Jesica Sweedler DeHart, co-manager of children’s books and gift buyer at BookPeople of Moscow in Moscow, Idaho, reports on titles that are moving quickly at her store.
I’m handselling lots of copies of Carson Ellis’s Home to adults as a new-home gift – in fact I’d say I’ve sold this picture books to as many adults giving it to adults as adults giving it to kids. I think this will become a classic. The pictures of all different kinds of houses – some imaginative, some historical – are just gorgeous, and really draw people in immediately.
Other titles that are absolutely store favorites are the books in the Hilda and the Troll series by Luke Pearson, about the adventures of a girl who lives in the woods with her mother. These graphic novel/picture books have a lovely European feel and the illustrations are exquisite. We find that adults love these books as much as children.
We have a unique book that has been our #1 bestselling children’s book, Tal: His Marvelous Adventures with Noom-Zor-Noom, which is hands-down my favorite chapter book in the whole world. It was written by Paul Fenimore Cooper – James’s great-grandson – in the 1920s, and was reissued some years ago by Purple House Press. It is a truly magical story about an orphan’s journey to the land of Troom. I always recommend it as a read-aloud so that adults won’t miss out! Almost always when I show this to teachers, they’ll say, “How did I not know about this book?” – and we’ll sell 30 copies.
A book we’ve loved for several years is A Is for Activist by Innosanto Nagara, a unique and inspiring board book that we display front and center in the store and it continues to sell well. We’re very excited that a sequel, Counting on Community, is due out in September. We’ve already planned a pajama story time for when the second book comes out. And another board book we are very excited about is And Tango Makes Three by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell, illustrated by Henry Cole, about two male penguins raising an egg together. It’s a beautiful story, and I love to find diversity in board books.
The War That Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley is a terrific middle-grade novel set during World War II. It’s about two siblings who escape from their cruel mother in London and go to live in a foster home in the country, where they finally learn what unconditional love is. So many diversity issues come up in the story, and we find that readers are really responding to it. This is beautifully written historical fiction about how something wonderful can come out of a horrible war.
A new middle-grade that we’re super-excited about is Book Scavenger by Jennifer Chambliss Bertman. It’s a geocaching-themed story involving a girl who moves to San Francisco, hometown of her idol: the creator of a game where books are hidden in cities throughout the country, and puzzles reveal clues to their whereabouts. It’s a terrific adventure story and friendship story, with great messages woven into it.
And another new book that I think will be a big seller this summer and into the holiday season is Cassie Beasley’s Circus Mirandus. Micah’s dying grandfather tells him about a magical circus he has past ties to, where the boy might find a wish-granting magician who can save his grandfather. It’s a wonderful story of magic, the circus world, and the grandfather-grandchild bond. I’m anticipating this will be one of our top-selling books of the year.
