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My timeline lately has been preaching "October is the new December." Our favorite indie booksellers need strong holiday sales, but due to supply chain disruptions, mail slowdowns, & in-store shopping limits, we need to get a head start. So...
below... https://www.vox.com/the-goods/2020/10/25/21517545/bookstores-pandemic-booksellers-closing
below... https://www.vox.com/the-goods/2020/10/25/21517545/bookstores-pandemic-booksellers-closing
In January, my neighborhood indie closed (RIP Booksellers on Fountain Square). Luckily, @downboundbooks opened in late 2019 not too far away. I want them to survive 2020. I also 
@bluemanatee & @JosephBethCincy here + @PoliticsProse & @eastcitybooks in DC + @wcfbook in Chicago.
@bluemanatee & @JosephBethCincy here + @PoliticsProse & @eastcitybooks in DC + @wcfbook in Chicago.
So NOW is the time to do your holiday book shopping! All the stores above either sell directly online or have a storefront on @Bookshop_Org, and the same is true of most indies. Many even offer free shipping at a certain point. Please, give them your 
, not you-know-who!
, not you-know-who!
But also this: if you're buying books for the kids in your life, PLEASE look beyond your childhood favorites. It's not that there's no value in classics--some of them ARE truly great--but if you haven't read your fave in a while, chances are it's outdated, maybe offensively so.
Meanwhile, outstanding NEW books are publishing each week, written for & about today's kids, from a broader spectrum of diverse voices. Do you want to be the cool aunt who gifts an exciting new read, or the millionth adult to talk up The Giving Tree or, say, The Giver?
So I want to offer alternatives to the usual picture book suspects. I'll include 2020 releases where I can, because YIKES this year. I'll try as much as possible to avoid the bestseller lists (you can find Mo Willems and Peter H. Reynolds without my help.) Walk with me...
I mentioned The Giving Tree, so let's start there! If you're looking for a book about generosity and sharing, check out Hug? by @charlenedraws or The Fort by @lmperdew & Adelina Lirius. (Both less toxic than TGT, to boot)
https://bookshop.org/books/hug-9781525302060/9781525302060 https://bookshop.org/books/the-fort-9781624149252/9781624149252
https://bookshop.org/books/hug-9781525302060/9781525302060 https://bookshop.org/books/the-fort-9781624149252/9781624149252
Craving the read-aloud rhythm and building action of Chicka Chicka Boom Boom? Check out One Day in the Eucalyptus, Eucalyptus Tree by @danielbernstrom & @BRENDAN_WENZEL: https://bookshop.org/books/one-day-in-the-eucalyptus-eucalyptus-tree/9780062354853
Does the parent/child relationship of The Runaway Bunny make you melt? You must give @JeanetteBradley's Love, Mama a try: https://bookshop.org/books/love-mama/9781250240354
Looking for an interactive board book instead of Pat the Bunny? I gave my niece @colleenaf & @blythe_russo's One More Wheel for her birthday over a year ago, and it's still one of her favorites. https://bookshop.org/books/one-more-wheel-a-things-that-go-counting-book/9781250307590
Are you a sucker for the girl-centric, Paris-set Madeline? I think you'll love @MademoiselleK8's Piglette! (And there's a sequel coming, too, ooh la la!) https://bookshop.org/books/piglette/9780593116784
The Very Hungry Caterpillar is great, yes. But can I interest you in another creature trying to eat and rhyme her way through her own building story? Check out @CarrieFinison's Dozens of Doughnuts! https://bookshop.org/books/dozens-of-doughnuts/9780525518358
Bonus Very Hungry Caterpillar vibes from Richard T. Morris and LeUyen Pham's absolutely gorgeous Bear Came Along. https://bookshop.org/books/bear-came-along/9780316464475
This is technically a holiday thread, so let me offer a beautiful and magical Christmas alternative to The Polar Express. It's @tavaresbooks's Red & Lulu! https://bookshop.org/books/red-and-lulu/9780763677336
I struggled for a Where the Wild Things Are rec, because I believe it's a perfect book even still. But then I remembered that @dsantat is a working author/illustrator. The Adventures of Beekle, the Unimaginary Friend is absolutely a spiritual successor. https://bookshop.org/books/the-adventures-of-beekle-the-unimaginary-friend/9780316199988
Bonus recommendation for Where the Wild Things Are fans is also from @dsantat, his latest collaboration with @bottomshelfbks, the very magical and also still very grounded (that's a bit of a pun, read the book to be in the know)...
LIFT: https://bookshop.org/books/lift-9781368036924/9781368036924
LIFT: https://bookshop.org/books/lift-9781368036924/9781368036924
Ok, The Lorax: I'm a little afraid to make this comp, b/c there's a delightful twist 2/3 of the way into @MrAdamRex & @llaurappark's Unstoppable that it's worth being unspoiled for. I literally LOL'd for a full minute. Just read it and laugh/be inspired: https://bookshop.org/books/unstoppable-9781452165042/9781452165042
I have so many more of these custom recommendations to come, but I have to take a break. Back this afternoon with more!
