Give Kids the Gift of Reading This Holiday Season

Please check out a very unique display at The Book Market in Crest Hill - and then consider celebrating gratitude with us and blessing a child with a BryonySeries book this holiday season.

For the past several years, the BryonySeries B.L.O.C.K.S. team has donated Bertrand the Mouse books to a local Santa Services, which Santa distributes to events aimed at low-income children.

Last year, we also spontaneously gave away thirty Bertrand the Mouse books to a local food pantry and one hundred books to local foster families.

In 2023, we partnered with The Book Market and invited patrons to also purchase books for Santa, in order to increase donations. Thanks to everyone's generosity, we provided Santa with 147 books that year.

This year, we are once again collecting Bertrand the Mouse books for Santa Services.

And we are also collecting BryonySeries children's books to donate to the Will County Children's Advocacy Center in Crest Hill: Bertrand the Mouse, The Adventures of Cornell Dyer, and the Girls of the BryonySeries books.

We will be collecting books throughout the holiday season.

For bulk rates, email us at bryonyseries@gmail.com.

You may also purchase BryonySeries books from Amazon (our store is down) and mail to Denise M. Unland, P.O. Box 2789, Joliet, IL, 60436.

Anyone who purchases any TWO BryonySeries children's books at The Book Market may select one of Bertrand's friends and stocking from the Christmas tree (while supplies last) as our "thank you" gift to you, courtesy of Cindy Phan from Ribbit-Ribbits.

Please reach out to us or chat with Jan Staley at The Book Market if you have any questions.

Together, we can bring the joys of reading to local children this holiday season.

Beause literacy is a gift that that keeps giving long past the expression of gratitude or the end of the book.

Please scroll through photos to see samples of Cindy's homemade stockings and mice.

Actual mice and stockings currently available may not match these photos as each one is unique.

Happy Tuesday!

BryonySeries at the 2025 North Pole Christmas Market

We are thrilled to participate for the secpond year in a row at the North Pole Christmas Market at Joliet's annual "Light Up the Holidays" event, which is held every year in several downtown locations the day after Thanksgiving.

The Joliet City Center Partnership hosts a wonderful event with live entertainment, ice skating, horse-drawn carriages, visits with Santa, ice sculpture demos, children's Ferris wheel, slide, tree lighting, and a large parade towards evening.

Bertrand and Uncle Barty are super excited to attend the Christmas Market portion of the event, especially we are helping to spread the joys of reading to children of all ages while also finding home for some of their mouse friends.

Here is an overview of BryonySeries books we'll have for sale.

And for every two BryonySeries children's books you donate for Santa Services and the Will County Children's Advocacy Center, you may adopt one of Bertrand's friends (while mice area available for adoption).

Available mice may not resemble these former adoptable mice.

Many mice will also come with a homemade stocking, courtesy of Cindy and her Ribbit-Ribbits.

If all the mice are adopted, we will have other "thank you gifts" available for people who purchase and donate two or more BryonySeries children's books.

Of course, you may purchase any book for yourself or gift giving.

We will also have WriteOn Joliet anthologies for sale, too, plus information about WriteOn Joliet's anthology release party on December 4.

The 2025 North Pole Christmas Market runs from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. November 28 at the Renaissance Center, 214 No. Ottawa Street in Joliet.

For a full list of "Light Up the Holidays" activities, visit jolietccp.com/holidays.

Celebrate Gratitude AND Give Kids the Gift of Reading This Holiday Season

Please check out a very unique display at The Book Market in Crest Hill - and then consider celebrating gratitude with us and blessing a child with a BryonySeries book this holiday season.

Gratitude

Stop into The Book Market anytime before Thanksgiving and express your gratitude with the BryonySeries gratitude tree.

Cindy created this special tree and the gratitude leaves that will hang from it.

Here's how it works.

Simple select one or more leaves and write your reason for feeling thankful and grateful this year.

Then hang on the tree to inspire the other patrons.

Then return to the store from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Nov. 22 and play our very special gratitude game.

Afterwards, you may take your leaf home as a longlasting reminder to you, especially in dark times.

The leaves are free, our gift to you.

Now read on for book donations.

Book donations

For the past several years, the BryonySeries B.L.O.C.K.S. team has donated Bertrand the Mouse books to a local Santa Services, which Santa distributes to events aimed at low-income children.

Last year, we also spontaneously gave away thirty Bertrand the Mouse books to a local food pantry and one hundred books to local foster families.

In 2023, we partnered with The Book Market and invited patrons to also purchase books for Santa, in order to increase donations. Thanks to everyone's generosity, we provided Santa with 147 books that year.

This year, we are once again collecting Bertrand the Mouse books for Santa Services.

And we are also collecting BryonySeries children's books to donate to the Will County Children's Advocacy Center in Crest Hill: Bertrand the Mouse, The Adventures of Cornell Dyer, and the Girls of the BryonySeries books.

We will be collecting books throughout the holiday season.

For bulk rates, email us at bryonyseries@gmail.com.

You may also purchase BryonySeries books from Amazon (our store is down) and mail to Denise M. Unland, P.O. Box 2789, Joliet, IL, 60436.

Read on for closing message.

