Travel and activity books

Since I work as a children's book buyer at an independent store, you might logically assume that I buy board books, picture books, novels, and non-fiction. I do, of course, but I also buy sticker books, coloring books, hidden picture books, dot-to-dots, mazes, word searches, puzzles, cloth books, audio books, book and CD sets, calendars, workbooks and handwriting books.

I thought I'd share some of the gems I've found in these categories. They're the kind of books that rarely get reviewed, but that lots of customers ask for.

Need a really simple dot to dot book? Try Buki's great, compact activity books. They're terrific for kids ages 3 and up who are learning how to do dot to dots. They come in a lot of varieties and shades of complexities and fit easily into a backpack, purse or diaper bag.
On the other end of the spectrum, anyone who thinks they're too old for dot-to-dots should try the amazing puzzle books published by Monkeying Around. The books are accurately titled The Greatest Dot to Dot Books in the World. Each puzzle contain a variety of symbols and directions and there's no way to tell what the object is before you complete it. Younger kids might want to stick to volumes 1-3 or the Greatest Newspaper Dot to Dots. Older kids and adults should try Volumes 4-6.

My favorite one of all is The Greatest Dot to Dot Super Challenge: Book 6, which has many as a thousand dots per puzzle. I've been having so much fun doing the puzzles, each of which is incredibly creative and inventive. Some puzzles are made up entirely of symbols, or words, or compass points. Check out their free sample pages for a small taste of what I'm talking about. The puzzles in Book 6 are much more elaborate and challenging than the samples. These books are fabulous for traveling or relaxing. I'd also recommend them for someone who's sick or in the hospital and looking for something fun to do.

Looking for unique coloring books? Check out Mindware, which carries a variety of fun and creative options. Some of my favorites include Microdesigns, Threads (intriguing quilt patterns to color), Animal Habitats, and Modern Patterns (where you can color molecules!)

In a similar vein, I also like Sterling's series of Kids' Mandalas. They're a little easier and a little less complicated than the Mindware books, and I find them soothing and a lot of fun to color.

Lots of kids enjoy finding hidden pictures, but I've found that the Where's Waldo and I Spy books can sometimes be too intense and complicated for the under 5 crowd. Looking for something a little easier? I highly recommend Usborne's 1001 Things to Spot series.

The objects are (relatively) easy to find and are identified by both number and picture. That means that a child doesn't have to be able to read to use these books. I've found them to be great books for traveling or going to restaurants. My son also enjoys reading a page a night as part of his bedtime stories.

Got any other recommendations? I'm always on the look out for creative, imagining and challenging activity books.

An eager reader

A young customer asked me for the new Percy Jackson book today. I showed him The Battle of the Labyrinth, the fourth book in the series. It was just released a little over a month ago.

Nope. That wasn't what he was looking for. He'd already read the fourth book. What he wanted was the FIFTH book.

Mr. Still In Print

At least once a day I hear a customer say one of the following things:

"I loved this book when I was a kid."
"I haven't seen this book in years."
"I can't believe this book is still in print!"

It always makes me happy when someone finds a much-loved and unexpected book in our store. Books such as Goodnight Moon and The Very Hungry Caterpillar never get a "I can't believe you have this book" comment. Most people know how popular those books are and expect them to still be in print. It's the surprises that get reactions.

Obviously, different people remember different books, but here are a few that consistently get commented on:

• Mike Mulligan and the Steam Shovel and The Little House by Virginia Lee Burton. Sometimes, Katy and the Big Snow and Choo Choo invoke memories too.
• Millions of Cats by Wanda Gág
• The Lonely Doll by Dare Wright
• The Little Red Lighthouse and the Great Gray Bridge by Hildegarde Swift and Lynd Ward
• Any book by Bill Peet
• Any book by Leo Lionni
• Any Choose Your Own Adventure book
  

And the number one series that gets exclaimed over the most? Without a doubt, it's Roger Hargreaves' Mr. Men/Little Miss series. Don't know what I'm talking about? Here's a refresher:


Did you just say to yourself: "I can't believe those books are still in print!" You did, didn't you?

Yes, thankfully, these wonderful miniature books (with only a couple of exceptions) are currently in print and available from Penguin. New books in the series continue to be published every year, despite the fact that Roger Hargreaves died twenty years ago. The new books are written by Roger's son, Adam Hargreaves.

It is unbelievable how many people remember these books from their childhood. And almost everyone says the same thing: "I always wanted to collect ALL the books." If you've ever seen a Mr. Men or a Little Miss book, you'll know that on the back of every book is an illustrated list of the other titles in the series. One of the coolest things I'm able to do as a bookseller is to order all the titles listed. And, best of all, I get to watch them go home every day with customers who have remembered them for years, or ones who have just discovered them.

