What Today's Bestselling Children's Books are Really Telling Us

Photo - ELK Publishing

​Every generation that ever was - believes childhood has changed forever.
When the progress of television arrived; it was once blamed. Then, society blamed video games. Then, came smartphones.  And today… well, it is artificial intelligence, streaming platforms and endless digital distractions that dominate the conversation. It seems like the never-ending circle of progress, somehow takes away how childhood is meant to be lived, and experienced.

Yet, despite all of the changes, one thing remains remarkably consistent - children continue to fall in love, with stories.  Heck, to be honest – I think we all fall in love with stories. We only need to look at today's bestselling children's books, for they reveal something quite surprising; something quite amazingly part of our innate structure, as human beings.
Books find their way into children's bedrooms and tend to remain on their bookshelves when they share, explore and have real qualities that have endured for decades - comfort, humour, familiarity, imagination and emotional safety.

Many of the strongest selling children's books are not trying to educate first or impress adults. Yes of course, many of you might know that books were first written to impart some sort of lesson to a child.  It was a way to make sure; a child grew up to be a model human being; one that would behave and conform to societal expectations. But presently, there is a wonderful surge for comfort reading.  Books that explore all the things that a child’s imagination would find immensely satisfying, if it were real. 
Books now create places for children to just simply enjoy visiting; a place of escape, sanctuary and an exploration of life.  There is not that pressure to impart lessons – yes, those books do still exist and are regularly published, but when we see picture books such as - ‘Where is the Green Sheep?’ or ‘The Very Hungry Caterpillar’ and ‘Bluey’ they offer a very predictable, safe rhythm to children. Such books take them to a gentle humour, where the world is still reassuringly consistent.
Brand-new book releases are now offering up those intimate, yet friendly relationship created tales that feature cozy illustrations and hugely relaxing themes.  They are the sorts of books a child can pick up time and time again; read it for hours, put it away and pick it up again for the hundredth time - just to feel that calm, relaxing presence from the tale they selected.  Such books become their friends; someone they can count on to always be the same and never change; a tale that will always be happy or funny or loving.  They are what families might not be, in today’s world of - the fast and the furious of life.
Current Australian bestseller lists continue to feature such enduring classics alongside the newer comfort-focused titles.  And I think that this is a beautiful development, in our world of books and publishing.  It gives me hope that the world will be okay – that it will survive, if books like these always come into existence.
Such books allow for familiar characters, to grow into memorable ones – some with heroic qualities; they build lifelong readers, because they are building real relationships.

Whether it is ‘Bluey’, ‘Dog man’, ‘Diary of a Whimpy Kid’, ‘Wings of Fire’ or a newly emerging detective character - successful children's publishing increasingly centres around returning to familiar friends.  And who in the world does not need a friend? …Yup. We all do. 😊

Photo - ELK Publishing

​Authors and publishers understand that once trust has been built with a character, children eagerly anticipate, the next new adventure. Children see themselves in the character; emote with the character, find strength from their imaginary friends found between the pages of the book.  It is a unique, warm and caring friendship.

Book series continue to dominate bestseller charts, because children enjoy confidence as much as surprise, every time a new instalment of the tale arrives.  Kids look forward to finding their friend, in the bookstore. Such heroic books allow for the establishment of bravery, and with that - confidence is found in real life.

Every new book, is eagerly anticipated; and when illustration appears as pure magic, capturing a child’s imagination, with such colourful and fluid ease – it has never been more important.  Illustrators carry a huge responsibility, to create consistency in those characters that a child scrambles to see.

Children’s publishing has become increasingly illustration-led. This is not to say, the story is not important.  It is just a child’s imagination is captured by colour – because young minds need colour to grow and be fully functioning in the world. Nature does not come in black and white.  And often, I think, we forget that.

Parents and educators recognise that beautiful artwork slows reading down – it captures the imagination, builds fantasy worlds as they pause, notice and chatter about their little friends.

Children learn to read – from words, yes.  But illustrations, make those words real enough to stand off the page. There characters could be duelling their favourite dragon or sailing the seas for treasure in front of their very own eyes. Oh, how the adventure lives so clearly.

Many of our bestselling books today, are so impressively well-illustrated – they could almost be entirely understood, before a single word is read.  Illustration has become part of the storytelling, rather than simply decorating it. No longer is the book seen as a cake with icing – it is an ice-cream cake – where every spoonful is sweet, every nut is unexpected, every caramel stream is a winding adventure to something even tastier.

Humour continues to outsell almost everything.  Kids scramble to their favourite book, in the aisle of a store – quickly trying to steal a moment, where they can zone out and giggle away with their friends.  Adults often search for hidden messages within books, and this is a good thing.  Parents can understand the subtle humour, while being part of the reading process. It helps keep alive the need to read, cements literacy and establishes enjoyment for just being part of life.

The ability to laugh at a character, with a family member who is reading along for the joy of it, creates opportunities for parent-child bonding.  Yes, laughter creates an emotional connection like no other. These books are some of publishing’s strongest performers.
Humour reduces reading anxiety for reluctant readers, for they can engage with the illustrations and feel the humour from the tale, as it is imparted to them.  It becomes a great sense of entertainment and is a huge escape from educational reads. Parents get to bring alive the character’s voice and demeanour – it becomes home theatre, where the parent is the actor in the tale.  These moments are some of the best life memories, created for a child.  

Photo - ELK Publishing

​For middle-grade readers, graphic novels and highly illustrated chapter books continue to perform exceptionally well.  There is an ability to continue with their favourite characters, without the assistance of teacher or parent guidance.  They are still children, still in that stage of highly active-imagination – but are also becoming more mature readers.  Values, understanding of societal and family expectations are becoming more pressured, upon the young individual. So, there is very much a need, for safe escapism.

Every child needs emotional safety, and the most successful children’s books rarely overwhelm.  Even when youngsters are exploring feelings of loss, courage or uncertainty, good books leave them with a feeling of hope and promise that the world will always have the ability to look rosy.  Young readers want excitement, but they also need reassurance.  

Today's bestselling authors understand that emotional warmth, creates repeat reading. Children often ask for the same book, hundreds of times because they already know how it will end. The feeling of predictability is not weakness - for a child, it can be a sense of intense security. Especially, if their physical world is unstable.

Many aspiring writers believe they must produce something, entirely original. Yet, the marketplace suggests something different.

Readers are not necessarily searching for new ideas, themes nor new characters that they have never seen before. They are searching for stories that make them feel something familiar, in a fresh way.

Simply put, the strongest children's books often combine:

• memorable characters
• beautiful illustrations
• gentle humour
• emotional honesty
• comforting worlds
• simple but meaningful storytelling

These are the qualities that continue to outsell trends, because they speak directly to childhood, itself. Establishing a childhood and maintaining it with integrity, means enlisting such elements to project an atmosphere of safety, to a child. 

While book formats may evolve and technology continues to reshape how publishing emerges, and sustains itself in the marketplace, the heart of children's literature remains unchanged.

Children still want to laugh.

They still want to wonder.

They still want to feel safe enough to imagine impossible things.

The bestselling children's books of today, remind us that successful storytelling has never been about chasing the trends.

It has always been about creating a world that a child cannot wait to return to.
…a place of safety, a place of comfort and familiarity of friends.