• Welcome
    • About
    • Current Business Hours & Info
    • Employment
    • Meet The Staff
    • Staff Picks
    • Awards
  • Local Author Consignment
  • Blog
  • Testimonials
    • Special Order Requests
    • School & Library Special Order Requests
  • Contact
Menu

Little Village Toy & Book Shop

81B Main Street
Littleton, NH, 03561
(603) 444-4TOY
Play... Laugh... Learn...

Your Custom Text Here

Little Village Toy & Book Shop

  • Welcome
    • Welcome
    • About
    • Current Business Hours & Info
    • Employment
    • Meet The Staff
    • Staff Picks
    • Awards
  • Local Author Consignment
  • Blog
  • Testimonials
  • Special Orders
    • Special Order Requests
    • School & Library Special Order Requests
  • Contact

Monthly Staff Picks | June, 2026

June 2, 2026 Clare Brooks

Little Village Toy & Book Shop’s Monthly Staff Picks for June are here!

As you may have seen last month, the Pulitzer Prize-winning ‘Angel Down’ kicked things off a little earlier in May than expected but will continue as one of our Adult picks throughout June, too.

We’ve added an additional Adult title this month with ‘Ducks, Newburyport’ by Lucy Ellmann; another title that plays with form and function, like ‘Angel Down’, but in an entirely different setting. This Booker Prize shortlisted tome of a novel follows an American housewife’s stream of consciousness in a not-too-distant Ohio; it’s an ambitious but worthwhile effort for the author and readers alike.

Our Middle Reader and Picture Book Picks this month are a delightful pair with Katherine Applegate’s ‘Odder’ & ‘Odder: An Otter's Story’. ‘Odder’, for middle readers, is the bestselling novel told in verse that follows a remarkable otter off the coast of central California. ‘Odder: An Otter’s Story’ is a picture book adaptation of the novel sure to delight readers young and old. Both versions of this heartwarming tale inspired by the true story of a Monterey Bay Aquarium Program feature gorgeous illustrations from Charles Santoso.

And last but certainly not least, our YA selection this month is ‘Encore!’ (available 6/2). This queer graphic novel rom-com sees two former best friends reunite in high school after drifting apart during childhood.

Visit us this month for 20% off of our Monthly Staff Picks for June, while supplies last!

Tags bookshop, bookstagram, indiebookstore, indiebookshop, staffpicks, booktok, shoplocal, littlevillagetoyandbookshop, little village

Monthly Staff Picks | May, 2026

May 1, 2026 Clare Brooks

A new month means new Monthly Staff Picks, here’s what we're highlighting this May!

Romance readers, or perhaps those looking to expand their literary horizons, are in for a real treat with the latest from Chloe Liese, ‘Happy Ending’. The perfect rom-com to kick off your summer follows divorcees who meet when their ex spouses begin dating; what follows is a thoughtful friends-to-lovers, slow-burn tale of a bookseller, a chef, and a “two family” beach vacation that changes everything.

Author and Illustrator Robert McCloskey’s Classic ‘Make Way For Ducklings’ is our Picture Book Pick this month. This merry tale of Mrs. Mallard and her eight ducklings as they travel to make a new home of the pond at the Boston Public Garden is as heartwarming and meaningful as ever and sure to delight readers new and old.

Another classic, albeit, in a new form is our Middle Reader selection this month; ‘Heidi: A Graphic Novel’ sees the titular heroine sent to live with her Grandfather in the Swiss Alps and this familiar story is given new life as adapted by Mariah Marsden and beautifully illustrated by Elena Bia.

For YA readers, our Pick this month is ‘Happyhead’ from Josh Silver, a dystopian thriller set in an experimental mental health facility where not all is as it seems and the risks one boy is willing to take to escape. The first in a twist-filled duology that is sure to please dystopian fans looking for something new and perhaps a little different.