Do you remember these books? See the new poll on the sidebar.

What books have you been thrilled to see again?

Advice for the Book Expo

Are you going to Book Expo America (BEA)? Need some helpful hints? Here’s what I learned from this wonderfully enormous book trade show. (For an overview of the conference, check out this post.) See below for advice about how to get free books, meet authors, and not break your back. If you’re looking for tips for authors, they’re at the end of the post.

Plan ahead
Make a list of the authors and publishers that you're the most interested in. Don’t be embarrassed to bring a spreadsheet (your friends will only make fun of you for a few minutes, and then they'll start using it.)

Authors sign books in two places… in the official autograph area and in their publisher’s booths. The advantage to the autograph area is that you can see several authors in a short period of time without running around the convention center. The advantage to the in-booth signings is that you can be walking around the exhibits and stumble upon your favorite author. It’s also a good way to discover an interesting book. Both formats work fine.

To make sure that you see all the authors you want to see, make a list before the conference starts. BEA has a variety of autograph schedules on their website that are vital to the planning process. I typically rely on the ones sorted by date and time, and the Friday/ Saturday/ Sunday schedules at a glance.

Go through BEA’s list (it will take a little time, but it’s absolutely worth every minute) and create a spreadsheet. Write down every author that sounds interesting to you and list the day, time, booth numbers (both for the booths in the autograph areas and the publisher booths) and the title of the book that they’re signing. If you’re using Excel or a similar spreadsheet program, when you’re done with your list you can sort it by day and time, so you’ll have a complete schedule of what booth to go to at what time. Even though you might have more authors on your schedule than you think you could ever see in a limited time period, put them all on your list just in case something else takes longer or shorter than you expect.

It’s important to know which book an author is signing because some authors autograph more than one book during the course of the convention. You want to know which book you’re standing in line for. BEA is not the place to bring previously published books for authors for to sign. The authors and publishers are there to publicize this year’s books, not last year’s.

It's also a good idea to make a separate list of all the publishers that you're really interested in. Sort this spreadsheet by booth number, so that you'll find the publishers as you walk up and down the endless aisles. Book Expo has pavilions, which are essentially groups of similar publishers. For example, all the travel publishers will be in the same general area. This isn't to say that all the travel publishers will be there, but if there's a pavilion on a subject you're interested in, that's a great place to start.

As you write up your publisher list, you'll notice that some large publishers seem to be sharing the same booth. This typically means that a publisher has multiple imprints (see this post for more about what an imprint is). You'll find that these publishers have one huge booth but are displaying many different catalogs and books because their company owns several smaller companies.

Get there early
There are a few high-profile authors that you need tickets for in order to attend their signings. As soon as you arrive (even before the exhibit hall opens) go immediately to the ticket booth in the lobby. The tickets are free and you can get up to four tickets per day (meaning 1 ticket for 4 different authors). They run out quickly, so be sure to get to the ticket booth early.

Don't take everything you see
There are tons of free handouts available at the BookExpo. Take only what you're interested in (or what a friend or colleague who didn't get to go would be interested in). If there's a free book or an ARC (advance review copy) that you already have access to, or have absolutely no interest in or use for... leave it for someone else. The same rule applies for fliers, tote bags, pens, and all the other freebies you'll see. Don't worry; you'll still acquire tons of free stuff.

Books are heavy
Obviously, you already know this. But, after you cram 50 free books into a tote bag, you'll realize that you can't physically stagger around the conference center anymore and you'll start judging books by weight, not quality.

Here's a tip for how to avoid breaking your back. As soon as the exhibit halls open on the first day, find the mailing center. It's usually in the back of the exhibition area and you can use it for directly mailing books home from the convention center. There are lots of empty boxes available. Write your name (or the name of your bookstore, library or organization) in big letters on the outside of the box and put it somewhere you'll remember it (like next to a pillar). Every few hours, come back to the box and dump out the books you're lugging around. At the end of the conference, mail the books home directly from the mailing center.

What if you live in the city where the Book Expo is being held? Shouldn't you just drag the books to your car instead of paying for postage? Nope. I tried this the first day of the Book Expo I attended which was in my home town and it was impossible, even with a personal courier service (my husband and his car) parked just outside the exit. I lugged 3 (or maybe four) BOXES of books across the convention center (the mailing center was in the back of the exhibit hall... nowhere near the exit). I didn't have a dolly or a cart (because they’re not allowed in the exhibit hall) and it was awkward, painful, and incredibly time consuming. The next day, I mailed the books home... and it was worth every penny not to go through that again. If it's not in your home town, don't even think about it. Just mail the books home.

