The owners of Tattered Cover have cancelled the auction to sell the company scheduled for today, according to the Denver Gazette. A spokesperson said the board made the decision yesterday to allow more time for discussion with interested buyers. There may be an auction at a later date, he added, but "it may not be needed."

Tattered Cover filed for bankruptcy last October, closing three of its seven stores and letting go about a quarter of its 103 employees. In March, it submitted a plan to emerge from bankruptcy by June, but in April, it announced that there was interest from "individuals and businesses across the U.S." in buying the company, a move it had decided was "in the best long-term interests of the company, current investors, employees, suppliers, and Colorado's literary community." Last month, Tattered Cover court filings indicated that at least eight groups were interested in participating in the auction that was to be held today. It added that other groups were interested but hadn't filed the necessary paperwork yet.

Today, Wednesday, June 12, Barnes & Noble is opening new stores in Oswego, Ill., Northbrook, Ill., and Selma, Tex., and reopening its Lehigh Valley Mall store in Whitehall, Pa.

The Oswego store will debut with a ribbon-cutting ceremony featuring picture book author Sherri Duskey Rinker (Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site), who will then sign copies of her books. It is located in the Prairie Market Shopping Center at 2590 U.S. Hwy 34.

The Northbrook store resides at 45 Skokie Blvd. in the Village Square of Northbrook shopping center. Mary Kubica will host the ribbon-cutting ceremony and sign copies of her latest book, She's Not Sorry.

The Selma store will open with a visit from author Katie Gutierrez, who will cut the ribbon and sign copies of More Than You'll Ever Know. The store can be found at 8262 Agora Parkway in the Forum at Olympia Parkway.

And finally, the B&N in the Lehigh Valley Mall will reopen in the same space (801 Lehigh Lifestyle Center) after a year of renovations. Author James McBride will be on hand for the ribbon cutting and will sign copies of The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store.

Barnes & Noble plans to open more than 50 stores in 2024.

Tuesday's breakfast keynote at ABA's Children's Institute in New Orleans, La., featured author Renée Watson, whose bestselling titles include Piecing Me Together, winner of a Newbery Honor and Coretta Scott King Award; the Ryan Hart series; and acclaimed picture books like Maya's Song and The 1619 Project: Born on the Water, written with Nikole Hannah-Jones. All the Blues in the Sky (Bloomsbury), the title she focused on in her keynote, will be released February 4, 2025.

ABA's Joy Dallanegra-Sanger greeted booksellers and welcomed Cathy Berner of Blue Willow Bookshop in Houston, Tex., to the stage to introduce Watson. Being a bookseller "is the best job in the world," Berner proclaimed, and Watson and her titles are part of why bookselling cannot be beat--"Renée Watson and her books provide joy to readers of all age levels." All the Blues in the Sky, Berner said, exemplifies Dr. Rudine Sims Bishop's "Mirrors, Windows, and Sliding Glass Doors" concept. To quote Nicole Brinkley of Oblong Books in Rhinebeck, N.Y., Berner said, the book is "an earnest balm to the soul for young readers who want a sincere, hopeful meditation on grief." The author's work, Berner stated, is like Watson herself, "gorgeous and engaging."

Renée Watson

Watson opened her speech with a tone-setting quote from Maya Angelou: "My greatest hope is that I laugh as much as a I cry." This quote, Watson explained, guarantees readers that there will be sorrow in this life. But, hopefully, the moments of joy will match those of loss and pain. "I do not write for children to escape reality," Watson said, "I write to help them cope with it." Throughout her speech, the author borrowed lines from several of her books to outline the bittersweet nature of life and to highlight her desire to write in that space. "Pilots see many shades of blue in the sky," she read from All the Blues in the Sky. "Everyone loves those beautiful blue skies. But sometimes? Sometimes the sky is dark blue.... And sometimes life is blue, too."