Visit us this May for 20% off this month’s selection of Monthly Staff Picks, while supplies last!

Tags LittleVillageToyandBookShop, littlevillage, shoplocal, booktok, staffpicks, indiebookshop, indiebookstore, bookstagram, bookshop

Monthly Staff Picks | April, 2026

April 2, 2026 Clare Brooks

Our Monthly Staff Picks this April are perfect selections for those looking for a great springtime read!

From bestselling author Kristin Harmel comes ‘The Stolen Life of Colette Marceau’, our Monthly Staff Pick for adults this month. This decades spanning historical novel follows Colette, a one-time jewel thief helping to fund the French Resistance during WWII, as the mysteries and tragedies of the past resurface when a long lost bracelet resurfaces in a Boston Museum.

‘Beatrix Butterfly Wings It for Once’ is our Picture Book selection this month. This bright and colorful tale from Maren Morris & Karina Argow features illustrations from Kelly Anne Dalton is perfect for Spring. When Beatrix wakes up on the wrong side of her watermelon bed and is daunted by a long to-do list it’s through her friends that she learns to find a way to improve a day that gets off on the wrong foot.

For centuries, these gated woods have protected mythical creatures; and for twenty years Brandon Mull’s ‘Fablehaven’ has been delighting readers of all ages. Our selection for Middle Readers this April, join siblings Kendra and Seth as they inherit the role of Fablehaven’s caretaker. When the rules are broken and a powerful evil unleashed, they must race against the clock to save worlds both new and old in the first entry of this beloved series.

Our Young Adult pick this month, journeys into a much, much darker forest in CG Drews’s ‘Don't Let the Forest In’. This psychological horror novel follows two friends as one discovers that the other has been fighting his dark fairy tale drawings and they must band together to destroy these increasingly strong monsters before they can destroy their creator.

Join us this month for 20% off of all four of this April’s selections and for much more!

Tags Bookshop, bookstagram, indiebookstore, indiebookshop, staffpicks, booktok, shoplocal, littlevillagetoyandbookshop, littlevillage

Monthly Staff Picks | March, 2026

March 1, 2026 Clare Brooks

March is here! Spring is… thinking about it. And a new batch of Monthly Staff Picks are here at Little Village Toy & Book Shop!

Our Adult selection this month is a real treat for those looking for a Spring-time read, as Chloe Dalton’s acclaimed ‘Raising Hare’ is now in paperback. This nature memoir follows the author as she takes in a newborn hare she finds in the English countryside and is both a heartwarming tale of their relationship and how hares have been viewed across the history of art, literature, and folklore.

The sun shines. The temperature falls. Snowfall is in the forecast once again. And beloved author Kevin Henkes is asking ‘Is It Spring?’; this month’s Picture Book pick, full of colorful illustrations, is perfect for little ones looking to explore the signs as Spring slowly begins to show itself but Winter seems to want to stay.

For Middle Readers, and fans of all ages, our selection is ‘Wings of Fire: A Guide to the Dragon World ’- just in time to prepare for this month’s latest entry. From the world of the bestselling Wings of Fire series by Tui T. Sutherland comes this collection that sees the dragons of Pyrrhia and Pantala join forces to tell the histories of their tribes through all-new short stories, letters, songs, recipes and so much more. Featuring full-color maps and new illustrations throughout, this is a delightful expansion of the much loved fantasy series.

There be dragons in store for our YA readers this month, too. ‘A Language of Dragons’ by S.F. Williamson is our YA Pick this March; a thrilling alternate history fantasy set in 1920s London sees one young woman’s efforts to free a dragon ignite a civil war.

Visit us in store this March for 20% off all our Monthly Staff Picks, while supplies last!

In Summary Tags bookshop, bookstagram, indiebookstore, indiebookshop, staffpicks, booktok, shoplocal, littlevillagetoyandbookshop, littlevillage

Monthly Staff Pick | February, 2026

February 1, 2026 Clare Brooks

February has arrived and with it a new selection of Monthly Staff Picks here at Little Village Toy & Book Shop!