Even if you decide not to mail the books... you should still set up a box in the mailing center so you have a place to put the books during the convention. If there's something extremely valuable (like a signed first edition by your favorite author that you don't want to lose under any circumstances) you may want to keep it with you. But, as the day goes on and your tote bags get heavier (and you pick up a surprising number of signed first editions by your favorite authors), you'll probably end up putting more books in the box (or boxes) than you expect.

How do you get free books?
You've walked up and down several rows in the exhibit hall and you don't see any publishers giving away books. You can't seem to acquire even two or three books... let alone the boxes I've mentioned above. Here's how:

Go to the booths of the large publishers. You'll find multiple copies of books laid out on the floor or on tables in big stacks. You can take these... and if there's a publisher that you're really interested in, you might want to check back at their booth later during the conference, because they'll put out different books on different days. Smaller publishers are less likely to have the funds to do this.

Ask for them. Publishers bring tons of books with them, but don't have the quantities to put every book out in a stack for everyone to take. If there's a book you're dying to read, find out who the publisher is, go to their booth and tell them what book you're looking for. If they don't have a copy with them, they may be able to send you one after the conference is over. Or not. But, it's always worth it to ask. And, even if you don't get to walk away with one, they'll probably have a copy on display that you can take a look at (which is particularly useful for picture books).

Go to the autograph sessions. The books being handed out (both in the autograph area and the in-booth signing) are free. Plus, you get the author's signature and a chance to talk to them. If an author has no line in front of them at an autograph session, and their book sounds interesting, go up and meet them. You may discover something special. I found this was a great strategy to find new picture books I hadn’t heard of.

Talk to the vendors
Don't just look at them as a source of free books. The Book Expo gives you a chance to share your opinions with the publishers and ask them about your favorite and forthcoming books. They may know an interesting detail about an author or the creation of a book that will help you "sell" a book when you get back home (in a bookstore, in a library, in a review, etc.) And they'll be interested to hear your feedback about their books and products. And ask them any questions you have. They know a lot more about their books than what's in the catalogs.

Talk to the other attendees
The book industry is fully represented on the floor of the convention center. Talk to the people that you're standing in line with and sitting next to at lunch. BookExpo is a great melting pot of booksellers, librarians, publishers, authors and anyone else you can think of that has an interest in books. It's a great place to get advice and new ideas.

Advice for authors
I’m not an author, but here’s what I would do if I were one. First, if I were anywhere remotely near the town the BookExpo was being held in, I would make it my business to go to it regardless of whether my book was being published this year, next year or last year. Once there, I would go out of my way to meet everyone connected with my publisher.

Authors already know their editors, obviously. But, as a book buyer, I don’t meet with editors, I meet with sales reps. (For an great description of what a rep does, see Alison Morris’ excellent post at Shelftalker.) The reps are the ones on the front lines doing the selling, and they’re also the people standing in the publisher booths talking to passerby during the conventions. Introduce yourself to them. If you’ve had a book published recently with that house (or it’s forthcoming in the current season), they probably already know who you are and have most likely talked to tons of buyers about your book. Talk to them and listen to their feedback. If every book buyer hates the cover of your book, or loves the main character, they’re the ones that hear it. Don’t neglect to talk to the publicists either, who are another crucial part of selling your book. Basically, if they’re part of your publishing house in any way, get to know them.

Be nice during the autograph sessions. Remember that the people waiting in line to see you are (for the most part) booksellers and librarians. Each one has the power to get your book into the hands of hundreds of people. Don’t be rude to them. They’ll remember. As a bookseller, I can tell you that when a customer loves a particular author’s books, it’s a real treat to be able to say that the author is just as lovely in person.

Don’t be discouraged if nobody is in line to receive a free autographed copy of your book. There are so many books and authors at the convention that sometimes even famous authors can have little to no line in front of them. Every person who does get a copy of your book, (no matter how many or few that number may be) has a chance to discover your work, so enjoy talking to the people who do come up to you. And remember, that it takes a little time to get established. Two years ago, I saw a big stack of free copies of Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney available at the BookExpo. A few people took them, but I passed the stack several times during the conference, and it didn’t move much. Now that Diary of a Wimpy Kid has been on the bestseller lists for a while, I’d imagine those same books would go in a heartbeat today.

Go to the booths of publishers that produce books in the field you work in. If you’re a writer of cookbooks, check out other cookbooks and see what other people are writing. If you write early chapter books, pick up a stack of early chapter books to get an idea of the current state of the genre. Talk with other authors and publishers who work in your genre to get advice, feedback and share tips.

Above all, have fun. It’s wonderful to meet old, new and potential friends, colleagues, and fans, to get to know your publisher, to interact with other authors in your field and make wonderful discoveries.