What Watson said she wants to do is "talk about all the blues we carry." She spoke directly to the audience, noting that she doesn't know what memories they hold, the last time they cried, what makes their belly ache with laughter, "but it's all here in this room with us. Young people carry their stories with them, too." And that is who Watson is writing for: every child who needs a safe space to heal, to be seen, to be validated. Kids, she said, need to have books where they see characters grappling with intense feelings while holding on to gratefulness. "They need to see that they can survive this. That it's okay to have big wild dreams. It's okay to cry."

This is, Watson noted, "joy as resistance." Joy is internal, she said, "a kind of knowing that anchors the soul when chaos is erupting." Through book bans and the erasure of marginalized voices, "we will not give up. We will press on, even with tears in our eyes. Even with heavy hearts." Our young people, Watson said, "need to know that they can get up. That they can survive. That they can do hard things. And I believe that books can show them how."  She wants young readers to feel connected to the creators who "left a blueprint on how to survive this world." Because, after all, "someone, somewhere, loves the young person we are handing a book to. Someone, somewhere has big wild dreams for that young person. It is never lost on me that I am writing for someone's child. Someone's best thing. Someone's hope. Someone's tomorrow."

Ultimately, Watson expressed hope that her books about the ups and downs of life can act as a "soft place to land" for her young readers. "Life is not all good or all bad. Life is a mixture of both. Sometimes on the same day, the best and worst things are happening all at once." Sometimes, she said, you don't even know what you're feeling. "Friends," she said to the booksellers in attendance, "what you do is no small thing. Thank you for persevering through a pandemic. For taking a stand against book banning. For enduring your own personal standards and still being a safe place and a beacon of light in your communities." --Siân Gaetano, children's and YA editor, Shelf Awareness

The first full day of programming at Children's Institute in New Orleans featured a keynote by Renée Watson, lots of education sessions and meetings, rep picks, an author luncheon, and much more. And at Tuesday evening's Author Reception, authors and illustrators signed copies of their books for throngs of excited and eager booksellers.

(l.-r.) Verlean Singletary of Da Book Joint in South Holland, Ill., ABA board member Kathy Burnette from Brain Lair Books in South Bend, Ind., and Tameca Lyons of Brown Babies Books in Evanston, Ill., spent some time catching up after Renée Watson's morning keynote.

The Understanding Cost of Goods session was designed to teach booksellers how to calculate the cost of goods sold (COGS) and maximize it for increased profitability. Panelists created a foundation for understanding COGS so that booksellers can compare their information to ABACUS data. (l.-r.) Josh Christie, Print: A Bookstore, Portland, Maine; Rebekah Rine, Watermark Books & Café, Wichita, Kan.; ABA CFO PK Sindwani; and Tegan Tigani, of Queen Anne Book Company, Seattle, Wash., and ABA president.

At Tuesday's author reception, Tracey Baptiste (l.) with her forthcoming Moko Magic: Carnival Chaos. It's the inaugural title from the new Disney imprint Freedom Fire, spearheaded by author Kwame Mbalia (r.), with the imprint's sophomore title, Jax Freeman and the Phantom Shriek.

Tundra authors Ben Clayton (l.) and David A. Robertson (r.) show off new paperbacks of the first books in each of their series: Narwhal and Jelly (Super Pod Party Pack, books one and two) and the Misewa Saga, respectively.

Ruth Chan (l.) holds up her middle-grade graphic novel memoir, Uprooted: A Memoir About What Happens When Your Family Moves Back (Roaring Brook Press), next to Craig Kofi Farmer and his middle-grade fantasy debut, Kwame Crashes the Underworld (Roaring Brook Press).

The newly joined marketing and sales teams of Candlewick, Holiday House, and Peachtree held a celebratory dinner last evening. Authors in attendance included (l.-r.) Cheryl Willis Hudson (When I Hear Spirituals), Megan McDonald (Fairy Door Diaries), Jodi Meadows (Bye Forever, I Guess), Dina Havranek (Giddy Barber Explodes in 11), Meg Medina (No More Señora Mimi), and Juan Vidal (A Second Chance on Earth).

