Storytime at Urba Baby

On Jan. 10, I had the pleasure of hosting a storytime at Urba Baby, a hip baby store located in Chicago’s Lincoln Park neighborhood.

An energetic and fun group of children and parents attended the event and listened intently as I read The Sleeping Beauty Ballet by Aleksandra® storybook.

After I read the stories, I spoke with the parents about the profound effect that studying ballet and being exposed to the arts at an early age in Russia had on my life, and I explained that I wanted to write these books as a way to inspire children to have a deep love and appreciation for the arts.

Rebecca Chagas, the store manager at Urba Baby, said copies of the books flew off the shelves after the event. “One mom bought three of them for when her daughter gets older,” Chagas said.

Chagas said she is impressed with the quality of the Growing Through Arts® line, and she said she likes the fact that the books help teach children about ballet terms and challenge children to learn vocabulary that is advanced for their age.

“I think the idea of introducing kids to terms they would encounter is really good, and the way she incorporates them into the story is good, too,” Chagas said.

Chagas said she noticed that the parents who attended the event were different from the store’s usual customers, so she was especially happy that the event drew new people into her store.

If you are interested in hosting a storytime or book signing in your retail store, please contact Nic Illief at ni@aleksandra.com or 312-332-7200 ext. 505.