And, if (like me) you can’t go to the Book Expo this year, don’t worry. There’s always next year. If you have any helpful hints, I’d love to hear them. Let me know in the comments if you have advice for Book Expo attendees, and I’ll be sure to try it out next year when the convention is back on the east coast.

The day before

I just read a great post from Jen Robinson about her excitement for The Battle of the Labyrinth, the highly anticipated fourth Percy Jackson and the Olympians book. Jen, I hope you're not jealous that I've already handled the book. A whole box, in fact.

Publishers are very good about getting books to bookstores just before the release date. They want you to have enough time to process the book and get it in your computer system, but not enough time so that the booksellers can read the whole thing and post it on the internet. Also, they want to remove the temptation for the bookstore to sell it early.

What this means is that you get the book everyone is talking about a day before the book is released to the public. And, sometimes, even that one day can be tortuous.

A recent example is Mo Willems' new book, The Pigeon Wants A....
The object that the pigeon wanted was the subject of a huge publicity campaign. The book arrived at my store the day before the publication date, and I finally found out that the pigeon wanted a puppy. But I couldn't tell anyone. It was quite difficult to read speculation about it when I knew the answer. It was a relief when the next day arrived and I could put the book on the shelf, talk about it and write a blog post about it.

The worst of all was when Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince was published. I was working at a large independent bookstore at the time. I helped carry boxes of the book into the store and couldn't read it. See this post for the rest of the story.

But, whatever discomfort it might cause me, it's very important not to sell books until the release date. For one thing, bookstores often sign affidavits. But, more than that, it's just not fair or ethical. As the sign on the Percy Jackson box said (or something to this effect): "Be a true Olympian! Don't sell until the release date."

The good thing, though, is that I only have to wait a day. The publishers have to keep those secrets far longer than I do.

Monkeying Around

I made a monkey of myself last week.

I drew the short straw had the opportunity to wear a costume as part of an event our store was participating in.

I think I'll let the pictures speak for themselves. No, I can't resist. I have to add captions.

Getting dressed.

Putting on the feet.

Adding the head.

Putting on the hands.

Taking off the head to help a customer.

Trying to have a serious conversation with a customer while wearing a giant monkey costume.

The complete outfit.

Off to greet the public.

Observations I made while I was Curious George:

• It's hot in this thing.
• I don't know how those people at Disney do it.
• I can't see.
• It's really hot.
• It's very cute when kids run up and hug you.
• You don't need to smile when someone takes a picture of you.
• Did I mention that it's hot?

No one can make a monkey out of you if you do it yourself.

Who to call?

There are only seven U.S. publishers of children's literature.

No, not really. There are dozens. Hundreds. But, as a bookbuyer for an independent store, it sometimes it feels like there are just seven. Why? For several reasons.

First, (as you might expect) the big companies have bought the little companies. Little, Brown was bought by Time Warner. Time Warner was bought by Hachette. So, when I want to order a book by Little, Brown, I call Hachette.

Second, the big companies have tons of imprints. Arthur A. Levine Books (the U.S. publisher of Harry Potter) is an imprint of Scholastic. When I want to order an Arthur A. Levine book, I call Scholastic (except that HarperCollins does the distribution for Scholastic... see the next point... so actually I call HarperCollins.)

Third, a few of the really large publishers handle the ordering and distribution for publishing houses other than their own. For example, Random House handles the sales for National Geographic Books. Random House doesn't own National Geographic, they just take the phone calls, place the orders and ship the books. By contracting with Random House, National Geographic doesn't have to hire their own distribution staff.

If a customer asks if we have a book in our store, my first mental question is always: who's the publisher? And not just who is listed on the dust jacket. The copyright may say Dutton, but I know that Dutton is owned by Penguin. What I really want to know is: who do I call? You can't go by who the author is. Lots of authors have more than one publisher. For example, half of Sandra Boynton's books are published by Simon and Schuster, and the other half are published by Workman.

And even once you know who the publisher is, it's never straightforward. For Candlewick, you have to call Random House. For Scholastic, call HarperCollins. For First Second (which is an imprint of Roaring Brook) call Macmillan (which used to be called VHPS). And on and on and on. You get used to it after a while, but it's tough remembering who owns and distributes who. I've got a long spreadsheet with all this information on it and it's filled with cross-outs and additions.

Houghton Mifflin just bought Harcourt. Kingfisher moved from Houghton Mifflin to Macmillan. It never stops.

And, obviously, this situation exists outside of children's books. In a previous job, I worked with scientific and technical books and we dealt with hundreds of publishers. Still, there were about seven gigantic companies we were always calling. Interestingly, the major publishers in that field are completely different than the major publishers of children's books, so I had to learn a whole new set of imprints and distributors when I changed jobs.