On the first day of the 2024 Children's Institute in New Orleans, the American Booksellers Association dedicated two bookseller panels to publisher-focused education: Booksellers Present on Children's Events in the 2020s and Middle Grade Market Discussion. The intention of the events panel was to show how events (virtual, hybrid, and in-person) have evolved since the onset of Covid-19, investigate factors that impact the needs of bookstores and customers in relation to events and school visits, and discuss ways to cultivate cross-industry collaboration. In the middle-grade market space, booksellers spoke about the recent decline in middle-grade readership, shared trends bookstores are seeing, suggested ideas for addressing the issue, and invited audience members (both publishers and booksellers) to collaborate on ideas.

Nahin Cano of the Seminary Co-Op Bookstore in Chicago, Ill., Angie Zhao from bbgb in Richmond, Va., Lupe Penn of Bookmarks in Winston-Salem, N.C., and Brein Lopez from Children's Book World in Los Angeles, Calif., started the event panel by noting several post-pandemic realities: there has been a decrease in early and middle-grade readers, as well as a slide in reading ability and reading preparation for young kids; children's knowledge of bookstores has decreased; and many pandemic benefits families relied upon have run out. With these new realities, the panelists said, there are four main things bookstores and the publishers who work with and support them need to reevaluate when it comes to events and school visits: event size and outside venue requirements; pre-sale expectations to support access; touring schedules and academic calendars; and publisher transparency.

(l.-r.) Brein Lopez, Children's Book World, Los Angeles; Lupe Penn, Bookmarks in Winston-Salem, N.C.; Nahin Cano, Seminary Co-Op Bookstore in Chicago; Angie Zhao, bbgb in Richmond, Va.

Most of the discussion between the panelists and members of the audience revolved around school visits, the need for transparency, and the importance of publishers having a working knowledge of when schools open and close across the country. Lopez noted that pub dates are a real challenge: "Publishers take their best books and publish them all on September 3. School visits can't happen on September 3!" Instead, he said, the best time to have an author touring schools is after the book has had some time to circulate and grow an audience among the students.

Some suggestions from the panelists included leaning into hybrid models for events: Zhao, Penn, and Cano all said they create forms with a QR code that can be sent home to the students' caretakers. They then build a webpage specifically for the author visit, allowing them to coordinate behind the scenes. This model, Penn said, ends in better sales for the stores. "Parents can send in cash, check, or use the QR code... allowing for significantly more purchases than it did previously." The panelists also noted the success they've achieved through "floating" meet and greets. "Our goal and mission are to ignite the love of reading," Penn said. In the floating meet and greets Penn has done, the middle-grade author is in attendance and there are activities for kids and for caretakers. This allows people to come in when they want, leave when they want, and no child has to sit quietly and be on their best behavior for the author.

The booksellers asked publishers to set author expectations: outside events are expensive, Cano said, and it's important to consider whether the need and the market are there. Lopez added: "Be as frank with your authors as we are as with you. You want people to come into the store--as opposed to an outside event--because they'll buy more books!" They noted that it's difficult to run YA events, but that publishers could use TikTok or Instagram to publicize small meetups to activate communities of readers. And they requested publisher websites list the indie bookstores as a first place to purchase books, especially when the author is one who specifically focuses on signing materials and promoting their local indies. One additional note from Lopez: "Ask the author to give us a 30-second reel that says, 'I am coming to your school soon.' " That video, he said, can be used across many forms of media and act as a draw for children and caretakers.

(l.-r.) Cathy Berner, Blue Willow Bookshop, Houston, Tex.; Cynthia Compton, 4 Kids Books & Toys, Zionsville, Ind.; Kathy Burnette, Brain Lair Books, South Bend, Ind.; Brenna Connor, Circana

The Middle Grade Market Discussion focused on readers between the ages of nine to 12 and included Kathy Burnette of Brain Lair Books in South Bend, Ind., Cynthia Compton from 4 Kids Books & Toys in Zionsville, Ind., Cathy Berner of Blue Willow Bookshop in Houston, Tex., and Brenna Connor of the consumer data company Circana. Connor began by stating that young reader and middle reader are posting the steepest declines year over year, but middle-grade readers are the only group posting declines below pre-pandemic years. "Thank you for very interesting and disturbing trends," Berner said.

