September
Book buyers’ picks
Small story,
big lesson
book picks
NEARLY 20 YEARS ago, American Girl
introduced a baby doll, Bitty Baby, with the
intent of fostering nurturing play among girls
age 3 years and older. Sure, Bitty Baby has
outfits and accessories, but she’s always lacked
the story-rich books of the bigger dolls.
“We’re really known for the stories, espe-
cially with the line for older girls,” explains
Stephanie Spanos, a spokesperson for
American Girl. “Story is considered the heart
of what we do. We wanted to do that for
younger girls as well.”
So, the company turned to children’s
author Kirby Larson to write a series of mean-
ingful picture books that address kindness,
curiosity, bravery and more.
“[American Girl has] been a lot of fun to
work with, and it’s been fun to get in touch
with that 4-year-old voice inside, which evidently is still there,” says Costco member
Larson, the author behind books such as The
Friendship Doll, Nubs, Two Bobbies and the
2007 Newbery Honor Book Hattie Big Sky.
Once chosen for the project, Larson says,
she got in Bitty Baby mode and wrote seven of
the eight titles in the series in one year.
“It was interesting to think about what
would worry little kids,” says Larson about the
scary noises and recital jitters faced by her
very young heroines. “I think sometimes
adults dismiss books for younger readers
because they aren’t dealing with earth-shat-
tering issues like surviving in the wilderness.
But these are issues that are really important
to a child.”
Each book includes a fantasy story within
the story where Bitty Baby solves the problem
her human best friend is facing. Each book
features illustrations by Sue Cornelison, and
each has two “For Parents” pages, written by
child psychologist Laurie Zelinger. These
pages provide information designed to help
parents discuss matters such as anxiety, travel,
play and more.
“These books give [children] a safe place to
puzzle things out,” Larson tells The Connection.
“That was one of the most challenging parts of
the writing: making sure I wasn’t bringing too
much adult sensibility to it.
“If we set out to teach a lesson, it would
fall flat,” she adds. “But if you just focus on
telling the best story you can, you are going to
connect with someone’s heart.”
—Stephanie E. Ponder
The Costco Connection
Bitty Baby the Brave with mini elephant,
Bitty Baby at the Ballet with mini bunny and
Bitty Baby Loves the Snow with mini bear
are available in most Costco warehouses.
ing into those long-forgotten memories, murders begin to happen. It’s all the proof J.P.
needs to know his thoughts haven’t been just
drug-induced hallucinations.
—Lindsay Bubitz, assistant buyer, books
NONFICTION
The Chew: What’s For Dinner?, from the hosts
of The Chew. If I’m in the kitchen, chances are
I’m baking or decorating cupcakes. Every now
and then I toy with the idea of expanding my
culinary skills, but it’s a fleeting thought. If any
book can get me to pack away my cupcake
tins, however briefly, it’s this one, with 100
recipes for every night of the week, contributed by each of the show’s hosts from their
areas of expertise. Designed to match the
rhythm of daily life, the recipes help with
everything from making the most of leftovers
and creating healthy versions of traditional
dishes to using up leftovers for midweek meals
and wowing friends on the weekends.
—Shana Lind-Stowers, assistant buyer, books
Michael Symon’s 5 in 5, by Michael Symon.
As a new mother, my life has become all about
finding shortcuts for everything but spending
time with my little one. Food preparation is
no exception. Symon has a simple formula to
help home cooks pull together fresh meals
that require a maximum of five fresh ingredients and cook in five minutes. Symon teaches
readers how to set up their pantries with the
essentials and then shares 120 recipes for a
variety of mains, sandwiches, skillet dinners
and more for all busy families.
—Jonna Erickson-Outlaw, assistant buyer, books
FICTION
Songs of Willow Frost, by Jamie Ford. I can’t
help but think that most of us saw someone
on TV or in a movie and wished we could
have that character as a parent. (In case you’re
curious, I very much wanted to be one of
Shirley Partridge’s “chicks.”) Ford takes that
idea and weaves it into a beautiful story of an
orphaned boy searching for his mother. After
seeing Willow Frost in a movie, 12-year-old
William Eng leaves his orphanage to prove
the film star is his mother. Roaming the
streets of Depression-era Seattle, William
learns surprising facts about his past and his
connection to the actress.
—Beth Alley, inventory control specialist, books
Second Watch, by J.A. Jance. As a Pacific
Northwest native, I’m a sucker for novels set in
this area. One of my favorite series is Jance’s J.
P. Beaumont series. In this, the 21st book about
the Seattle investigator, knee surgery has him
off his feet and dreaming of people he knew
and things he did decades ago. While he’s look-
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features illustrations by Sue Cornelison, and
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