
Reposted by Once Upon A Time Bookstore
kirstenwlarson.bsky.social
Excited to join Science Saturday! @shoponceuponatime.bsky.social ‬, Montrose, CA, on Sept. 20 at 11 a.m. 🌟 A celebration of science & stories with fellow authors + family fun. Hope to see you! 🔬 #ScienceSaturday #KidLit #STEMStories #BookEvent https://www.shoponceuponatime.com/event/science-saturday
Science Saturday event flyer for September 20th featuring three children's book presentations: "This Is How You Know" by Kirsten W. Larson at 11am, "Box Tales" by James Burks at 1pm, and "Oliver's Great Big Universe" by Jorge Cham at 4pm, hosted at Once Upon A Time Bookstore in Montrose, CA.
August 27, 2025 at 6:02 PM
shoponceuponatime.bsky.social
Play a game of Tic-Tac-Toe with us on Saturday, August 23rd at 11 am to celebrate the launch of debut local author @kimberlytso.bsky.social for her picture book Tic-Tac-Toe Chicken. Come for a story, play a game of tic-tac-toe, and attendees can enter into a drawing to get a crochet chicken!
A bird’s eye view photo of white ribbon forming a tic-tac-toe grid on a pink fabric background. Three black and white chickens form a diagonal from top left to bottom right. In the center left and right spaces is a blue and brown chicken. In the bottom center space is a copy of Tic-Tac-Toe Chicken. The Tic-Tac-Toe Chicken book cover has an illustration of a young Asian girl with light skin and long black hair in two braids marking an "O" in an oversized pink and blue tic-tac-toe board that overruns the cover. On one cross section of the board is a white chicken looking at the girl. Three crochet chickens around a copy of a Tic-Tac-Toe Chicken. Two of the chickens are black and white speckled and the other is plain white.
August 14, 2025 at 11:30 PM
shoponceuponatime.bsky.social
Explore summer with Firefly Song, the new nonfiction picture book by Sibert Honoree @colleenpaeff.bsky.social. THIS Saturday, June 14th at 2 pm, Colleen will read her story, share her writing process, answer questions from the audience, and then sign books. Best for ages 4+.
A copy of Firefly Song on a green fabric background with yellow sparkles. The Firefly Song book cover has a digital watercolor painting of a young white girl with short brown hair holding up a jar of fireflies close to her face. The green nature around her is lit up by small yellow fireflies.
June 14, 2025 at 12:50 AM
shoponceuponatime.bsky.social
Celebrating all the graduates this year with a special shout out to our Crescenta Valley High School senior Darby! 🎓 We have cards, gifts, and books for every age graduate to celebrate all their achievements both big and small.
In the center is Will the Pigeon Graduate?. Clockwise from top is the Amuseables Boiled Egg Graduation Jellycat; a sticker that reads “Today a reader, tomorrow a leader”; Yay! by Jessica Kulekjian and illustrated by Zara González Hoang; a graduating Pigeon stuffy; Black Boy, Rise; Wherever You Go; Get a Financial Life; and Oh, the Places You’ll Go!. All are against a gold fabric background with blue confetti sprinkled around.
June 11, 2025 at 7:58 PM
shoponceuponatime.bsky.social
Sharing our Plaid Tuesday spirit as we gear up for Independent Bookstore Day this Saturday, April 26th! Join us in celebrating all that indie bookstores bring to the community.
Selfie of Maureen, Maddi, Jessica holding Pippi, and Iz all together showing off their plaid. From back to front, Maureen is wearing pink and purple plaid. Maddi is wearing blue and green plaid, Jessica is wearing jewel tone blue, turquoise, purple, and orange plaid, Pippi is not wearing plaid and looks a little startled to be in the photo, and Iz is wearing green and white plaid. Graphic for Spirit Week. Text reads “Mon. 4/21 Silly Sock Day, Tue. 4/22 Plaid Tuesday, Wed. 4/23 On Wednesday We Wear Bookstore Shirts, Thu. 4/24 Book Character Dress-Up Day, Fri. 4/25 YOUR Store’s Spirit Day, Sat 4/26 Independent Bookstore Day” Each day has a simple image to show the theme of the day.
