After reading a children’s picture book about Easter, it got me wondering how Easter is celebrated in the publishing world for children. So I did a search on Amazon for how many books have been published covering this topic since 2009. Amazon currently shows 55 picture books for Easter.
Books for Halloween in that same time frame are at 80 titles. That should not be a surprise as Halloween is now the biggest retail season after Christmas. Halloween and Christmas judging by publishing standards, are both secular holidays. However, there are still a number of holdouts that proclaim the birth of Christ for Christmas. You will still find those titles in Barnes and Noble and others as well celebrating our nation’s Christian heritage.
A few months back I did some research on Christian Children’s books. I checked out the children’s books in Christian book stores as well as national chains. That’s when I discovered that B & N had a section for children by Christian writers. Then I went to Borders books. I had to ask a clerk where they kept the Christian inspired children’s books. It was pointed out to me and was relegated to the bottom shelf in a corner and only consisted of a couple of prayer books and children’s Bibles. I guess they never ran across the wonderful fairy tales by Max Lucado with the beautiful illustrations. Fancy Nancy books were more important and needed more space.
Back to the subject of Easter picture books…So how is Easter celebrated by the picture book publishers? I’ll leave that to the words found in a publisher’s jacket flap…Capturing the precious memories and emotions of the Easter holiday, this book commemorates the magical traditions of the… Easter bunny’s arrival. Yes, it’s all about the Easter eggs. The secular press has done themselves proud in almost obliterating what was once the tradition that almost every family celebrated – going to church on Easter Sunday. Hmmn, maybe that gives me inspiration about writing an Easter story.
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ReplyDeleteKudos for Amazon for embracing that genre and providing a one stop shop where parents can find these useful books. A short story with vivid photos is all it takes to capture a childs imagination. The added bonus of teaching them about the meaning of Easter is priceless!
ReplyDeleteWe are self-published authors of delightful children's picture book titled Sisters Are From Heaven. We contacted local book stores including Barnes and Nobles and Borders asking how we might have our book included at their stores. The answer was 'we don't deal with self-published authors'. Amazon snapped us up quickly and we are featured there as well.
There are so many great self-published titles available but not as visible as others picked up and marketed by major publishers. But with such positive messages expressing the true reasons for the seasons, they won't stay unknown for long.
I too enjoy and review children's books online. In my other life I was a teacher/librarian/principal. I try to inspire parents and teachers to not only see that the kids learn the skill of reading but know the love of reading. There is a children's book for every occasion and event in life and my mission is to expose kids to as many of them as I can. Appreciate your passion of the written word.
ReplyDeleteGlad to see that others can see the importance of inspiring the next generation.
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