Compton and Burnette both listed their top concerns. Compton focused on: a huge decline in hardcover sales ("We've hit the scary number.... Sticker shock happens at $18" and any book "over 225 pages is a deal breaker."); growth in graphic novel reading has segmented middle-grade readers away from more traditional novels, meaning that, if they're not jumping into a series at the age-appropriate level, they're never going to pick that story up later; and parents with more than one child have set expectations for what their child should be reading, which means they have opinions and ideas about what is an appropriate title for their young reader.

Burnette's major concerns mostly aligned with Compton's, with a specific focus on paperback books: "We need more series that start in paperback"--hardcovers are pricing young readers out. People are looking for paperbacks in almost every section, she said, with sticker shock setting in around $16 for paperbacks. There also needs to be fewer graphic novels in hardcover--graphic novels, she said, should always be paperback. And, as Compton mentioned, middle-graders simply don't have the reading stamina for something that is 300 pages long.

Connor pointed out additional data about consumer spending. She said that conflicting macroeconomic factors are impacting consumer spending: while some pressure on wallets is easing (inflation slowing, strong labor market), consumer packaged goods prices are still high, and debt is at record levels. Beyond that, headwinds such as a declining population rate and parents facing difficulties that other consumers aren't facing (like the end of SNAP benefits, childcare grants, and a lack of Medicaid continuity) are all impacting the children's market. Simply, all middle-grade formats are down, with trade paperback contributing to more than two-thirds of the middle-grade declines. "Everything is in decline," Connor said, "so it's a bit doom and gloom."

Connor noted that the top trends in adult fiction sales can also be seen in middle-grade titles. Adults are largely buying romantasy (such as Rebecca Yarros and Sara J. Maas), followed by thrillers and sci-fi. Pockets of growth in middle-grade can be found in similar areas, such as dragons (led by Wings of Fire series and Dragon Girl), adventure stories (series like Percy Jackson, I Survived, Spy School), robots (Wild Robot series, A Rover's Story, Transformers), and wilderness stories (The Eyes and the Impossible, Hatchet, A Horse Named Sky). There has also been a strong uptick in demand for Spanish-language titles, picture book through YA.

Overall, the panelists had suggestions on how publishers can help indies sell books. Marketing support like a value-add (pens, bookmarks, special items with purchase) can be hugely helpful; virtual event opportunities that include packages to pitch to school partners can increase sales; more accessible price points will reduce sticker shock; simultaneous Spanish-language and paperback releases open accessibility; and limited editions and other exclusives excite readers. The booksellers also expressed their sincere appreciation for ARCs--"We know how much they cost," Berner said, but they are hugely useful. "Please keep spending money on ARCs." --Siân Gaetano, children's and YA editor, Shelf Awareness

Monday night at the Evening of Readings and Gala Dinner in New York City, hosted by journalist Cynthia McFadden, Literacy Partners celebrated its 50th birthday, honored champions of literacy, and raised $1.1 million to support innovative literacy education, advocacy, and programming and create a brighter future for New York City residents and the low-income and immigrant families that Literacy Partners serves. Honors included:

HarperCollins CEO Brian Murray with Shelf Awareness's Matt Baldacci

The Literacy Leadership Award, given to HarperCollins, a Literacy Partners partner for more than 30 years, for its "200-year legacy of promoting literary excellence" and its support of Literacy Partners' literacy initiatives.

The Lifetime Achievement Award, which went to Michael Korda, the former Simon & Schuster editor and author, for leaving "an indelible mark on the publishing world" and for his "commitment to advancing literacy."

