This June, Exclusive Books is Celebrating Little Characters, and the theme is as much about paying homage to the large array of children’s books on offer, but also the diversity amongst young readers.
Diversity is one of the key trends in children’s publishing at the moment, and most particularly in local children’s publishing.
Exclusive Books are seeing it in the range of topics covered by children’s books, as well as the designs of covers and the creation of lead characters.
“Unlike in days gone by, children today are exposed to the complexities of our current reality – sometimes a little too much. Books and reading have always helped us understand and process the world and our place in it – and they are needed more now than ever as children navigate and grapple with issues like identity, new concepts of family and illness. A big trend is books on kindness – since covid children are seeing the world as not a very happy place, and cultivating kindness and happiness have become key themes, even for very young readers.”- Batya Bricker – Exclusive Books Marketing, Loyalty and Procurement – General Manager.
One of the techniques for getting young readers hooked on a lifetime habit of reading and books is to introduce them to authors or characters that they fall in love with… Thereafter getting them to read more by that same writer or featuring their beloved protagonist.
The theme Celebrating Little Characters shines the spotlight on some of the unmissable characters in children’s books – characters that we know and love – and for so many of us, represent our first love affair with books.
These range from evergreens like Dr Seuss’ Cat in the Hat and CS Lewis’, or newer ones like Harry Potter, Peppa Pig, Wimpy Kid, and local characters like Wanda or Shudu.
The power of an unforgettable character is proven in the sheer stamina of classics like Peter Rabbit, created in 1893, which continues to be in the top 100 bestsellers in South Africa and the world.
A long way from spelling the end of the book, books that feature on media gain incredible traction on the shelves – particularly for YA (and even NA now) – proving that digital media has encouraged reading, not depleted it.
The prevalence of authors like Adam Silvera, Sara J Maas and Colleen Hoover topping the charts is testament to this.
Booktok, the sub community of the app TikTok that focuses on books, has made a huge impact on books and reading in recent months, so much so, that all Exclusive Books stores now have a dedicated Booktok bay (or even two in some cases).
Streaming platforms are mining the YA offerings and when authors like Jennie Han get exposure on Amazon, we expect an uptick in sales. Netflix did wonders for authors Karen McManus. “On screen” is a section that is also highlighted in stores.
Whilst social and other media drive popularity in the older age categories, value continues to be important to buyers in the picture book market, and so we continue to offer a range of cost-effective picture books, a different range every month, to meet this need.
We are seeing growth in non-fiction for children – for example the leading non fiction publisher DK has grown year on year since the Covid pandemic began.
Our books reflect the current trends in publishing for children:
• Strong female protagonists
• Diverse representation, especially on cover art
• Mysteries have enjoyed a resurgence in popularity, providing a fresh take on Enid Blyton’s Secret Seven recipe.
• And of course – unicorns, dragons, wizards, etc
Exclusive Books Celebrating Little Characters will see a full array of children’s books in the front of the store.
We haven’t chosen a specific list of titles to promote – we wanted to celebrate the almost limitless choices our bookstores offer – Fanatics are being offered DOUBLE POINTS on all children’s book for the month of June.
To add to the excitement Hooked on Books with the Wiggly and Woggly team will be dramatising three story books at the new store opening of Exclusive Books Rosebank on the 4th of June at 10h00 The titles included in the show are The Cow that Laid an Egg, The Best Cow in Show by Andy Cutbill and The Great Hamster Rescue by Lily Roscoe.
