The cozy comfy book nook - Marissa Leonard Smith

09/11/2026

Today!
Little Lions Play Den
9:30am

Can’t wait to see you!

09/11/2026

Busy trucks on the go today!

Little Lions Play Den
9:30am

09/04/2026

Holy cow—we’re back to school-time Storytime already! 😳📚

I hope everyone is surviving September so far: the early mornings, packed lunches, permission slips, activities, and the approximately 47 places everyone needs to be at the exact same time. 😂

Come take a little breather with us at Little Lions Play Den! We’ll be reading Busy Trucks on the Go, enjoying some truck-themed fun, and making a craft together. 🚚

📚 Storytime & Craft
📅 Friday, September 11
⏰ 9:30 AM
📍 Little Lion’s Play Den
154 Rolling Ridge Drive, State College

Let’s ease our way into the school-year routine with books, play, and some very busy trucks! Who’s joining us? 🩵

08/14/2026

Fueling up the Storytime crew before we blast off! 🚀🍟

We made a quick McDonald’s stop this morning, and now we’re headed to Little Lions Play Den for a space-themed Storytime & Craft! We’ll be reading Stellarphant, learning about some of the animals that have traveled to space, and making a little something of our own. 🐘🪐

Storytime starts at 9:30—come join us for one last adventure before school begins! ✨

08/13/2026

Lincoln’s been sneaking in a little time with Stellarphant before tomorrow’s storytime—and he wants everyone to know that elephants aren’t the only animals with their sights set on space! So many animals have ACTUALLY been in space! 🐘🚀✨

Come discover some of the amazing animals that have actually traveled to space, enjoy Stellarphant, and make a fun space craft with us!

📚 Little Lion’s Book Nook
🚀 Friday, August 14 at 9:30 a.m.
📍 Little Lions Play Den
154 Rolling Ridge Drive, State College

We’d love to have you join us for our last storytime before school starts! 💜

08/10/2026

💙📚 A HUGE thank you to The Home Reset LLC- and we are down to just 3 more sponsors!

I’m so excited to share that The Home Reset LLC has sponsored a Rise After the Storm bag for one of the girls at Youth Service Bureau (YSB’s) Stormbreak House! 💙

This one is especially fun for me to share because The Home Reset isn’t just another local business I know - my own family uses their services, too!

They provide real, practical help for busy families with things like:

🧺 Laundry
🍽️ Dishes
✨ Tidying
🧺 Organizing
🧽 Cleaning

Visits are customized around the home and family’s priorities, so the help can actually go toward the things you need most.

As someone who has experienced that help firsthand, I’m especially grateful to see them also stepping up to support a project that means so much to me and our local community. 🩵

You can learn more about The Home Reset or request a free quote at TheHomeReset.org, or call/text 814-364-4020.

And their sponsorship brings us one step closer because…

✨ ONLY 3 RISE AFTER THE STORM BAGS ARE LEFT! ✨

Each $35 sponsorship provides a girl at Stormbreak House with a drawstring bag containing $50 worth of carefully selected books focused on hope, resilience, confidence, and moving forward after difficult circumstances.

💙 Full sponsorship: $35
🤝 Partial sponsorships are welcome, too!
📱 Venmo & PayPal:

After months of working toward this goal, we are THREE BAGS away from completing the entire project.

Thank you, The Home Reset LLC, for helping us get this close. 💙

Now…who wants to help us finish the final three? 📚🥹

08/08/2026

Check out this cool development for our friends at Freeze Thaw Cycles!

https://www.centredaily.com/news/business/article316789752.html?utm_campaign=trueanthem&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook&fbclid=IwdGRleATkZt5wZG9mBWZkaWQWUMFSE85lHpT55SW2-6bri44IbnUeBGV4dG4DYWVtAjExAHNydGMGYXBwX2lkCjY2Mjg1NjgzNzkAAR4UpNv8zjrgPvY6TKeaWjw3XlRFGOEI9u6gdkk-uVW4O35RoTZMcWxIISm45w_aem_VRwDxAO2v7Z3So-UCwJRJA

The cart’s grand opening is planned for 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday.

08/07/2026

📚 A little summer camp perk from Little Lion’s Book Nook!

If your family signed up for ANY week of Summer Camp at Little Lions Play Den, I have a special book offer just for you! ☀️🌈🚕🚀

This summer we’re featured/featuring three books during our Little Lion’s Book Nook storytimes:

🌈 How Do You Make a Rainbow?
🚕 Dan, the Taxi Man
🚀 Stellarphant

Camp families can order one, two, or all three with special summer-camp savings — and I’ll have your books ready for you at Little Lion’s Play Den! 💜

PLUS: there’s an additional special offer if you’d like to browse my PaperPie website and choose any other books for your family. 📚✨

No rush to decide today! The order form will stay open through August 21, so you have about two weeks to browse, make a wishlist, and choose your favorites. But definitely make your selections before school starts!

All the details (including the special savings!) are right on the form:

👉 ORDER FORM: https://forms.gle/TuQTDoL6NSVVq7Pu8

08/05/2026

💙 We’re almost there! Just 4 Rise After the Storm sponsorships left!

When I first partnered with our local Youth Service Bureau (YSB) to create Rise After the Storm, I wasn’t sure how this project would unfold. Thanks to the incredible generosity of our community, we’re down to just FOUR sponsorships remaining!

Thank you from the bottom of my heart to everyone who has already sponsored a bag or contributed toward one. Your kindness is helping provide girls at Stormbreak House with drawstring bags filled with $50 worth of carefully selected books—stories of hope, courage, resilience, and new beginnings.

Now we’re so close to the finish line!

💙 Sponsor a full bag: $35
🤝 Partial sponsorships are also welcome—every dollar gets us closer.
📱 Venmo & PayPal: Marissa Leonard Smith

If you’ve been thinking about helping, this is the perfect time. Let’s finish this project together and make sure every girl receives a Rise After the Storm bag.

Thank you for believing that books can change lives. 📚💙

07/31/2026

🚀🌟 One Last Summer Storytime! 🌟🚀

Before backpacks, lunchboxes, and school buses take over, join us for one more summer adventure!

📖 We’ll be reading Stellarphant, the story of an elephant with a dream that’s truly out of this world. Then we’ll make a fun space-themed craft that’s perfect for little astronauts to take home!

🗓 Friday, August 14
🕤 9:30 AM
📍 Little Lions Play Den
154 Rolling Ridge Dr., State College

This event is included with regular play admission, and I’ll have copies of Stellarphant available if you’d like to bring the adventure home!

Let’s make one more summer memory together before the school year begins. 💜✨