Dear Bookstore

by Emily Arrow, Geneviève Godbout (Illustrator)

Overview

Notes From Your Bookseller

A celebration of bookstores sure to inspire a love of reading in young minds yet to get lost among the shelves.

A picture-book love letter to bookstores, inspired by a song from award-winning children’s songwriter and ukulele player Emily Arrow.

Dear Bookstore, I remember
the first time I ever visited you.

For one little girl, the local bookstore is not only the beginning of her reading journey, it’s a world that’s always there for her—one that allows her imagination to soar, provides any answers she needs, and sparks her curiosity. It’s a place of wishes and dreams, where everybody and every book fits in. There’s always someone there who is happy to see her and help find her next exciting chapter. With cozy, fanciful illustrations by Geneviève Godbout and based on musician Emily Arrow’s song of the same name, Dear Bookstore is an ode to bookstores, the people who love them, and the books that fill them with magic.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781536210699
Publisher:	Candlewick Press
Publication date:	03/11/2025
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	7.40(w) x 10.70(h) x 0.50(d)
Age Range:	3 - 7 Years

About the Author

Emily Arrow (she/they) is an award-winning children’s songwriter, author, and educator known for crafting meaningful stories and songs. Her music albums include Sing Along with Emily Arrow and the Storytime Singalong series. Alongside her ukulele companion, Bow, Emily Arrow aims to inspire young minds, encouraging them to embrace and share their own unique voices. She enjoys going on walks with her dog and partner and finding cozy corners in independent bookshops for reading. Emily Arrow resides in Los Angeles.

Geneviève Godbout is the illustrator of many picture books, including The Pink Umbrella by Amélie Callot, Wherever You’ll Be by Ariella Prince Guttman, and If I Couldn’t Be Anne by Kallie George. Her work has appeared in the Society of Illustrators Original Art Exhibit in New York and on Christmas and holiday stamps for the Canadian postal service. Geneviève Godbout lives in Montreal.

Editorial Reviews

A heartfelt tribute to the power of books and bookstores.
—Kirkus Reviews

This unabashed love letter to independent bookstores traces the crucial role they play.
—Publishers Weekly

From the Publisher

2024-12-14
A child finds a second home in a small bookstore.

“We’re glad you’re here!” The young narrator feels welcome right away; everything—an adorable pup, the books all around, even the soft, comfy chair—seems to be extending an enthusiastic greeting. A friend shares the child’s belief that the store is full of magic. On each return visit, the bookseller welcomes the protagonist and asks what books the little one is seeking. Whether the child craves mysteries, adventure, or stories that “twinkle,” the perfect book is always right there. Brief, highly expressive text and fantastical illustrations adeptly capture the child’s love for the bookshop. Many scenes are bathed in a dreamy, nostalgia-hued mist. As children and adults peruse the books, their dreams take flight in the form of bright yellow birds, flowers, animals, and strange creatures that float against a purple backdrop. As time passes, the narrator becomes a writer, who hosts a book signing at the store; the bookseller, now gray-haired, carries a stack of books, and the protagonist’s friend has become a painter. Though the narrator realizes that bookstores are facing challenges (“People weren’t reading books anymore—they mostly just read screens,” a neighbor notes), the beloved shop is still here, filled with readers and their dreams. The narrator is light-skinned, while the friend and the bookseller are Black, and their community is diverse.

A heartfelt tribute to the power of books and bookstores. (author’s note)(Picture book. 4-9)

Kirkus Reviews