So, to me, it feels like there are only seven children's publishers. Even though I know that's not true.

Paper, please!

Successful books are usually released in paperback roughly a year or two from their original publication in hardcover. Sometimes, it takes longer. And sometimes, paperback editions are never released.

Paperback books are important for several reasons. They’re lighter (makes a difference when you’re lugging tons of books around). They travel better. And, they’re cheaper… usually a third the price of a hardcover book. Quality paperbacks last longer than you’d think. I have some well-loved ones from my childhood that I’m currently reading with my son.

Here are several popular children's books and series that are currently available only in hardcover with no plans (that I know of) for paperback versions. As a children’s bookseller at an independent store, I get asked for one of the books below in paperback at least once a day.

The Mercy Watson series by Kate DiCamillo, illustrated by Chris Van Dusen. Published by Candlewick Press.

This is an early reader series… and books in this genre usually sell for $4 to $6. The Mercy Watson books sell for $13 each. As beautifully produced as the books are, most people aren’t willing to pay that much for early readers. Books in this series include:

• Mercy Watson to the Rescue
• Mercy Watson Goes for a Ride
• Mercy Watson Fights Crime
• Mercy Watson: Princess in Disguise
• Mercy Watson Thinks Like a Pig (being released in July 2008).

The Magic Tree House series by Mary Pope Osborne, illustrated by Sal Murdocca. Published by Random House.

Books 1-28 of this series have been released in paperback. So have books 33-36. But for some reason, the following books are still only available in hardcover. I get asked for the paperback versions of these Magic Tree House titles more than any other books on this list. Books in hardcover only:

• #29: Christmas in Camelot
• #30: Haunted Castle on Hallows Eve
• #31: Summer of the Sea Serpent
• #32: Winter of the Ice Wizard

The Bear series by Karma Wilson, illustrated by Jane Chapman. Published by Simon and Schuster.

This is a wonderful picture book series for the 3-5 year old crowd that I wish were in paperback. A few titles are available as board books, but they’re really too lengthy for babies. Books in this series include:

• Bear Snores On
• Bear Wants More
• Bear’s New Friend
• Bear Feels Sick
• Bear Feels Scared (being released in August 2008)

If You Give A…. series by Laura Numeroff, illustrated by Felicia Bond. Published by Laura Geringer Books, an imprint of HarperCollins.

These titles have been released as board books, as books and CD combinations, as collections, as oversized books and in Spanish, but not as paperbacks. The first one was published in 1985. Please, oh, please, the time has come to put these books in paperback. Books in this series include:

• If You Give a Mouse a Cookie
• If You Give a Moose a Muffin
• If You Give a Pig a Pancake
• If You Take a Mouse To The Movies
• If You Take a Mouse To School
• If You Give a Pig a Party

The Click Clack, Moo series by Doreen Cronin, illustrated by Betsy Lewin. Published by Simon & Schuster.

This is a very funny series of books that unfortunately are only in hardcover. I attended the White House Easter Egg Roll last year, and was impressed to hear Duck for President being read aloud by Lynne Cheney. It's nice to see that Duck has finally made it to the White House. Books in this series include:

• Click Clack, Moo: Cows That Type
• Giggle, Giggle Quack
• Duck for President

Moose and Hildy by Stephanie Greene, illustrated by Joe Mathieu. Published by Marshall Cavendish.

You may have not heard of these, but you should. The Moose and Hildy books are a series of funny early chapter books that are unfortunately only available in hardcover. The first book originally appeared as a picture book, and I applaud the publisher for repackaging it as an early reader. I wish they could go one step further and release these books in paperback. Books in this series include:

• Moose’s Big Idea
• Moose Crossing
• Pig Pickin’
• The Show-Off

Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! and Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale by Mo Willems. Published by Hyperion. Actually, there are currently no Mo Willems books available commercially in paperback. I really wish there were.

And here’s some excellent news. As I was making this list, I originally put at the top Toys Go Out, a lovely early chapter book by Emily Jenkins. But I just saw that the book is in fact being released in paperback in September 2008, and there’s also a sequel appearing at the same time.

Wait a second, you say. You’ve seen some of the books listed above in paperback… you’re sure of it. Yes, you’re right. Some of these titles have been produced in cheap paperback editions for Scholastic book fairs. But, these versions are flimsy and not available commercially to bookstores.

I'm sure there a lot of reasons why the books I’ve mentioned haven't appeared in paperback. They probably have to do with budgets, artistic issues, the price of manufacturing the books, and many other things. But, as a bookseller, all I see is the books getting put back on the shelf repeatedly because they’re too expensive. Maybe if the publishers knew how many times this happens with books that would be flying off the shelves otherwise, it might upset them as much as it upsets me.