April 22, 2025 at 6:50 PM
Reposted by Once Upon A Time Bookstore
ezraedmond.bsky.social
If you're in the area, stop by @shoponceuponatime.bsky.social at 11am on Saturday, April 26th, and say "Hi!"

www.shoponceuponatime.com/event/indepe...
April 11, 2025 at 6:20 PM
shoponceuponatime.bsky.social
So much fun! ✨
cassfederman.bsky.social Cassandra Federman @cassfederman.bsky.social · Mar 31
I had an amazing time at the Story Spinners book launch event this past weekend. Thank you to @shoponceuponatime.bsky.social for hosting and to all the curious kids who came out to learn about graphic novels!
#kidlit #booklaunch
Cassandra sits in a chair next to an easel with a drawing of an orange haired. Old art design Cassandra, tall with curly blonde hair stands next to the easel with princess sparkle, puff character with puffy orange hair in a pirate outfit An easel outside the bookstore reads this Saturday become a story, spinner book launch and signing with Cassandra Federman for story spinners A decorative display of the story, spinners graphic novel in the bookstore. It’s on a table with a red tablecloth and a purple boa surrounding a bunch of the books.
March 31, 2025 at 8:27 PM
shoponceuponatime.bsky.social
Join the launch of a fun graphic novel featuring 👯‍♀️, 🏴‍☠️, 👑, and more with Story Spinners by @cassfederman.bsky.social. TOMORROW 3/29 at 2 pm she will share her inspiration for the story and then have an interactive activity for attendees to create their own stories. Best for readers ages 8+.
The table display for the event. Copies of Story Spinners on a table with a feather boa, some dragon puppets, and a sign for the event. Story Spinners book cover has a sketch illustration of a sister carrying her younger sibling on her shoulders. The older sister has a small yellow crown on her head and the younger sibling has an eye patch and is holding up a pencil excitedly. In the background are more sketches of a pirate, a princess, a dragon, and a shark princess.
March 28, 2025 at 10:14 PM
shoponceuponatime.bsky.social
We’re BUZZING with excitement for our Be a Bee Parade with Shawn Harris THIS Sat. 3/15 at 11 am for Let's Be Bees!
🐝 The parade has already started in our window with the Jellycat Bartholomew Bear Bumblebee leading a parade of Albee Bees.
www.shoponceuponatime.com/event/lets-b...
Two cardboard cutout bees in the style of the picture book Let’s Be Bees hang above with speech bubbles that read “Let’s Be Bees by Shawn Harris” and then “Join our Be a Bee Parade!”. Below them is a table with a few copies of the book face out above a handwritten sign with the event information. Sign reads “Story time and Book signing with author Shawn Harris! Sat. March 15th at 11 am! Bee Costumes Encouraged! In a line is Bartholomew Bear Bumblebee leading bees on parade. The Let's Be Bees book cover has two round bees drawn in crayon with loose and thick lines takeing up most of the space. The bee on the left is large with its eyes closed and has a speech bubble with the title "Let's Be Bees". The small bee in the bottom right looks up at the older bee. An angled shot to show a copy of Let’s Be Bees in front of the plush bee parade. First is Bartholomew Bear (a brown bear) dressed up in a yellow and black striped bee costume with a black antenna headband with yellow tips. Behind him are little plush cylindrical bees named Albee. Mr. Bear (a large sitting black bear) dressed up as a bee with Bartholomew Bear Bumblebee in his lap next to a copy of Let’s Be Bees that shows the case cover without a dust jacket. The case cover has a crayon illustration of a white man with shoulder length brown hair and a beard wearing a blue shirt. A young white child with shoulder length light brown hair wearing a red baseball cap, yellow shirt, and green pants holds up a copy of Let’s Be Bees to the adult.
March 12, 2025 at 11:42 PM
Reposted by Once Upon A Time Bookstore
cassfederman.bsky.social
🗓️Mark your calendars and join me at @shoponceuponatime.bsky.social on March 29th at 2pm for the launch of STORY SPINNERS!

There will be live drawing, live “Mad libs,” and you’ll get an exclusive print and pin!

