PW: Two Taste Makers Sound Off on Children's Books

[ PW Home ] [ Bestsellers ] [ Subscribe ] [ Search ]

Children's Features

Two Taste Makers Sound Off on Children's Books
Roxane Farmanfarmaian -- 7/6/98
A guide to children's books that's passionate, sassy and intensely personal? That's what Valerie Lewis, owner of Hicklebee's Bookstore in San Jose, Calif., and Walter "The Giant Storyteller" Mayes thought the market needed. And so, after two years of boiling down a list of 8000 books to just 2200, in August they are coming out with Valerie &Walter's Best Books for Children: A Lively, Opinionated Guide (Avon).

Walter Mayes and Valerie Lewis

"We wanted to talk about books we love," said Mayes, who for many years was a children's book rep for BDD, "because we know a sea of parents, teachers, librarians and others who have no clue how to pick the books they want." Added Lewis, "We felt there was a need for something that included books that were equally good for listening to as for reading." Most important, perhaps, they believed it was critical to offer a guide that sent out the message to relax, because choosing a book should first and foremost be fun.
When Lewis and Mayes thought of the idea -- "which both of us claim to have done first," said Mayes -- they corralled George Nicholson, who had been publisher of BDD Books for Young Readers. Nicholson, now an agent at Sterling Lord, immediately saw the potential. He pushed them to complete a proposal and even had them do a video, because "though we were well known in the children's divisions this was an adult publishing venture and no one knew us," Mayes explained.

Lou Aronica, publisher of Avon Books, outbid seven publishers in an auction for the guide. Though the book is edited by Elise Howard, head of Avon Books for Young Readers, it is in fact being published and marketed as an adult title in order to reach a wider audience.

Working in Tandem

Mayes and Lewis, who for years would compare their lists of favorites for each new season, and often saved books to read to each other out loud, wrote the reviews together. Lewis took several weeks off from her store, and Mayes stole time between his more than 200 annual appearances nationwide. "We were both equally bad at meeting our deadlines," Mayes said ruefully.

Eight publishers placed bids on Mayes' and Lewis' guide

Most books they agreed on; for those they didn't, they added their own comment to (with a little icon of their faces), which allowed their personalities to come through -- and avoided argument. "We did not want to play at being Siskel and Ebert," said Lewis, who also reviews children's books for CBS This Morning. "We didn't want it to be contrived -- just to present different opinions."
Their contract calls for a revision every three years, "which means we should already have started on the next one!" said Lewis, though they're likely to wait until after their eight-city bookstore tour, scheduled for September and October (which will include a special program at Hicklebee's).

Performing together will bring a new twist to their 15-year friendship. And they're both excited about using the tour to rekindle interest in books and authors that in their opinion have unjustifiably faded away. "I really hope to bring a rediscovery of Milne's The World of Christopher Robin," Lewis said, "because children love hearing the sound of the language." Mayes, on the other hand, wants to reintroduce two forgotten favorites: Josepha (Chronicle) and The Gift of Driscoll Lipscomb (Simon &Schuster).

This upbeat approach is reflected in their book as well. There are no negative reviews; series are reviewed as a unit. Favorite authors are spotlighted. "I think people will be surprised by the ones we chose," Mayes said. And, along with many sidebars on various aspects of reading and choosing books, there is an Appendix of Tricky Situations and Frequently Asked Questions.

"We suggest ideas, but then we put the responsibility back on the family," Mayes said. "Ultimately, it's about teaching children to be good choosers."
Back To Children's Features
--->