For adults this month, we have ‘Challenger: A True Story of Heroism and Disaster on the Edge of Space’. This riveting history follows decades of spaceflight all leading to a moment-to-moment account of the 1986 tragedy that forever changed America.

‘Learning to Ski with Mr. Magee’ is our Picture Book selection this month and is a seasonal New England favorite. Author and Illustrator Chris Van Dusen’s Mr. Magee returns, with his pet dog Dee in tow, as he heads out to ski and slapstick hi-jinks ensue in this fun read aloud tale for all ages.

Our Young Adult pick this month is ‘Alanna: The First Adventure’, the first book in the Song of the Lioness Quartet, by beloved fantasy author Tamora Pierce. This fantasy adventure classic follows Alanna as she finds a way to switch places with her brother and disguise herself in order to train as a page, all in the hopes of fulfilling her dream and setting her off on the road to knighthood.

And, releasing this Tuesday 2/3, for Middle Readers we have ‘The Lions’ Run’ from the award-winning Sara Pennypacker as our pick this month which is a thrilling historical WWII adventure of animals, friendship, and resistance!

Visit us this February for 20% off all of this month’s selections, while supplies last, and for so much more!

Tags bookshop, bookstagram, indiebookstore, indiebookshop, staffpicks, booktok, shoplocal, littlevillagetoyandbookshop, littlevillage

New Releases | January 6th, 2026

January 2, 2026 Clare Brooks
  • Activity Books

    • Where's Bluey? at Easter: A Search-And-Find Book

    Adult Fiction

    • Last Twilight in Paris (First Time Trade) - Jenoff, Pam (Author)

    • Meet the Newmans - Niven, Jennifer (Author)

    • The Pacifist - Bixby, Lyn (Author)

    • Skylark - McLain, Paula (Author)

    Board Books

    • The Goodnight Train Baby on Board - Sobel, June (Author), Huliska-Beith, Laura (Illustrator)

    • Bunny in the Middle - Denise, Anika A (Author), Denise, Christopher (Illustrator)

    • Your Truck: (A Board Book with Minimalist Illustrations That Explores Ownership, Imagination, and Perspective) - Klassen, Jon (Author), Klassen, Jon (Illustrator)

    • Like So - Forman, Ruth (Author), Figueroa, Raissa (Illustrator)

    • The Cat in the Hat's Super-Dee-Dooper Seek and Find!: With Over 100 Silly Things to Find (Dr. Seuss Seek and Find Board Books) - Random House (Author), Brannon, Tom (Illustrator)

    • Say Peekaboo! Chick's Easter Egg Hunt - Forni, Anne (Author), Braun, Sebastien (Illustrator)

    • Pop-Up Peekaboo!

    • Bluey: Where's the Easter Egg?: A Search-And-Find Book

    • There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Clover! - Colandro, Lucille (Author), Lee, Jared (Illustrator)

    • Leprechauns Everywhere! - Yav, Yuli (Author), Smietanka, Ela (Illustrator)

    Chapter Books

    • Sea Otter Sunrise (Magic Tree House 40) - Osborne, Mary Pope (Author), Ford, Ag (Illustrator)

    Children’s Reference

    • Zenguin - Smith, Danna (Author), Hanson, Sydney (Illustrator)

    Children’s Science & Nature

    • Explore the National Parks with Dr. Seuss's Lorax: A Dr. Seuss's the Lorax Nonfiction (Dr. Seuss's the Lorax Books) - Worth, Bonnie (Author), Ruiz, Aristides (Illustrator)

    Fun & Games Book

    • Mega Evolution Handbook (Pokémon)

    Graphic Novels

    • Pizza and Taco: Go Viral!: (A Graphic Novel) (Pizza and Taco) - Shaskan, Stephen (Author)