And finally, please, please reach out to us or chat with Jan Staley at The Book Market if you have any questions.

Together, we can celebrate the blessings in our lives.

And, together, we can bring the joys of reading to local children this holiday season.

Both gratitude and literacy are gifts that that keep giving long past the expression of gratitude or the end of the book.

Friends of Bertrand The Mouse

Shortly before WriteOn Joliet's anthology release party last week. Cindy surprised me with this box and said she made something for the event.

To my surprise, Cindy had taught herself to crochet mice by watching YouTube videos. So she made a boxful of Bertrand's friends to offer as gifts with select purchases.

If people really wanted a mouse but not books, Rebekah sold them for $10 and donated two Bertrand the Mouse books to our Santa Services campaign.

Cindy said she had lots of fun accessorizing them. As you can see, each little mouse is unique; no two are alike. So we can't promise which ones we have left.

But you can come see for yourself Tuesday at The Book Market in Crest Hill, where Rebekah and I will appear with books (and mice) for the last time in 2023.

We also have a few more Cookie Christmas Trees. These are also a gift with select purchases.

OR, you may purchase one for $10 and we will donate two Bertrand the Mouse books to Santa Services.

Speaking of Santa Services, that campaign ends on Tuesday. We will take the display down when we pack up. But we will be running a second campaign after Christmas for Santa's "other" role.

But that's a surprise for now.

We will be at The Book Market in Crest Hill from 11 a.m. to 3-ish p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 19 (tomorrow).

The Book Market is located at 2365 Plainfield Road in Crest Hill.

Stop out and say, "Hi!" And then browse thousands of other book selections in this treasure trove of a store of new, used, and rare books.

Happy Monday!

Back to The Book Market on Tuesday

Good morning!

Rebekah and I will be hanging out at The Book Market in Crest Hill for the last time in 2023 on Tuesday.

We will have BryonySeries books for sale along with one of two choices of free gifts with select purchases (while supplies last), all of which make great last minute Christmas gifts.

One of those gifts is Christmas Cookie Trees. These trees come nicely packaged for freshness, display, and gift giving.

The other gift is a crocheted mouse, also known as a "Bertrand Friend." Available mice may not match the mice in this photo as Cindy, their creator, styled them individually.

A new option this year is to purchase either gift (or both) for $10 each while supplies last. This is a good option for people who want the gift and not the books.

The money will be used to donate two Bertrand the Mouse books to Santa Services, which will give children the gift of reading this year.

Rebekah and I will be at The Book Market from 11 a.m. to 3-ish on Tuesday, Dec. 19.

The Book Market is located at 2365 Plainfield Road in Crest Hill. 

Have a terrific Thursday!

Give a Child the Gift of Reading

When plans go awry, people often say it's because God had a better plan for us.

The Bible actually has a verse that says it: "For God has something better in mind for us."

That is certainly true when I missed "Bertrand's Back-To-School Birthday Bash" in August in favor of hanging out in an emergency department, which resulted in being admitted overnight for the second time that month.

Not only did I meet some fantastic people who shared fantastic stories, a new opportunity emerged.

You see, when I called Janet Staley, owner of The Book Market, to let her know my kids would be running the event, she had a much better surprise: she had already pre-sold one copy of all Bertrand the Mouse titles to a single customer to give to Santa.

For that was the purpose of the event: to give customers the opportunity to buy a Bertrand the Mouse book for Santa to give away to children and special needs adults during the holidays.

I had given Santa nearly one hundred Bertrand books last fall, and Santa said the books were very highly received. In short, Bertrand was a hit, and I am not surprised. 

But the need for books is higher than what I can provide alone. But maybe a few others might want to contribute, too? So Jan was willing to hold a birthday party for Bertrand, where the only gifts he wanted were books for Santa.

Santa did leave that day with fifty Bertrand books. Jan even put together a box of overstock for Santa, too. And Santa brought free ice cream for attendees. So Santa is off to a good start as far as books for children go.

After I was released from the hospital, I called Jan to thank her profusely and see how the event went. And this is where the "opportunity" part came in.

Jan suggested I extend Bertrand's birthday celebration through the Santa season with a special display of Bertrand the Mouse books at her store.

However, among work conflicts, emergencies, and transportation woes, it took a month to get there. But I had a day off work yesterday, and the display finally went up. 

And now it's so easy for you to help Santa, too.

Simply pop into The Book Market during regular store hours, pick out the Bertrand the Mouse title(s) you want to give to Santa, pay for it/them at the counter, and leave the book(s) with Jan. She and I will make sure Santa gets the books.

I have another fifty (or so) books at my house for Santa ready to go, too. But Santa sees thousands of children and special needs adults during the holiday season. One hundred books aren't nearly enough.

The Book Market has limited amounts of Bertrand books, which we will replenish when necessary. So if you're interested in bulk rates, email us at bryonyseries@gmail.com.

One last thought: Even kids who don't read seem to really like the Bertrand books. The books are simple and very approachable. When you put one of these books into a child's hands, you may increase the love for the printed word in an already eager reader and spark an interest in a reluctant reader to take a chance on another book.

And if that happens, you will have given a child a gift that will continue to pay dividends for the rest of his/her life.