The Spirit of Literacy Award, which honored ABC News anchor and author Deborah Roberts and Today Show anchor and author Al Roker's "dedication to literacy, as award-winning authors and journalists, inspiring countless individuals for decades."

The Lizzie Award, celebrating Elizabeth T. Peabody, board president of Droste Mental Health Services and "a close friend of our patron saint, Liz Smith, and someone who embodies Lizzie's tireless devotion to promoting literacy."

Lifetime Achievement honoree Michael Korda

In addition, the Champion of Literacy Award honored four "extraordinary literary powerhouses":

• Julia Alvarez, "a pioneering and widely-recognized Dominican-American author whose 50-year career has amplified the voices of Latina authors."
• Viola Davis, "Academy Award-winning actress, producer, New York Times bestselling author, and founder of JVL Media which gives voice to underrepresented authors."
• Ethan Hawke, "four-time Academy Award-nominated artist and one of Hollywood's most multi-faceted stars: actor, screenwriter, director, producer, and bestselling novelist."
• Anthony Tassi, Literacy Partners CEO, "whose visionary leadership over the past 11 years has profoundly impacted the organization's mission."

"Happy Pride Month! Read with PRIDE all month long with this fantastic selection of books," McLean & Eakin Booksellers, Petoskey, Mich., advised while showcasing the bookshop's Pride Month display on Instagram. 

"Books are always a good idea" was the sidewalk chalkboard message outside Sandmeyer's Bookstore, Chicago, Ill., which noted: "What the sign says!"

In Hachette Book Group's marketing strategy department:

Saimah Haque is promoted to senior director, consumer marketing.

Medina Cekovic is moving into a newly created position of ecommerce marketing manager.

Laurel Stokes is moving into a newly created position of director of metadata strategy & consumer insights.

Jan Rosenberg is joining the team as the new metadata and merchandising associate.

Tomorrow:
CBS Mornings: Glynnis MacNicol, author of I'm Mostly Here to Enjoy Myself: One Woman's Pursuit of Pleasure in Paris (Penguin Life, $30, 9780593655757).

Anjelica Huston will lead a three-part adaptation of Agatha Christie's classic mystery novel Towards Zero, from the BBC and Britbox International. Variety reported that the project is being adapted for screen by BAFTA-nominated writer Rachel Bennette (NW) and directed by Sam Yates (Magpie). 

The series also stars Oliver Jackson-Cohen, Ella Lily Hyland, Mimi Keene, Jackie Clune, Grace Doherty, Jack Farthing, Khalil Gharbia, Adam Hugill, Clarke Peters, Matthew Rhys, and Anjana Vasan.

"I have long been a fan of Agatha Christie and the murder-mystery genre and always love the opportunity to film in England," Huston said. "I am thrilled to be working with director Sam Yates and this wonderful cast, and excited to play the clever and dignified Camilla, Lady Tressilian."

James Prichard, executive producer for Agatha Christie Limited, commented: "This is a very special production. Rachel has done an extraordinary job on making my great-grandmother's story even more dramatic, intense and troubling. Add in a cast of this caliber and viewers are in for a real treat."

Ted Chiang won the 2024 PEN/Bernard and Ann Malamud Award for Excellence in the Short Story, which recognizes writers "who have demonstrated exceptional achievement in the short story form." He will be honored at the annual PEN/Malamud Award Ceremony, held in partnership with American University, on December 6. 

"Ted Chiang's stories are an absolute wonder to behold," said Jung Yun, PEN/Malamud Award committee chair. "Not only do they demonstrate his exceptionally high standards for creativity and construction, they also invite readers to think, imagine, and explore unique worlds beyond their own. Whether set in an alternate version of the past, or one possible version of the future, his work prompts important questions that are deeply relevant to how we live today. In doing so, Chiang exemplifies Bernard Malamud's belief that a short story can produce 'the surprise and effect of a profound knowledge in a short time.' "

Chiang's fiction has won four Hugo, four Nebula, and six Locus Awards, and has been reprinted in Best American Short Stories. His first collection, Stories of Your Life and Others, has been translated into 21 languages, and the title story was the basis for the Oscar-nominated film Arrival. His second collection, Exhalation, was chosen by the New York Times as one of the 10 Best Books of 2019.

