Christine Whelan, FEO, May 28, 2026, Volume 7, Issue 19
“Ridgeway Reads is back for 2026,” Karin DiBiase, owner of Lakeside Books and Art in Ridgeway, announced. “This summer, I’m focusing on children’s authors. We’ve actually had an influx of children’s authors approach us in the store.”
This aligns well with the rise in the number of families with young children moving to the area. Karin has noticed the families in the community and has made sure she is stocked up with a wide range of children’s books.
Story Time, designed for ages 1-5, began on May 9 and continues on selected Saturday mornings until the end of July.
The first author now lives in Crystal Beach. Grindl, as in Grindl Kuchirka, best known for her character Granny Garbanzo on The Big Comfy Couch, has written A Dog and His Clown to honour her beloved dog, Charlie, with whom she used to tour.
On May 16, Cody Gorham was at Lakeside’s. Karin shared, “Cody is also from Crystal Beach. He’s a young author and graphic artist with his own studio. He creates all the artwork himself. He has two children’s books at Lakeside’s, Unhappy Kevin and The Goobers.”
Backdrop: With a Little Help from Our Friends
When it’s Story Time, Karin hangs up the special backdrop made three years ago by Cornelia Stafanik, a local artist, and her husband, Darryl.
At the top, it reads “I Am a Child of Books.”
Karin explained, “They created the basic outline of the store and then, during Ridgefest, we had children from the community come in and fill in all their favourite things about books.” Their favourite books are written along the edges.
“We use this in our children’s area for Story Time and when we have an author event.
Still To Come
May 30, Fran Janes will be at Lakeside. Karin described, “Her book, This Little Light of Mine, is about gratitude and shining one’s light, empowering children. Powerful words and concepts to help them through childhood.”
June 6, Darlene Wierski-Devoe will be at the store with her heartwarming book, The Bean Story, about a young girl and her mother who embark on a journey together.
June 13, Elizabeth Carver will be at Lakeside with Sparkle Bright, a beautifully illustrated children’s picture book about confidence, intuition, and trusting your inner voice.
June 27, Samantha Meli is back. “She’s one of the first children’s authors we’ve had in our store. She will also be the artist of the month at our store for June. So, not only will she be here with her book, but she’ll also be here with her artwork.”
July 4, Joanne Burtch, a teacher, will be at the store with her fun little book she’s written about children and adults, Icky Stinky Poopy Breath.
July 11, Ridgefest will be in town. Lakeside will take a break from children’s authors to welcome back Mark Wilkie in full regalia. “For anyone interested in the history of Fort Erie and the battles fought here, Before the Guns Roared is recommended.”
July 18, Carlo Girardo wrote Puppies from Heaven. Carlo is one of Lakeside’s first authors to enter the store. This book is to help children through loss, the circle of life.
“There’s a lot of diversity here,” Karin commented. “Some are just for fun, laugh out loud. Some have teaching moments. There’s something for everyone.”
Saturday Mornings in Ridgeway for Families
Story Time is intentionally scheduled during the Ridgeway Farmers’ Market hours. “Parents are already coming out with their children to visit the Market. We are just down the street. They can drop in for 15-20 minutes and meet a local children’s author.”
The event is free and runs every Saturday on the listed dates from 10:00 am -12:00 pm. Comfy chairs, mats and snacks are provided.
“The fun thing is,” Karin shared with a smile, “A lot of the reaction we got to Grindl came from the adults, the parents. There were some people in here who were so excited to meet her because they remembered her from when they were children, watching her on TV on The Big Comfy Couch. It was a real honour for them to meet her, and they had lots of long conversations.”
In Honour of Robert Munsch
Story Time at Lakeside Books honours Robert Munsch. “When some of our authors are reading from their books, we invite them to also read from a children’s book by Robert Munsch. When parents come in, we encourage them to buy his books. It’s a bit of an homage to the author.”
Robert Munsch, the 80-year-old, award-winning author of children’s books, has been diagnosed with dementia and Parkinson’s disease.
Shifting Back to Books
Karin notices a shift among young parents. “Many parents are being cautious about screen time for their children. They’ve been researching the disadvantages of young children being exposed to cell phones. Pediatricians have added to their checklist, ‘Is the parent reading to their child?’ It’s one of the health monitors for children’s development. Books are essential for children, and there are many choices for parents now. There are so many beautiful books out there.”
Lakeside Books and Art offer new and used children’s books, making them accessible to all. However, board books are brand new because they will be handled by infants.
Ridgeway Reads
Ridgeway Reads has been running since Karin took over Lakeside Books and Art in 2018. “We want to give our full support to our local authors. We’re an indie book store, and we want to promote all the talented people in our community, whether they are artists or authors.” “And we have a lot of local authors. We’re very blessed to have so many authors who live in our community. We want to give them an opportunity to shine.”
She noted the challenges authors face in gaining recognition in today’s publishing world and invited any authors new to the area who haven’t had a chance to visit her store yet to come in and say hi. “I’d be happy to sit down with anyone to discuss how we could partner with them.”
Lakeside Books hosts educational, inspirational, networking, and mentoring events, including Creative Kickstart, a writers’ workshop.
“In the days of self-publishing, the entire process is on the author. It can be quite daunting, especially for new and young authors. We try to help them with the steps they need to take.”
Lakeside Books and Art, at 341 Ridge Road N., is open seven days a week. Hours are 10:00 am – 5:00 pm Monday to Friday, 10:00 am – 4:00 pm on Saturdays, and 11:00 am – 3:00 pm on Sundays. You can reach Karin DiBiase by email at lakesidebooks@outlook.com.
