What the books?

I've been in and around the world of book pusher for about half my life. I've been a book pusher in a for profit environment (store of books) and in non-profit environment (collective storage and use of books).

So, what I experienced today broke me in heart and soul.

We are going to meet a new life tomorrow. Friends of ours have been blessed with a new addition to their family, and asked people to bring their favorite books to start the child's library off right. I have several books that are go to for me, as I have a number of favorites from my time as a seller of books, and as a custodian of books. My partner has several favorites as well, and I'm mindful to include those, since it's a gift from us.

I've never had any problem getting the titles that are my go to. Some of my favorites are anything by Graeme Base - Aminalia in particular - because his artwork is amazing, and it's something you can come back to as the child grows and look through and see new things. Animalia is fantastic for that, as each letter has an accompanying artwork where everything in that picture begins with that letter. It's fun to see a number of "geeky" and "nerdy" bits in there, like Daleks among the "D" picture. Another favorite is Wump World by Bill Peet, which was a favorite of my partner when they were growing up. Those are the go to books, with whatever floats my goats after that.

I will admit, it's been a few years since I last shopped for picture books. However, these were titles that were always available at any of the local bookstores that were in the area. Especially the large chains. They were available in paperback or hardcover (and I believe Bill Peet's books were only available in paperback only.)

Tonight, after getting a late start, we ran out to the chain bookstore that was closest to our errands.

The bookstore was... shocking. I'm used to going to this chain where comfort and availability have been the focus for all the years I've been going there. (At this point, that puts it at... several decades.) The new store is a fraction of the size of their old location. The carpeting have disappeared, and the whole store felt... sterile. Everything was white, light wood, and bright. I get that they need to do something to stay "relevant" in the world of Amazon, but... this was a shock to the system. And not in a good way.

Went to the tiny children's area, and ... no paperback picture books. None. Nothing. Oh, sure, they had the hardcover ones, but they didn't have anything by Base or Peet. Which is odd to me, because these are titles they've always had. Base was one they even had available in hardcover, which was fantastic as a book that you wanted to give for someone to have for years.

This new, modern store didn't have that great of a selection. I mean, they had titles. But not the fantastic selection that they used to have. The few sections I looked at, it was all small, and either classic titles, or the modern favorites. Not a whole lot of betweens. (So, a lot whatever the latest titles are, as well as the ones most normal people get for newborns.  It's like having a Maya Angelou book of poetry, and Shel Silverstein, but nothing else.)

We exit, quickly, stage left, pursued by bear and run to the old location. Oddly enough, a bookstore has gone up in the two storied location that the chain store used to occupy. The best way I can describe this non-chain (as far as I know, as it's the only one I've seen), is that they kept everything that the chain store left behind and decided to try to sell it for them selves. Sure, there's a lot more room, since everything good has been pretty much moved out, but they still had the old kids' section.

No paperback picture books.

I even went to the Help Island. (Okay, not what it's called, but it's what I call them.)

I waited about five precious minutes before I turned to my partner and said "Fuck it, I'll just pick something."

As I'm back in the section, then an employee comes up and tells us (helpfully?) that the store is going to be closing soon. I didn't ask if it was for the night or for good, but instead asked where the paperback picture books were.

"We don't get them. We're only sent hardcovers."

There were more words exchanged, and I'm not proud of myself for taking my growing frustration out on some high schooler that worked there. Again, they didn't have the books I was looking for, and it was kinda pissing me off.

Partner, wonderful, smart, and sane (also wise), remembered that there was a Half Priced nearby. It'd only been open a year, but it was better than nothing.

Yes. I could have just sucked it up and bought two hard cover picture books that I had no  connection to, but I figured I'd rather take a gamble and see what treasures we could find at Half Priced.

We found on title by Graeme Base, and it wasn't Animalia. We found one title by Bill Peet, but it wasn't Wump World.

What I ended up doing, though, since it was Half Priced, was get a selection of paperback and hard covered books. Four of them. A nice selection, and they looked decent. And I got all of them for less than two hard covered books that I could have bought at the Chain and the store that replaced the chain.

Were they titles that I wanted? Not my first choices, but they were titles I was familiar with. Titles I'd read to kids during story times, and I'd read to the little ones my family members have. They are titles I love, as well as ones I'm familiar with - like a collection of poetry, because every child needs a book of poetry, boy or girl or enby or fluid. Poetry, stories, myths, all of them are important to everyone's lives. Children, especially.

And I think this is what kills me most about the lack of paperback picture books in the stores. Books belong in everyone's lives. It's what allows us to imagine, dream, and learn. Paperback picture books are more affordable than one hardcover  book. And while some would argue quality over quantity, when it comes to words and children, more and varied is better.

There  are libraries, and those are fantastic. Don't get me wrong, I'm a big supporter of libraries. They're one of the last bastions of freedom from consumerism, commercialism, and having to buy. But owning books is also just as important as borrowing. There's something important about knowing that your book, your favorite book, will be there for you when you get home, and you don't have to give it back.

If we want to be better than we are right now - in a near dystopian society where the rich rule and the poor suffer - we need everyone to be better education. And a good education starts with having access to books, and not just access to books, but to have them be physically present in the home. To find joy in reading is to start a foundation of learning.

And to deny access to books... Yes, that's what I see a lack of paperback picture books as... it's classist, denying books to those that can't afford them.