    Great Outdoors

    • The White Ladder: Triumph and Tragedy at the Dawn of Mountaineering - Light, Daniel (Author)

    History

    • Save Our Souls: The True Story of a Castaway Family, Treachery, and Murder - Pearl, Matthew (Author)

    • Firestorm: The Great Los Angeles Fires and America's New Age of Disaster - Soboroff, Jacob (Author)

    Just the Facts

    • Carlotta's Special Dress: How a Walk to School Changed Civil Rights History - Walls Lanier, Carlotta (Author), Frazier Page, Lisa (Author), Brantley-Newton, Vanessa (Illustrator)

    • Who Is Jenna Ortega? (Who HQ Now) - Anderson, Kirsten (Author), Who Hq (Author), Malan, David (Illustrator)

    • The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind: Picture Book Edition - Kamkwamba, William (Author), Mealer, Bryan (Author), Zunon, Elizabeth (Illustrator)

    Manga & Adult Graphic Novels

    • Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow: DC Compact Comics (DC Compact Comics) - King, Tom (Author), Evely, Bilquis (Illustrator)

    Middle Readers

    • Magicalia: Thief of Shadows - Bell, Jennifer (Author)

    • Love Rolls in (Just Like Home, Book One) - Downing, Erin Soderberg (Author)

    • Kitten Delivery (Just Like Home, Book Two) - Downing, Erin Soderberg (Author)

    My First Readers

    • Big Dog and Little Dog: 5 Tales of Adventure: 5 My First I Can Reads in One! Big Dog and Little Dog, Big Dog and Little Dog Getting Trouble, Big Dog a (My First I Can Read #475) - Pilkey, Dav (Author), Pilkey, Dav (Illustrator)

    • Camping Trip! (Disney Stitch) (Step Into Reading)

    • Search for the Snowy Wolf (Minecraft) (Step Into Reading) - Shawish Dutka, Nada (Author), Batson, Alan (Illustrator)

    Mystery & Thriller

    • The Invisible Woman: A Thriller - Patterson, James (Author), DiLallo, Susan (Author)

    • The First Time I Saw Him - Dave, Laura (Author)

    Personal Growth

    • Penguin Select Classics: How to Win Friends and Influence People: (Original, Unabridged Classic, Premium Hardbound Collector's Edition, Ideal for Gift (1ST ed.) - Carnegie, Dale (Author)

    Picture Books

    • Momo Sees the Sea: A Seuss Studios Book (Beginner Books) - Dwivedi, Avani (Author)

    • There's a Shark in the Park! (Dr. Seuss's Red Fish, Blue Fish) (Little Golden Book)

    • I Am Maleficent (Disney Villains) (Little Golden Book) - Owens, Mary Ellen (Author), Érica, Nathanna (Illustrator)

    • Bored - Sala, Felicita (Author), Sala, Felicita (Illustrator)

    • Arctic Adventure: A Tundra Tale - Gopal, Jyoti Rajan (Author), Cook, Alexandra (Illustrator)

    • The Most Wonderful Gift in the World - Obradors, Mireia Olivé (Author), Wessex, Anastasia (Illustrator), Yuen-Killick, Angus (Translator)

    • A Book of Loves - Rylant, Cynthia (Author), Rylant, Cynthia (Illustrator)

    • The Wildest Thing - Martin, Emily Winfield (Author), Martin, Emily Winfield (Illustrator)

    • Happy Birthday, Wonderful You!: Encouraging Imaginative Play and Social Skills (Ms. Rachel): Includes 25 Stickers - MS Rachel (Author), Dong, Monique (Illustrator)

    • Mummy Pig's Baby Shower (Peppa Pig) (Little Golden Book)

    • If It Were My Birthday Party--By the Cat in the Hat (Beginner Books)

