What’s hot in children’s crafts seems to run in cycles.  I remember when my daughter was in the third grade and knitting was all the rage with her group of friends.  Her (very patient) teacher allowed the kids to knit during certain subjects in class.  He described the girls as a bunch of miniature grandmas with knitting needles going clickety-clack, clickety-clack in time to his lessons.  My daughter and I went to the store to buy knitting needles and fancy yarn, only to find the most coveted colors sold out.

That was years ago, but the pattern continues with school-aged kids.  When I first arrived at the Sunnyvale Library, we were flooded with requests for books on lanyards.  There were not a whole lot of craft books dedicated to lanyard-making, but with some searching, we were able to get a nice selection of guides for those kids wanting woven plastic doo-dads.  Now lanyards have gone quiet, and ORIGAMI is in.  We got the jump on that craze.  Not only are there Origami books on the shelves, there are more arriving each month.

How do we know what to buy –  not just for the crafts section but for all the Children’s Department shelves?  We read reviews, talk with other librarians, follow well-known authors, check Amazon top-selling lists, keep an eye on forthcoming books in publisher journals, and generally keep our ears to the ground for what’s new, popular, unique, or useful.  Some of our best reconnaissance, however, comes from the kids in the Children’s Department.  We’re happy to take requests and see if we can add special items to our collection.  If the kids all are talking about something new, please let us know!  Whether balloon animals or button spaceships – when the newest craze starts appearing in backpacks, we want the how-to books ready for check-out.

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