Of course, if I ruled the world, all books would simultaneously appear in hardcover and paperback. Wouldn't that be lovely?

Christmas is coming

If you did a double take when you saw the title of this post, then you'll know exactly how I feel. I got my first catalog from a publisher today that had Christmas books in it. Yes, in March. Yikes.

If I'm not ready for Halloween, let me tell you, I'm definitely not ready for Christmas.

Big box of books

I read 50 books tonight.

Really. It's not an exaggeration... I counted them when I was finished.

They were all picture books, but still. That's a LOT of books.

Why, you ask? Good question. I read a box of samples in preparation for a meeting with a publisher rep. Book buyers get advance unbound copies of picture books to help them decide what to buy. The books are called F&G's (fold and gather) because all the pages are loose and unbound.

It's extremely exciting to read books that haven't been published yet. It can also be a little overwhelming. There are so many books, and they're such a mix of picture books, early readers, non fiction, biographies, Halloween books and every other genre you can think of. Yes, I am looking at Halloween books already. (See this post to see what I'm talking about.) It can be hard to switch gears from a book about a loose tooth with cartoon illustrations to a non-fiction book explaining the finer points of World War II.

Plus, you have to trust your gut. Almost nobody else has read these books yet. There are no reviews or award lists to consult. You can't check blogs for buzz, because there isn't any yet. You simply decide if you like the book, if you think you can sell it and if there's an audience for it in your community. And sometimes, you haven't even seen the book.... just the cover. Or you see it for a few moments during the meeting with the rep from the publisher.

I do read every picture book I get an advance copy of. So, whether it's by a Caldecott medalist or a first time author... I give each book a chance. Tonight, I loved a few books, liked a lot, some didn't work for me, and I earmarked a bunch to talk to my colleague about (she reads all the samples too). That's about average.

The best part will come slowly over the next six months as the books themselves arrive in the store. I'll get to put them on shelves, talk to people about them and watch them go home with customers to read and enjoyed by kids. What a great job.

Incidentally, if you're a children's book buyer for an independent store (hi, Alison Morris!) I would love to talk to you about how you approach this process. And maybe we can compare notes about specific books. Leave a note in the comments or e-mail me at wizardwireless [at] gmail [dot] com. Do anyone know if there's a listserv or an electronic discussion group where booksellers can discuss advance copies?

Tales from the Slushpile

I love comic strips. I love children's books. So, it stands to reason that I love Tales from the Slushpile, which is a comic strip about writing children's books.

Tales from the Slushpile is written and illustrated by Ed Briant and appears in Publisher's Weekly's electronic newsletter Children's Bookshelf.

I particularly liked this week's edition about Hugo Cabret winning the Caldecott. (Scroll to the bottom of the page). Here's the link for the first installment of Tales from the Slushpile... and you can read as many as you like.

And if you love children's books, I highly recommend signing up for free e-mail delivery of PW's Children's Bookshelf. It contains lots of information about current events in children's book publishing... plus it has a comic strip on the bottom of every issue.

Sum it up

As a bookseller, I spend a lot of time answering this question:

"What's this book about?"

Sometimes this is easy to do, and sometimes it isn't. Let me give you an example of a book that you're probably familiar with... Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel.

What's it about? Well, we can take the easy route and say it's about a guy named Mike who has a steam shovel. But, that's obvious from the front cover and it doesn't really answer the question. More importantly, it doesn't make anyone want to read the book.

Here's a better answer: "It's about a man and his steam shovel who try to dig the cellar of a town hall in just one day. It's a classic and it was one of my favorite books when I was younger."

Why would my answer be so short? Why didn't I go into what else Mike and Mary Ann did, and talk about digging four corners nice and square, and how much I love Virgina Lee Burton's books? Because, time is of the essence. Most people want a quick summary, not a review. And usually we're discussing two, three or ten other books.

If I have good feelings or memories about the book, I'll usually mention that. It helps give a frame of reference. In this case, the fact that I read it when I was younger points out that the book has stayed in print for a while. And with Mike Mulligan, I usually say that loved it when I was a little girl, because people are often hesitant to buy a book for a girl with construction equipment on the front cover. (For more about Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel, which really is a terrific book, see this post.)

Picture books are pretty easy because people can sit down and read them right in the store. But try summing up Good Night Moon. "It's about a bunny who says good night to every object in his room before falling asleep." Doesn't exactly grab you, does it?

Chapter books are even harder to describe quickly and effectively. Plus, you want to introduce the plot without giving any of it away. Here's a question I was asked a few months ago that I had a surprisingly hard time with:

"What's the Lord of the Rings trilogy about? I don't want a lot of detail, just give me the general idea in two sentences."

