Adrien Sdao manages the children’s section at Bookends & Beginnings, 1620 Orrington Ave., and radiates enthusiasm for books for young people.
Sdao has been a bookseller for 12 years and arrived at Bookends a year and a half ago. He said from an early age he found books to be a happy escape, which led him to a career in bookselling.
“When I was little, I would reread the same books over and over and over, and a lot of times I would find new things in them,” he said. “It was very comforting to open up a book, see the characters that I loved and know what was going to happen. Sometimes, I did not have that stability in my own life, and books are dependable.”
Sdao added that although his family did not have much money growing up, he always had books. It was not until he grew into adulthood that he determined that books for young people was his calling.
“I think kids’ books grab me more because I do remember very intensely what it’s like to be a kid,” Sdao said. “There is a unifying thing about kids’ books in that there is a little bit of hope in them, and I find that really helpful to read for myself, in terms of my emotional experience of the story. I’ve read some adult books that really left me not feeling great.”
Children’s bookseller and buyer Adrien Sdao at Bookends & Beginnings displays a delightfully non-scary Halloween read about a girl skeleton and a cat who become friends. Credit: Belinda Lichty Clarke Credit: Belinda Lichty Clarke
A California native, Sdao started out volunteering at a bookstore in Oakland, then landed a paid position at another store, later relocating to Los Angeles, where he continued work and pursued an MFA in writing for young people from Antioch University Los Angeles. From there he went to Kansas State, where he received his second master’s degree, an MA in children’s literature. While still in Kansas, Sdao visited Evanston to interview for the Bookends job, starting as a general bookseller, then taking charge of the kids’ section and now working as a buyer-in-training.
What makes a good kids’ book
The shop’s children’s and young adult collection is thoughtfully curated by Sdao, as evidenced by the intimate knowledge he has of what’s for sale. He also works closely with sales reps and stays on top of new releases.
“It’s a guessing game sometimes, but the sales reps are extremely helpful,” he said. “When I’m ordering picture books, I can usually get a digital copy, and I read through the whole thing. I prefer to do that. I don’t like to order a picture book without knowing how it ends.”
When asked what he looks for or what captures his attention when reviewing possible acquisitions, Sdao said the key is uncovering the unusual.
“Unusual, meaning something that will stretch the imagination of the reader or something with a twist at the end,” he explained. “A lot of times on the last page, they’ll have one last thing, and something changes drastically right at the end — that’s always really fun. And the kids are left going, ‘Oh my gosh, I can’t believe that happened.’”
Graphic novels
Sdao is particularly knowledgeable about graphic novels for young adults, ages 8-12. He said graphic novels have been on the rise for probably the last 10 or more years.
Contributing to this upward trend, he said, is the fact that kids today are raised on screens. Sdao added that this is why graphic novels are important: They help strengthen visual literacy — the ability to interpret, analyze and make meaning from a combination of images, panel layouts and written text. Instead of just looking at pictures that decorate a story, young readers must “read” the artwork as an active part of the narrative.
“I think from the time they’re born, kids have screens in front of them, computers are everywhere, and everybody has their little pocket computer,” Sdao said. “So just being able to quickly decipher what’s happening with graphics can be helpful and more natural for younger kids or younger people.”
One example he points to is Raise the Bar, a graphic novel featuring a Chilean teenager named Sam Sanchez who goes behind her parents’ back to train with her Olympic hero in pursuit of becoming her country’s first weightlifting gold medalist.
Sdao recommends a graphic novel featuring a Chilean teenager who goes behind her parents’ back to train with her Olympic hero. Credit: Belinda Lichty Clarke
He explained he’ll sometimes have a parent who is less enthusiastic about graphic novels because they are not in the traditional narrative format. However, just because the books are image-driven doesn’t make them simpler, he said.
“The panel format is very interesting, and it seems very natural for young people,” he said. “But it’s still left to right, up to down. But it’s a little more dynamic. It’s a little more exciting.
“I think it’s important to lean into the graphic novels, because that’s what kids want. That’s what’s going to get them reading, and they’re meant to be read over and over and over, and you can find new things each time,” Sdao said.
Top pick for fall
Right now, the children’s nook at Bookends & Beginnings has a bit of a spooky flair going on, with a variety of Halloween books on display.
Sdao’s top pick is Brandon James Scott’s The Skeleton and the Cat, which he said is not your typical scary read but instead is a beautiful picture book (for kids roughly ages 4-8) that’s divided into short chapters.
“I love this because it’s just very sweet about the skeleton and the cat trying to be friends and teach each other stuff. It’s very gentle, which is not always the case,” Sdao said. “The skeleton is also a girl skeleton, so I really appreciated that little detail.”
Other favorites
Sounds of Chicago by Adam Gamble and Mark Jasper
An interactive board book for infants to age 3 has buttons accompanying photo layouts that let kids play real sounds representing elements of the city, such as the “L,” Wrigley Field, animals at the Shedd Aquarium and the beach. “It’s a walk through Chicago by sound,” Sdao explains.
Sweet Tart by Kara Thom
An 11-year-old girl named Halle copes with the trauma of witnessing a racehorse’s death through a special friendship with a grieving, soccer-playing pony named Rocky.
“She realizes that the horse who died has a best friend, a horse who is now very lonely, and so she befriends it and starts working at the stable,” Sdao said of the book, aimed at readers 9-12 years old. “It’s a sad book, but it’s a happy book at the same time. It’s hard because of the way it starts, but it gets really beautiful in the end.”
The Incredible 3D Ocean Dive by Peggy Nille
This interactive children’s seek-and-find book for readers ages 3 and up includes 3D glasses to help Hubble the hermit crab find his lost shell while discovering the creatures living under the sea.
“This is a new one that has just a ton of information, but it’s also very beautiful and in 3D. It’s just a really good, fun one,” Sdao said.
Just One Owl by Carolyn Crimi, illustrated by Janie Bynum
A lonely owl searches the forest for a companion and finally finds a new friend who is a bat.
“This is a local author,” Sdao explained. “It’s just very sweet because the owl finds a very interesting friend at the end.”
Raise the Bar by Fernanda Frick H.
A graphic novel featuring a Chilean teenager named Sam Sanchez, who goes behind her parents’ back to train with her Olympic hero in pursuit of becoming her country’s first weightlifting gold medalist.
“She’s had no formal training, but the trainer sees that she’s very naturally talented and very, very passionate,” he said of the book, for readers 8-12. “But there’s another girl that she takes who is very highly trained, and so there’s kind of a rivalry.” Spoiler alert! “She does not win in the end, but she gets the bronze medal, which I think is realistic.”
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