Monika Zerzan, children’s buyer at Northtown Books in Arcata, Calif., weighs in on what books are selling well at her store this summer.
The first books that spring to mind are Pete the Cat: Rocking in My School Shoes by Eric Litwin, illustrated by James Dean, and Skippyjon Jones, Class Action by Judy Schachner, which are doing very well. We sell a lot of all the Skippyjon Jones books. The texts have such a great rhythm, and Skippyjon Jones’s face is so expressive. The books are so animated—they’re fun to look at, fun to read, and fun to listen to.
A book I love to recommend to people is A Sick Day for Amos McGee by Philip C. Stead, illustrated by Erin Stead. I love the artwork, and it is such a sweet story. I find it’s usually adults who buy this book, but it definitely works for kids too. We’ve had very good luck with this book—of course it helps that it won the Caldecott.
A book kids seem to really like is Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site by Sherri Duskey Rinker, illustrated by Tom Lichtenheld. It’s such a simple story, and again the artwork is really fantastic. I think its appeal is the combination of being a bedtime book, which people like, and featuring trucks, and these trucks are great.
A book that I like to handsell is Katie Loves the Kittens by John Himmelman. It’s a real favorite of mine. It’s a sweet story about a dog whose owner brings home kittens and the dog is really excited—too excited—about them. He has to learn to live together with the kittens. The art is really expressive and funny, and the book imparts such a good message. Another one I love to recommend is There Are Cats in This Book by Viviane Schwarz. Kids like it because it’s interactive—it has flaps to lift—and it’s funny and affirming.
A book I love to pass along to teens is The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie. It’s a rough story, but it is so moving and so funny at the same time—and ultimately really inspiring. It still is selling well for us.
Though they aren’t at all new, I love to handsell Marguerite Henry’s Misty of Chincoteague and her other horse books. As a gift book, I often recommend the On the Day You Were Born board book by Debra Frasier. It’s an oldie, but always popular.
We also do well with books by local authors, like Seabird in the Forest by Joan Dunning, which is about a Pacific Coast bird, and The Dinosaurs of Waterhouse Hawkins by Barbara Kerley, illustrated by Brian Selznick. And a bagel shop in Arcata inspired Natasha Wing, who used to live in our town, to write Jalapeño Bagels, so that’s always a favorite.