Wow. Um, okay. Summarize hundreds of papers and complex writing in two sentences? What would you say? I think I said something to this effect:

"It's about a small, insignificant creature (a hobbit) who has come to possess a magic ring, which is the most powerful object in the world. He has to travel to the other end of his universe to destroy it, and the books are about his amazing journey."

Remember, you've got to do these summaries on the spot... and you want to do the books justice. It's not enough to use the summary on the back of the book or the dust jacket or the Library of Congress notation... people can read those for themselves. They want to hear someone talk about the book.

Can you describe Charlotte's Web in a few sentences that would make me want to read it? How about Mr. Popper's Penguins? Harry Potter? Anne of Green Gables? Pride and Prejudice? The Wizard of Oz? Charlie and the Chocolate Factory? I've been asked the "what is this book about" question for all of the books mentioned above... usually from a person who hasn't heard of the book before. And I recently got asked what Mother Goose rhymes were. It can sometimes be difficult to put aside the history and reputation of the book or poems, and just state the basic plot in an intriguing way.

Try the book I've been asked about all week: The Invention of Hugo Cabret. (I wonder why I've been asked about it so much. Could it be the fact that I've displayed it in every available space in the store?) For Hugo, I usually show people the first page... and it's pretty hard to put down after the fantastic introduction. But I don't have a really good short summary of it yet. Currently, I've been saying something along these lines (while flipping through the book to show off the pictures):

"It's about an orphan boy who lives in the walls of a train station in Paris and makes a tremendous discovery. The book is a unique combination of pictures and words and when you read it, you feel as though you're watching a movie."

Needs work. Got any suggestions?

I've never been so happy to be wrong

Did you hear shouts of joy at 8:28 a.m. this morning, Eastern time? That would have been me, screaming and cheering in delight as I heard the news that The Invention of Hugo Cabret had just won the Caldecott Medal.

It's been a busy day in the children's book selling world. There was frantic dictation as the awards were announced. There were hurried phone calls to distributors, publishers and reps to secure as many of the winning books as possible. There was scouring of bookshelves and overstock to find every last copy of every book that had just been anointed with a magic sticker. There were signs that had to be made, and books that had to be organized and re-organized to make room for the winners. There were conversations with colleagues about which books won. Oh, and there was all the other business of a regular Monday to attend to. So, it's been a long day.

But now, I finally have a minute to sit down. And here's the first thing I want to do: stand up.

I want to give a standing ovation to the 2008 Caldecott committee. I want to applaud you for making a brave and gutsy choice and for recognizing the most distinguished book of the year.

If you're a regular reader of this blog, you'll know that I wrote a very detailed post about why Hugo Cabret wasn't going to win the Newbery Medal, even though I really, really, really wanted it to. Not because it's not a great book, but because the Newbery is all about text, not illustrations. And Hugo Cabret is all about illustrations. And while Hugo Cabret was eligible for the Caldecott, selecting something that isn't a "picture book" would fly in the face of Caldecott tradition.

And yet, they did it. They awarded it the Caldecott Medal. Now, the book will be in schools and libraries everywhere and will be in print for decades to come. And it's an excellent, timeless book and it deserves to be where children can get their hands on it. Bravo to the courageous members of Caldecott committee. And, thank you.

Incidentally, when I put signs above the 534 page Caldecott winner and the 85 page Newbery winner today, it looked like I made a mistake. But I didn't... and neither did the committee.

Update: Now that I've had a chance to look around at other blogs, I see that several people commented on the huge ovation Hugo Cabret received when it was announced as the Caldecott winner. Although I was watching the webcast, I didn't hear the applause of the crowd. Why? Because I was too busy screaming.

Additional Update: I just watched the webcast again, this time in far calmer circumstances. I can't believe that I missed the unbelievable amount of applause that stopped the show when Hugo was announced. I must have been really screaming.

Yet Another Update: Here are my reactions to the other 2008 ALA awards. And, did I correctly predict the winners and have them in stock at our store? See my scorecard. And this post tells you where to go to hear the Hugo Cabret Caldecott announcement cheer for yourself.

One More Update: Nah, I don't have anything to say this time. False alarm.

I'm not ready for Halloween

It's January, you say? As I immerse myself in the Summer 2008 publisher catalogs, I find it hard to believe you.

Why on earth am I reading about books that will be published so many months from now? Because, that's the way the industry works. As a book buyer, you have to order books incredibly far in advance to ensure that they arrive on the doorstep of your bookstore the minute they're published.

