Our local booksellers bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to assist children, teens, family, friends and educators to assist in that critical hunt for the ‘right book’. Phoebe Smallwood, from Petrach’s Bookshop in Launceston, shares some insider information in this week’s post that celebrates the joy demonstrated by young people inside a bookshop.
Children’s Book Week has come and gone. Booksellers across the country are letting out a sigh of relief. As cute as it is to see kids getting so excited about their favourite books, booksellers will be thankful to be able to retire the customer service voice used exclusively for soothing stressed parents (at least, until next year).
Guiding children towards books they’ll love is the best part of being a bookseller. For babies, it’s relatively simple. They’re usually less focused on the contents of the book and more on how it tastes. They seem to take the phrase ‘consuming a book’ a little too literally.
Most kids between the ages of two and five know exactly what they want as soon as they see it. At least three times a week, we hear an exclamation of ‘Look, Mum, it’s Bluey!’ coming from the children’s section. As soon as that happens, it’s over. Their minds are made up. There’s nothing you can do to change it.
Kids in lower primary tend to be either very shy or very extraverted. They will either hide behind their parents if you try to address them directly, or monologue to you about their favourite books until their parents walk them out the door.
When it comes to tweens, you’ve got to be cool. Most of the time, they just want to be left alone to choose their books. If guidance is needed, ask them about their interests, present them with a few different options, then leave them to it. Whatever you do, don’t hover.
Over the past few years, we’ve been seeing more and more teenagers in the bookshop, often after a specific book they’ve seen on BookTok. (For those not fully up-to-date with youth culture, ‘BookTok’ is a community of people who read, review, and recommend books on the social media app, TikTok). BookTok has sparked the interest of many young people who may not otherwise be inclined to step foot in a bookstore. Popular BookTok books for teens include A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson, Powerless by Lauren Roberts, and The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes.
Some cynics may claim books are dying, but it’s hard to agree when every day I see children (and the occasional adult) literally jumping for joy over getting their hands on a new book. From what I’ve seen, there is still a lot of passion for reading out there.
Phoebe Smallwood
Phoebe has been a bookseller at her local independent bookshop for over five years. She is also an avid reader who recently completed a degree in literature and creative writing, with a particular emphasis on children’s literature.
https://www.instagram.com/petrarchs/
https://www.facebook.com/petrarchs/
Editor’s notes:
1. With Love Your Bookshop day #LYBD2025 just a month away, on Saturday 11th October, Phoebe has provided a timely reminder to share the joys of browsing with children. For more information visit BookPeople with a great competition for young ones to enter. And add a bookshop visit to the family schedule.
2. Here are three middle grade titles that ‘lept’ off the shelf into my hands.
No comments:
Post a Comment