"I cannot overstate how surprised and delighted I am to be a recipient of the PEN/Malamud Award for Excellence in the Short Story," Chiang said. "The short story has played a central role in the history of science fiction; I grew up reading anthologies where every story contained a different world, and I feel privileged to be a part of science fiction's growing acceptance in the wider literary world. As a writer I appreciate the way the short story allows me to focus on a single idea or moment, and it's wonderful to receive an award that celebrates the form."

Alexandra Garyn and Bryan Reisberg are parents to Maxine the Fluffy Corgi, an Instagram-famous pup with more than a million followers. They are also the authors of the picture book Maxine Gets a Job, illustrated by Susan Batori (Random House Books for Young Readers). Garyn, Reisberg, and Maxine live in Brooklyn, N.Y., where Maxine can often be seen traveling, snugly tucked into a pack on Reisberg's back.

Handsell readers your book in 25 words or less:

Our book is all about finding your passion in life and doing what you love, as told through the eyes of an adorable fluffy corgi. What's not to love?!

On your nightstand now: 

Garyn: Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin. I took a break from reading this to switch to baby books when I became pregnant and am excited to pick it back up now that our son has been born!

Reisberg: Oof, too many. I have this awful habit recently of buying books that I really want to read, reading about 100 pages, and then putting it down and not coming back to it. We just had a [human] kid, so I have these tiny spurts of reading. Right now, I'm through the first 100 pages of Jonathan Haidt's Anxious Generation and there's no telling when I'm going to return. But it's really good and terrifying. Yes, I also recognize the irony of a social media influencer reading that book.

Favorite book when you were a child:

Garyn: The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein. This story has always captivated me and broken my heart at the same time. 

Reisberg: The Jolly Postman by Allan Ahlberg, illustrated by Janet Ahlberg. I loved taking the mail out of the envelope. I still love getting mail to this day, although mail is a bummer when you're an adult.

Your top five authors:

Garyn: John Steinbeck, Stephen King, J.K. Rowling (while I don't agree with her recently shared sociopolitical viewpoints, Harry Potter's impact on my childhood was undeniably profound), Chuck Palahniuk, Ottessa Moshfegh.

Reisberg: Philip Roth, Roald Dahl, Dr. Seuss, Toni Morrison, Jonny Sun.

Book you've faked reading:

Garyn: Ulysses by James Joyce. To be honest, I also faked reading Joyce's A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man and Finnegans Wake. I am not a huge fan of the stream-of-consciousness writing style. 

Reisberg: Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace. Need I say more?

Book you're an evangelist for:

Garyn: I have convinced almost everyone I know to read East of Eden by John Steinbeck. It is my favorite book of all time. I even wrote my senior thesis about it. It's part classic American novel and part soap opera... say less.

Reisberg: An Immense World by Ed Yong. Truly mind blowing to learn about how animals perceive the world.

Book you've bought for the cover:

Garyn: The Travelers by Regina Porter. I'm a sucker for the bright colors. Also, Circe by Madeline Miller, which ended up being one of my favorite books of 2018.

Reisberg: The Creative Act by Rick Rubin.

Book you hid from your parents:

Garyn: I don't think I ever did this. My parents were very open and were thrilled that I loved to read so much.

Reisberg: Private Parts by Howard Stern. I remember that it was hidden in a toiletry cabinet and there were naked pictures somewhere in there. That might've also been the book that my dad was hiding from my mom.

Book that changed your life:

Garyn: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling. I was instantly hooked and devoured each book as it was released. I still revisit the series and reread it in its entirety every two years or so.

Reisberg: Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike by Phil Knight. I read that before my partner and I launched our pet company, Little Chonk.

Favorite line from a book:

Garyn: "It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live." --Albus Dumbledore, speaking the truth. These are words to live by.