Come celebrate!🎉
#booklaunch #kidlit #mglit #graphicnovel
There is a poster that includes a picture of the cover of story, spinners a picture of the author and a picture of a print from the graphic novel that people will get when they purchase the book. The poster includes the necessary information about the book launch, including that it happens on March 29 at 2 PM at once upon a Time bookstore
March 3, 2025 at 5:38 PM
shoponceuponatime.bsky.social
Happy International Women’s Day! Maureen Palacios is proud to be the owner of Once Upon A Time as the bookstore celebrates 59 years of being a woman-owned business founded by the lovely Jane Humphrey.
Maureen sitting at her desk leaning into a bouquet of flowers.
March 9, 2025 at 2:09 AM
shoponceuponatime.bsky.social
Come in your best ski bum outfit to celebrate the new Spy Ski School the Graphic Novel with New York Times bestselling author @stuartgibbs.bsky.social on Tues., March 4th at 7 pm! Stuart will have a short presentation, answer questions from the audience, and then sign books. Best for spies ages 8+.
Graphic for Spy Ski School Graphic Novel event. Text reads “Book Launch and Signing with Stuart Gibbs. Tuesday, March 4th at 7 pm. Ski bum costume contest! Once Upon A Time Bookstore, 2207 Honolulu Ave., Montrose, CA 91020. Best for ages 8+.” In the center is the Spy Ski School Graphic Novel book cover. It has the black silhouette of the spy holding ski poles and standing on blue skis. The background is simple line art of a comic panel with scenes from the book.
February 28, 2025 at 1:48 AM
shoponceuponatime.bsky.social
Today, tomorrow, and every day we look to stories and history to guide us towards a more just world. The books, topics, authors, and truths we choose to share and read are precious and important.
The full display with all the books against a black background and the influential portraits strung along either side. The top center section of the background has hand-written white letters that read “Black History is American History”. The letters have small spots of bright colors to dot the i’s and fill in the blank space in the o’s and a’s. Books from left to right top row: Sulwe; Claudette Colvin: Twice Towards Justice; Born on the Water; Baby Says; Black Girls; Who Was Kobe Bryant; Big; Gamerville; Go Forth and Tell; Blood at the Root. Bottom row: Brown Girl, Brown Girl; How Sweet the Sound; Slavery and the African American Story; and The Undefeated; New Kid; The Last Stand; I Have a Dream; The Story of Ruby Bridges; and The Roots of Rap.
February 27, 2025 at 1:33 AM
Reposted by Once Upon A Time Bookstore
debbieohi.com
Authors & Publishers posting about illustrated books, pls credit the ILLUSTRATOR.

Doing a #CoverReveal? Credit illustrator & designer. Not only are you helping boost artist but it shows people that you or your publisher hired a HUMAN artist.
#PicturesMeanBusiness Art @sarahmcintyre.bsky.social
Handwritten text reads: Why do so many book people keep forgetting to credit illustrators? Beside the message is an illustration of a round winged horse with the hashtagged Pictures Mean Business. Illustration credit: Sarah McIntyre.
February 17, 2025 at 2:18 PM
shoponceuponatime.bsky.social
Save the date to meet Raina Telgemeier and Scott McCloud on Saturday, October 25! Details here: www.shoponceuponatime.com/event/cartoo...
February 18, 2025 at 1:23 AM
shoponceuponatime.bsky.social
Congratulations to all the award winners and honorees for the ALA Youth Media awards this year! A special shout out to Cherry Mo who will be doing a story time with us for her Caldecott Honor picture book Home in a Lunchbox on Feb. 8th at 11 am.
Shows two stacks of books. The left hand stack has The First State of Being front facing on top of The Wrong Way Home; Lunar Boy; Twenty-four Seconds from Now; The Deep Dark; Everything We Never Had; and Shut Up, This is Serious, all spine out. The right hand stack has Chooch Helped front facing on top of The Flicker, Ultraviolet, Home in a Lunchbox, Call Me Roberto, Go Forth and Tell, Life After Whale, Joyful Song, and A Little Like Magic, all spine out. All are against a gold draped fabric background.
January 27, 2025 at 8:15 PM
shoponceuponatime.bsky.social
Pippi debuting her brand new collar. 😻🩷🎀💎
Pippi - a grey and white shorthair diluted calico cat with tab - looking up with her mouth slightly open and a brand new pink collar with rhinestones clearly visible.
January 23, 2025 at 10:16 PM