But wait, it's worse than you think. I'm not reading about books that have anything to do with summer. Those books were in the Spring 2008 catalogs, of course, which we ordered from in October 2007. I'm reading blurbs (and advance reading copies) of books about the first day of school and Halloween. HALLOWEEN!!

I'm just not ready to think about Halloween yet. For starters, it just happened. We just got the Halloween books from this year out of the store. And it's nine months away. I'm still recovering from Christmas.

If you're frustrated that Valentine's Day displays are already appearing in stores, just be thankful that the retail industry doesn't operate as far ahead as the publishing industry.

Off I go to read about ghosts and pumpkins.

Predicting the winners

I'm really looking forward to the ALA awards announcement on January 14th, but the stakes are much higher for me this year. As a children's book buyer (for an independent toy and book store), I need to have the winning books available in the store as soon as possible after they are announced. Part of this involves immediately calling distributors and publishers on January 14th at 7:46 am. The other, and more difficult part, is to guess correctly at what the winners might be and to already have copies on hand before the announcement.

Now, if the Caldecott and the Newbery awards were similar to the Oscars, it would be relatively straightforward. You'd simply order the five nominated books for each award, perhaps getting a few extra copies of the ones that were heavily favored. But it doesn't work like that. The Caldecotts and Newberys (and the other ALA awards) are decided by committees and discussions. There are no nominees. ANY eligible book could win.

How on earth can you guess? You can start by listening to the buzz. You can read all the mock Newbery and mock Caldecott winners. You can look at listservs and blogs and see which books are mentioned the most often. You can read Best of the Year lists produced by newspapers and journals.

But there's one big problem with that method... it doesn't always work. 2007 is an excellent example. If you followed all the buzz about who the winners would be in 2007 (and I did) you'd have heard two titles mentioned over and over for the Caldecott... Flotsam by David Wiesner and Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom, illustrated by Kadir Nelson and written by Carole Boston Weatherford. It turns out that Flotsam won the Caldecott Medal, and Moses won a Caldecott Honor. But, what about the other honor? It went to Gone Wild: An Endangered Animal Alphabet by David McLimans, which I never even heard of until it won the Caldecott honor.

And the 2007 Newbery is an even better example. The book that won, The Higher Power of Lucky by Susan Patron, wasn't on anybody's radar screen. In fact, in her Newbery acceptance speech, Susan Patron mentioned how sad she was that a book she'd poured ten years of her life into wasn't getting any buzz. It won anyway... even without the buzz. And then it was very difficult to find a copy anywhere for weeks (see my review of The Higher Power of Lucky for my struggle to find the book.)

Really, no matter how hard you try, you're never going to be completely right, because you're not sitting in the room with the committees listening to the discussions. And you haven't read every eligible book, like the committees have. But you can at least stock some of the most buzzed-about books... because they probably have a pretty good shot. And, even if they don't win or receive honors... they're still excellent books and deserve to be on the shelves.

In alphabetical order, here are some of the books I'll have on hand at my store on January 14th... just in case. Keep in mind, these are just wild guesses and they are primarily books that have been appearing on multiple lists. Also, in addition to my hunches for the 2008 Caldecott and the Newbery, this list includes some of my guesses for awards such as the Printz, Geisel, Siebert and Odyssey.

• A Good Day by Kevin Henkes
• The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
• The Apple Pie That Papa Baked by Lauren Thompson
  
• At Night by Jonathan Bean
• The Bearskinner retold by Laura Schlitz
• The Chicken-Chasing Queen of Lamar County by Janice N. Harrington, illustrated by Shelley Jackson
• A Crooked Kind of Perfect by Linda Urban
  
• Dog and Bear by Laura Vacarro Seeger
  
• Elijah of Buxton by Christopher Paul Curtis
• Feathers by Jacqueline Woodson
  
• First the Egg by Laura Vaccaro Seeger
• Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! Voices from a Medieval Village by Laura Schlitz
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling (audio book)
• The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick
• Jabberwocky by Christopher Myers
  
• Old Penn Station by William Low
• Pssst! by Adam Rex
• The Secret of Rundoon by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson (audio book)
  
• Someday This Pain Will Be Useful to You by Peter Cameron
• The Wall: Growing Up behind the Iron Curtain by Peter Sís
• The Wednesday Wars by Gary Schmidt
• Who Was First?: Discovering the Americas by Russell Freedman
• And all the Elephant and Piggie books by Mo Willems

I'd love to add The Arrival by Shaun Tan to this list... but since it's not eligible for the Caldecott or the Newbery, I just don't know what award it would win.

Are there any books you would add to this list? I'd love to hear what you think. Remember, though... it's not about the books that you want to win (although there are certainly a lot of books on this list that I'd love to see win). It's about the books that you think will win.