Through a festival programme of events at Exclusive Books around the country, we hope to bring readers and books together in that magical meeting place – the bookshop. Here is a list of events taking place in Exclusive Books in June and a quick link Children’s Month Events | Exclusive Books Blog :
[divider] Bedford[/divider]
25 June – Harry Potter 14:00 – 15:00
2 July – Spot 10:00 for 10:30
[divider]Brooklyn[/divider]
4 June – Harry Potter – 11:00 – 12:00
25 June – Haas Das – 11:00 – 12:00
2 July – Spot 11:00 – 12:00
9 July – Grufallo – 11:00 – 12:00
[divider]Canal Walk[/divider]
25 June – Peppa Pig – 12:00 – 13:00
[divider]Cavendish[/divider]
11 June – Bluey – 10:30
25 June – Wanda – 10:30
[divider]Centurion[/divider]
4 June – Wimpy Kid – 11:00
18 June – Wimpy Kid – 11:00
[divider]Constantia[/divider]
18 June – Peter Rabbit – 10:00 for 10:30
14 July – Harry Potter Quiz night – 17:00
15 July – Harry Potter – 10:00 for 10:30
[divider]Cresta[/divider]
25 June – Harry Potter – 12:00 – 12:30 / 13:00 – 13:30
2 July – Bluey – 11:00 – 11:30 / 12:00 – 12:30
[divider]Fourways[/divider]
18 June – Wimpy Kid – 11:00 – 13:00
[divider]Gateway[/divider]
25 June – Bluey – 11:00
[divider]Greenstone[/divider]
18 June – Peppa Pig – 11:00 – 12:00
[divider]Nicolway[/divider]
26 June – Peppa Pig – 11:00 – 13:00
[divider]Kolonnade[/divider]
11 June – Harry Potter – 10:00
18 June – Krok en Dil – 10:00
[divider]Mall of Africa[/divider]
25 June – Harry Potter – 14:00
26 June – Peppa Pig – 14:00
2 July – Wimpy Kid – 14:00
3 July – Peter Rabbit – 14:00
[divider]Melrose Arch[/divider]
11 June – Harry Potter – 12:00 – 13:00
9 July – Gruffalo – 12:00 – 13:00
[divider]Morningside[/divider]
25 June – Harry Potter – 10:00 – 11:00
[divider]Nelspruit[/divider]
4 June – Mangwe the Space Boy – 10:00
25 June – Harry Potter – 10:00 – 11:00
16 July – Krok en Dil – 10:00
[divider]Rosebank[/divider]
11 June – Peppa Pig – 10:30 – 11:00
18 June – Bluey – 10:30 – 11:00
25 June – Wimpy Kid – 10:30 – 11:00
9 July – Peppa Pig – 10:30 – 11:00
16 July – Bluey – 10:30 – 11:00
[divider]Somerset[/divider]
18 June – Peppa Pig – 10:00 (ages 3+)
25 June – Krok en Dil – 10:00 (ages 5+)
14 July – Harry Potter Quiz Night – 18:30 for 19:00 (family night, all ages welcome)
[divider]Mall of the South[/divider]
17 June – Gruffalo – 12:00
24 June – Peppa Pig – 12:00
[divider]Tygervalley[/divider]
2 July – Bennie Boekwurm and Haas Das – 10:00 – 11:00
16 July – Tippie – 10:00 – 11:00
[divider]V&A Waterfront[/divider]
10 June – Peppa Pig – 12:00 – 13:00
17 June – Peter Rabbit – 12:00 – 13:00
26 June – Harry Potter – 12:00 – 13:00
[divider]Woodlands[/divider]
4 June – Gruffalo – 14:30
5 June – Haas Das – 9:30
11 June – Wanda – 14:30
16 June – Harry Potter – 14:30
19 June – Spot – 9:30
25 June – Mangwe the Space Boy – 14:30
26 June – Tippie – 9:30
2 July – Bennie Boekwurm – 14:30
3 July – Gruffalo – 9:30
8 July – Krok en Dil – 14:30
10 July – Peter Rabbit – 9:30
15 July – Bluey – 14:30
16 July – Harry Potter – 14:30
31 July – Harry Potter – 14:30
[divider]King Shaka[/divider]
25 June – Harry Potter – 9:00 – 15:00 (broken up into sessions)