    • Dolly Parton Ultimate Fan Edition Little Golden Book Biography: 22 Bonus Pages! Stickers! (Little Golden Book Biographies) - Hopkinson, Deborah (Author), Dong, Monique (Illustrator)

    Political Sciences

    • The Storm Is Here: The Path to January Sixth - Mogelson, Luke (Author)

    • Storm at the Capitol: An Oral History of January 6th - Jalonick, Mary Clare (Author)

    Romance

    • Rings of Fate (Deluxe Limited Edition) - de la Cruz, Melissa (Author)

    Social Sciences

    • American Reich: A Murder in Orange County, Neo-Nazis, and a New Age of Hate - Lichtblau, Eric (Author)

    • The Age of Magical Overthinking: Notes on Modern Irrationality - Montell, Amanda (Author)

    Spinner Rack Books

    • Elmo's Cookie Challenge (Sesame Street) (Pictureback)

    • Peppa Pig: Big Brother George

    Young Adult

    • A War of Wyverns (Language of Dragons #2) - Williamson, S F (Author)

    • Dragon Cursed - Kova, Elise (Author)

    • My Throat an Open Grave - Bovalino, Tori (Author)

9798217142675.jpg 05251589-db26-4af6-89dd-5f6c533c10e0.png 35db65fa-3d2e-44db-b3c1-39bf0b381f04.png 9780593905449.jpg 9781668002964.jpg

This Week’s Top 5 Picks

  • Celebrate Easter with Bluey, Bingo, and all their friends and family in this search-and-find activity book, based on the wildly successful animated series Bluey, as seen on Disney+!

    Hooray, it's Easter! The Heeler family has so many plans to celebrate. But with the chaos of the holidays, it's easy for things--and family members--to get lost. Help Bluey and her family search for painted eggs, baskets, sweet treats, and more in this colorful and exciting activity book that's perfect for celebrating Easter! Filled with fun surprises and an answer key in the back, this interactive seek-and-find is Easter fun the whole family can enjoy.

  • From New York Times bestselling author​ James Patterson, an undercover FBI agent investigates a family with suspected ties to organized crime--by posing as their live-in nanny.

    No one sees her, but she sees everything. Elinor Gilbert was once a young woman with a thriving career at the FBI.

    Now decades past solving crimes with the bureau, she is personally and professionally forgettable.

    Which is exactly what her former FBI boss needs. He disguises Elinor as a middle-aged nanny, and casts her as an agent on the inside of his investigation into a New York art dealer suspected of ties to organized crime.

    But as Elinor pushes toward the truth, her superpower--anonymity--morphs into a fatal flaw.

    The more the invisible woman integrates into her "host" family, the more dangerously memorable she becomes.

  • From the bestselling author of The Taking of Jemima Boone, the unbelievable true story of a real-life Swiss Family Robinson (and their dog) who faced sharks, shipwreck, and betrayal.

    On December 10, 1887, a shark fishing boat disappeared. On board the doomed vessel were the Walkers--the ship's captain Frederick, his wife Elizabeth, their three teenage sons, and their dog--along with the ship's crew. The family had spotted a promising fishing location when a terrible storm arose, splitting their vessel in two and leaving those onboard adrift on the perilous sea.

    When the castaways awoke the next morning, they discovered they had been washed ashore--on an island inhabited by a large but ragged and emaciated man who introduced himself as Hans. Hans appeared to have been there for a while and could quickly educate the Walkers and their crew on the island's resources. But Hans had a secret . . . and as the Walker family gradually came to learn more, what seemed like a stroke of luck to have the mysterious man's assistance became something ominous, something darker.

    Like David Grann and Stacy Schiff, Matthew Pearl unveils one of the most incredible yet little-known historical true stories, and the only known instance in history of an actual family of castaways. Save Our Souls asks us to consider who we might become if we found ourselves trapped on a deserted island.

  • Splash into a fun-filled adventure with Red and Blue! This adorable Little Golden Book, based on Netflix's new series Dr. