Librarians who regularly look at Amazon’s daily accounting of “Movers & Shakers” know how unusual to see several children’s titles suddenly dominate the list. Sunday was one of those exceptions. The 100 titles on the rise was full of books for the toddler crowd.

Why the sudden attention? A bookseller with a point to make sent parents on a buying spree. Last week Time Magazine posted a list of the 100 Best Children’s Books of All Time. Their top picks? Where the Wild Things Are, The Snowy Day, Goodnight Moon, and Blueberries For Sal.

These tried-and-true (and old) titles are not the ones that ruled Amazon, however. Instead, it’s newer titles, including Maps by Aleksandra Mizielińska and Daniel Mizieliński (Candlewick Press, 2013) and Rosie Revere Engineer by Andrea Beaty, illus. by David Roberts (Abrams, 2013; OverDrive Sample) – titles Time completely overlooked.

Jordan B. Nielsen, a children’s book buyer for The powerHouse Arena bookstore in Brooklyn and a blogger on The Huffington Post took exception to Time ‘s selections. “A curmudgeon’s voice took hold in my head as I clicked through the list: The Wild Rumpus is still in vogue? Must we bid the Moon Goodnight once more? Surely piling on one more commendation will fell The Giving Tree!”

She offered her own list of “20 New Classics Every Child Should Own.”

Her description of Rosie Revere, Engineer shows why the Mover & Shaker list is a buzz:

“With all due respect to the Pink brigade, here’s hoping Rosie Revere, Engineer elbows one or two princesses right off the bookshelf. One hardly knows what to be more excited about here: that this story features a young girl enthralled with math and invention, or the book’s overall message that failure is a key stepping stone to success, so long as you don’t give up. Colorful and sweet, this tale of creativity and perseverance will delight parents and daughters alike.”

Who wouldn’t rush to buy that one?

Maps gets this recommendation: “At the bookstore where I work we order it by the case and still cannot keep it in stock. A book kids and adults can pour over together, finding new details every time.”

Nielsen’s list offers a strong counterpoint to Time‘s  golden oldies (for more new titles to recommend, check EarlyWord Kids Correspondent Lisa Von Drasek’s various lists of “best books to give kids you don’t know very well.”)

This entry was posted on Monday, January 26th, 2015 at 10:26 am and is filed under Childrens and YA. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.