DEANE LITTLE BEANS EVENT APRIL 19TH!

On Wednesday, April 19, at 10 a.m. the Deane Center for the Performing Arts is hosting a Deane Little Beans event for youth 12 and under and their parents. It is free and free snacks will be provided.

Author Kevin Coolidge will be reading "The Totally Ninja Raccoons Meet Bigfoot" to children in the Deane Center lobby at 104 Main Street in Wellsboro. The book is written for youngsters and enjoyed by people of all ages. Preschoolers from the Wellsboro Montessori Children's Center are planning to walk to the Deane Center for the program, weather permitting.

Last year, Kevin Coolidge published the first two books in his new series, “Totally Ninja Raccoons” set in Wellsboro and Tioga County. "The Totally Ninja Raccoons Meet Bigfoot" is the first book in his series about the three raccoon brothers who become ninjas. “The series is for the 7-10-year-old reluctant reader who loves action, adventure and creatures whose existence has yet to be proven, like Bigfoot,” said Coolidge.

In "The Totally Ninja Raccoons meet Bigfoot," the raccoons discover they are not meant to be ordinary bandits, but rather have the potential to be something extraordinary--ninjas. They begin their ninja training and meet their first potential employer--Gypsy the Cat.

Gypsy sends the raccoons on their first mission, to capture the elusive Bigfoot. They quickly find out that things aren't what they seem. Bigfoot isn't the monstrous beast, he's been portrayed to be; Gypsy isn't a benign employer; and cats want to take over the world. And the raccoons learn that sometimes you have to choose your own path if you want to choose your destination.

"The Totally Ninja Raccoons" is a new children's series for second to fourth graders. It is specifically for reluctant readers. "Five books have been published in the series with more to come," Coolidge said.

In the second book, the raccoons meet the “Weird & Wacky Werewolf." In the third, they learn "The Secret of the Canyon" and in the fourth, meet "The Thunderbird," In the fifth book "Catmas Caper" the raccoons have to save Christmas, and in the book coming out in May, the Ninja Raccoons learn the secret of Nessmuk Lake.

In his ninja raccoon series, Coolidge has included the bookstore’s newest cats - brothers Huck and Finn. These cats receive daily doses of love from the many children and adults who visit the bookstore he co-owns at 7 East Avenue in Wellsboro.

For more information or to register for this Deane Little Beans program, call the Deane Center at 570-724-6220.



Kevin Coolidge (shown) places a colorful, kid-friendly "Story Monsters Approved" seal on the cover of the book he wrote, "The Totally Ninja Raccoons Meet Bigfoot." It passed rigorous judging by industry experts and a panel of youth who endorsed it. Children who see the seal on a book know that youngsters their own age enjoyed it and are recommending they read it, too.