For a First Book business trip, I have to admit, Mitali and I got to do quite a bit of celebrating while we were in San Pedro, CA last week. Not only was there a fiesta, we also enjoyed a pirate party at a local Boys & Girls Club and a reading party, hosted by our favorite men and women in uniform– the U. S. Coast Guard!

(The photo says it all - did you think we were kidding about the pirate party?)

It was a whirlwind three days but we felt like the red carpet was rolled out for us everywhere we went. A big thank you to all who helped make our trip to the West Coast (complete with adjusting to the three hour time difference AND dealing with LA traffic!) as easy, breezy and booktastic as we could ever hope for. The following folks deserve some special shout outs:

• The amazing members of First Book-South Bay, LA, especially Kellie Cairns and Helen Coffey
• Captain Spinnett, Lt. Nolan, Chief Gayson and the men and women of the USCG Eagle (good luck first years!)
• Anna Contreras of Scholastic
• The children and staff of the Boys & Girls Club of LA Harbor-Port Site and Boys & Girls Clubs of the South Bay-Harbor City
• The Book Buddies crew: Ray, Jay, Raul, Ernie, Jose and Kellie
• Dr. Martha Bernadett, Aunt Rosie and Vincent from The Molina Foundation

It’s amazing the company you keep when your business is giving books to children!

How cute are they? The children are pretty adorable, too.

First Book will be heading to San Diego for our last stop on the USCG 2008 Handshake Tour this weekend (August 20-25). Be sure to come see us if you’re in the area!