On getting kids cool books

Several friends have asked me about finding good kids' picture books, not for Otter necessarily but for other kids in your lives. (My mom has long used me as her kids book-buying consultant.)

Otter has loved all his many board books, and is just now graduating more into "real books". So here's how we've explored finding good books for him and for his cousin and other kids in our lives.

First, we've found that looking by book publishers can help in finding good stuff. I mean, you can search by authors and illustrators, and that works, but it doesn't get you as much choice when you find something you like as looking by publisher. It doesn't help as much for big big publishing companies, but if you find a smaller press for kids' books you like, it can lead to other books your kids will love as well.

Barefoot Books has fabulous stuff --not just for Otter's age range but for older kids, for those of you who've asked me for recs for books for older kids in your lives. Their catalog does this cool thing where they list for each book the most suitable age range for the book for reading alone (kids reading for themselves) and the age range for reading together (grownups doing the reading).

Also Candlewick Press is pretty reliable in quality; you might recognize their Maisy books but they have tons of great authors, especially in that three to five year old range.

Even if you don't want to buy straight from the publisher, most good small presses have great descriptions on their websites, and you can then go to your local bookstore and ask for a special order. Or, if it's an indie bookstore, check out the children's section and see if you like their options. If so, you can ask to speak with their children's book buyer and ask for recommendations (e.g. my six year old granddaughter loves baseball and cooking, she's just starting to learn to read books by herself, and I'm looking for something she'd like).

You can also consult the various book award lists: NY Times does a great one yearly, as well as the more well-known Caldecott awards.

Museums (both science and art) that have kids' book sections in their giftshops often have lovely choices, as they screen for books that are visually and intellectually interesting to kids.

There are also a few online indie bookstores and toystores that have fabulous catalogs, useful for their great descriptions and detailed information (powells.com lists various children's awards as well as their staff recommendations). And your local library may have a good children's librarian who can help.

And if you're looking for a great book for a toddler/preschooler, one of Otter's current favorites is Knuffle Bunny.