Reisberg: "It's not about what it is, it's about what it can become." --The Lorax, Dr. Seuss

Five books you'll never part with:

Garyn: My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh. I loved this book SO MUCH that after I finished it, I immediately read almost everything else she's ever written.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling. This is easily my favorite of the series.

Rant: The Oral Biography of Buster Casey by Chuck Palahniuk. This was my introduction to him as an author.

A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara. Engaging, beautiful, and absolutely heartbreaking.

East of Eden by John Steinbeck. You can probably tell from my previous answer!

Reisberg: Sabbath's Theater by Philip Roth. This is probably one of the most underrated Philip Roth novels I've ever read. Laugh out loud, real cringe. Just perfect.

Easy Riders, Raging Bulls by Peter Biskind. After graduating from film school at NYU, I read this and spent the next year watching all the classics from the '60s-'70s, which was more film school than actual film school

Becoming Dr. Seuss by Brian Jay Jones. Reading this just felt like home. I don't know why. One of the warmest reading experiences I've ever had. Couldn't put it down.

A Light in the Attic by Shel Silverstein. I read "The Meehoo with an Exactlywatt" about 100 times. This probably led to my love of comedy and specifically Abbott and Costello.

Maxine Gets a Job. I know this feels like a cop-out, but it's true. I know one day we'll have to say goodbye to Maxine, so I'm truly grateful to have this book that we'll have for the rest of our lives.

Book you most want to read again for the first time:

Garyn: The Shining by Stephen King. I can watch the movie over and over, but the ending of the book is so much better, and I wish I could read it for the first time again.

Reisberg: Easy Riders and Raging Bulls by Peter Biskind. Not really for the prose, but for the introduction to the American New Wave of the '70s which left an indelible mark on me as a young 20-something in New York City.

Wordplay abounds in the delightfully madcap and meta The Dictionary Story by the first-rate duo behind A Child of Books, Sam Winston and Oliver Jeffers. The picture book, illustrated by Jeffers, is inspired by one with the same title "originally created" by Winston in 2001. The story opens with a cerulean dictionary that stands apart from the other books. The books, all grouped together lined up with spines out, "knew what they were about," but Dictionary "was never quite sure of herself." She was filled with words, after all, but she didn't have a story to tell.

One day, Dictionary decides to take matters into her own hands and set some words free. A hungry alligator breaks through a list of words on an "A" page. The alligator makes a beeline for the donut in the "D" pages (a donut who, entertainingly, exclaims things like "Oh sprinkles" while being chased). Along the way, chaos ensues as they collide with an unassuming ghost, a cloud, a puddle, the moon, Queen, a tornado who throws a tantrum, and more. Finally Dictionary, who is dismayed that "nothing was in the right place or even making sense," calls on her friend Alphabet to help tidy things up.  

The authors' imaginative humor shines in text-heavy dictionary pages punctuated by the appearance of the alphabet-inspired creatures, illustrated in Jeffers's distinctive naïve style. His saturated colors stand out on the dictionary's sepia-toned pages as the characters begin to dominate the spreads and eventually walk on columns of text, as if performing on a stage of words. The joy is in the details in this story meant for misfits (like Ms. Dictionary herself): readers who take their time turning the pages will find gifts in the tiny print. The spread in which the alligator first disrupts the story, for instance, partly defines "arithmetic" with the following: "Numbers are really useful for knowing how many things there are of something. Once you run out of fingers, numbers can give you a hand." The definition for "alas" includes, "For example, when Mr. Serious turns up at the party and all the fun has to stop." There's plenty more of that for observant readers throughout this lively tale. Even the names of the book in the opening pages entertain: My Cat and Other Animals; Famous Mistakes; Forgotten Jokes; and more. This playful celebration of language is sure to delight word lovers of all ages. --Julie Danielson, reviewer

Shelf Talker: This madcap and meta celebration of words depicts a dictionary setting out to tell her own story.