Booksellers
Featured Bookstore
Q: How long has the bookstore been in business?
A:We launched Mailatale in January 2012. We deliver customized monthly children’s book boxes.
Q: Do you have a favourite book?
A:Between the three team members, we have clear childhood favourites: The Little Prince (Le Petit Prince) by Antoine de Saint Exupery, The Phantom Toll Booth by Norton Juster, and The Sneetches and Other Stories, by Dr. Seuss. Since we started our business, one of our new favourite authors is Oliver Jeffers — especially his adorable title The Incredible Book Eating Boy.
Q: Do you have a favourite Anansi or Groundwood book?
A:How can we possibly name our favourite? Since we’ve launched, we’ve used several Groundwood books. Our favourites so far are: Eddie Longpants by Mireille Levert and Amos’s Sweater by Janet Lunn and Kim LaFave. We adore lovable underdogs, which is why these books stayed with us. And when we read the description of a “curmudgeonly” sheep, we knew we would love little Amos!
Q: What are your current hot sellers?
A:Since we’ve launched, we’ve had some winners: Rosalyn Rutabaga and The Biggest Hole on Earth! by Marie-Louise Gay and Meerkat Mail by Emily Gravett. In fact, anything by these authors is usually a huge crowd-pleaser.
Q: 5. What’s the most interesting request or customer experience you’ve had?
A:Since we deliver hand-packaged book boxes, all of our customers have a special place in our heart! Our first customers have been our biggest ambassadors, and we love getting pictures of their little ones opening their boxes and reading their books. One of the most memorable experiences we had was with a customer who purchased a package for his unborn grandson! His first package was going to ship around the same week of his birth date, and we were so honoured to be part of the experience. We got a picture several weeks later, of grandpa reading him his first Lane Smith title: It’s a Little Book. It was a great reminder of why books are truly a gift.
Q: Does your bookstore have an overall philosophy?
A:We believe that sometimes the most fun and frivolous of titles can have the largest impact on a child’s life. We have story-time favourites from when we were young: Seuss, Silverstein, Blume, et cetera. These authors had a powerful impact on our childhoods. We want to pass these storytime moments on to the little readers in our lives. We really believe in the importance of children’s books, so we never send out a package that we don’t love ourselves. We have a favourite quote from author C.S. Lewis: "A children’s story that can only be enjoyed by children is not a good children’s story in the slightest."
Do you have a favorite bookstore? Are you a bookseller and would like your store featured? Send us an email!