Top Kids Picturebooks

Check out the top-15 children's picture books sold in the US over the week of April 21, courtesy of our friends at Publishers Weekly.

Colleen's Clue for Kid Marketers: Notice how many titles include rhymes!

1. Gallop! by Rufus Butler Seder, Workman, US$12.95.

2. The Pigeon Wants a Puppy! by Mo Willems, Hyperion, US$14.99

3. Dirt on My Shirt by Jeff Foxworthy, HarperCollins, US$16.99

4. Fancy Nancy: Bonjour Butterfly by Jane O'Connor, HarperCollins, US$16.99

5. Don't Bump the Glump! And Other Fantasies by Shel Silverstein, HarperCollins, US$17.99

6. Knuffle Bunny Too by Mo Willems, Hyperion, US$16.99

7. The Jellybeans and the Big Dance by Laura Numeroff, Abrams, US$15.95

8. Smash Crash! by Jon Scieszka, Simon & Schuster, US$16.99

9. Zen Ties by Jon J. Muth, Scholastic Press, US$17.99

10. Alphabet by Matthew Van Fleet and Brian Stanton, Simon & Schuster/Wiseman, US$19.99.

11. My Dog May Be a Genius by Jack Prelutsky and James Stevenson, Greenwillow, US$18.99

12. First the Egg by Laura Vaccaro Seeger, Roaring Brook/Porter, US$14.95

13. Star Wars: A Pop-Up Guide to the Galaxy by Matthew Reinhart, Orchard US$32.99.

14. Arthur Spiderwick's Field Guide to the Fantasical World Around you by Holly Black and Tony DiTerlizzi, Simon & Schuster, US$24.99

15. Pinkalicious by Victoria Kann and Elizabeth Kann, HarperCollins, US$16.99.

Used with permission, copyright Publishers Weekly 2008; a full listing in all categories can be found at www.publishersweekly.com.

Hello, Sweden!

Nickelodeon Nordic just put some Edgar & Ellen games on their site and suddenly Sweden, Norway and Finland jumped to the top 10 countries sending fans to http://edgarandellen.com Number eleven? Why, Denmark.

Never underestimate the power of casual games! The one that's getting the most play is Pet Soccer, featuring Pet, the beloved hairy eyeball as the soccer ball.

Beancake man and the cult of cute

In Japan, "Kawaii" warms the hearts of the teen girl in everyone. The Kawaii icon is an adult-type cute--softy, cuddly, innocent, "like a baby bulldog" says Tokyo-based licensing agent, Jim Weatherford. "Hello Kitty!" reigns as the quintessential example, but Ampanman (named after a cute bean cake) is still sweeping Japan.

Western characters, Miffy and Snoopy qualify. How could you make your product as ineffably adorable?

Girls multiply sales

In last month's Shop-along, three girls (each with $20 to spend) made identical purchases including pens, St. Patrick's Day hats and Play-Doh. POP aimed at girls would do well to reflect and encourage that propensity.