When the Swedish Booksellers Association and the Swedish Publishers Association released their annual market report for 2018 in February, one figure stood out: children’s and YA books’ sales grew 8.3% in the year over 2017, making it the fastest-growing segment in an industry whose overall retail sales grew only 0.9% in 2018. The report, titled “Bokförsäljningsstatistiken 2018,” covers three-quarters of Swedish retail and includes bricks-and-mortar chains such as Akademibokhandeln and Pocketshop, as well as large online retailers such as Adlibris and Bokus. The figures presented cover all book sales, print and digital, exclusive of subscription revenue. According to the research, children’s and YA generated $73 million in revenue and sold 7.4 million copies.

The 8.3% gain in children’s book sales last year is significantly more robust than in 2017, when the segment grew 3.6%, and 2016, which saw 2.9% growth. Further back, the segment’s sales increased 5.9% in 2015 and skyrocketed 11.5% in 2014. Cumulative growth for the past five years is an impressive 36.3%.

Why is this happening? Sakari Luovio, B2C sales manager at Adlibris, believes Swedish parents are responsible. “Our main consumers are mothers and women over 40,” he says. “They want to give their children something more [to play with] than an iPhone.”

As for what is selling, Luovio observes, “The bestseller charts are a reflection of the society, and six out of the 20 children’s and YA bestsellers in Sweden in 2018 had strong female characters, and mothers want to grow strong women—modern Pippi Longstockings.” The bestsellers for the year were Handbok för Superhjältar (Handbook for superheroes) by Elias and Agnes Våhlund, trailed by the Swedish edition of Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls by Elena Favilli and Francesca Cavallo. Handbok för Superhjältar is part of the Superhjältar series, which revolves around a superhero named Lisa, and three other titles in the series landed in fourth, sixth, and eighth places. The series, published by the Norstedts division Rabén & Sjögren, has sold more 350,000 copies since the first title was published in 2017.

Caroline Gezelius, an elementary school teacher and co-owner of Stockholm’s BokBok bookstore, concurs with Luovio in seeing parents as having an impact on sales. “Five to 10 years ago, people worried that Swedish kids were less interested in books and more interested in their digital devices,” she says. “I believe this new generation of parents saw this problem and took some action. It is a reaction, and [now] these parents buy lots of books.” But, she added, “I honestly don’t know if their kids read that much.”

Gezelius believes BokBok is only sustainable and successful because it is in Södermalm, a neighborhood populated with families who are culturally aware and financially stable, which in turn allows the store to offer a diverse catalogue.

One major change to the Swedish industry in 2018 was the switch to routing sales of books to libraries through online retailers Adlibris and Bokus—a change that may have contributed to the jump in sales figures for the year. Still, Luovio noted, children’s sales to consumers had double-digit growth at the retailer.

Looking ahead, Luovio is optimistic. “The top titles drive the category, so if we have a new Handbok för Hjälterna in the series—and I am confident we will—we will have another good year,” he says.

Carlo Carrenho is a publishing consultant based in Sweden and the founder of PublishNews in Brazil and Spain.