New book takes children on an Encinitas adventure

Sisters Nancy and Julia Glen recently published the second book in their city adventure series, this one taking young readers on a magical journey through Encinitas.

“Encinitas Adventures” pairs Julia’s watercolor artwork with Nancy’s story about celebrating differences, finding common ground as well as sharing Encinitas history through characters like surfing goats with a scoop of ice cream from JoJo’s Creamery.

Julia, an artist from Oceanside, got the idea to write the books after volunteering in a school reading program. She wanted the books to focus on the history of different cities to build reading skills and civic pride in a fun way, tapping her sister Nancy, a teacher in Tacoma, to write the stories.

“We started with ‘Oceanside Adventures’ and it grew from there,” said Nancy. “A percentage of the profits will go to support literacy programs; that was the whole idea.”

While the Oceanside book’s main character is a bunny, the Encinitas book is about a pair of alien pigs that land in Encinitas and the two surfing goats who teach them the history of the city and lead them on a tour of its many unique destinations.

Encinitas Mayor Catherine Blakespear is represented in the book as a cat and the book highlights local businesses and spots such as Heritage Ranch, San Diego Botanical Garden, Lux Art Institute, Rancho Coastal Humane Society, JoJo’s Creamery, Hansen’s Surf Shop, Good on Ya, Magical Child and Lazy Acres Market. Some of the local businesses mentioned will be selling the book in their stores.

The book also showcases the Encinitas Library’s music program.

The sisters hope to build on their series with more cities—next up are Carlsbad, Vista, San Marcos and Escondido.

The book is available at JoJo’s Creamery (937 S. Coast Highway 101), Good on Ya (1051 S. Coast Highway 101), Hansen’s (105 S. Coast Highway 101), Magical Child (937 S. Coast Highway 101), Rancho Coastal Humane Society (389 Requeza Street) and Lazy Acres (150 Encinitas Blvd).

The book can also be purchased at glencreations.com