This Saturday was Small Business Saturday, a nationally recognized day when people are encouraged to support their local community by shopping "small" at local businesses.
President Obama showed his support for the initiative by venturing with his daughters to their local bookstore, Politics & Prose. They purchased a pile of books—17 in total—covering a variety of genres, authors, and age ranges. To our delight, one of our very own titles was hand-picked by the Obamas: I Spy Sticker Book and Picture Riddles by Jean Marzollo! You can learn more about the book and take a peek inside on Jean's tumblr.
Here's the full list of books the Obamas bought. It's pretty clear to us that they've got great literary taste.
- “The Narrow Road to the Deep North” by Richard Flanagan
- “The Laughing Monsters” by Denis Johnson
- “All the Light We Cannot See” by Anthony Doerr
- “Heart of Darkness” by Joseph Conrad
- “Nora Webster” by Colm Toibin
- “Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End” by Atul Gawande
- “Junie B. Jones and a Little Monkey Business” by Barbara Park
- “A Barnyard Collection: Click, Clack, Moo and More” by Doreen Cronin
- “I Spy Sticker Book and Picture Riddles” by Jean Marzollo
- “Nuts to You” by Lynn Rae Perkins
- “Junie B. Jones and the Stupid Smelly Bus” by Barbara Park
- “Brown Girl Dreaming” by Jacqueline Woodson
- “Redwall” by Brian Jacques
- “Mossflower” by Brian Jacques
- “Mattimeo” by Brian Jacques
- “Cartwheeling in Thunderstorms” by Katherine Rundell
- “Age of Ambition: Chasing Fortune, Truth and Faith in the New China” by Evan Osnos
Electric Literature has great video footage of the first family checking out at the bookstore. Take a look!
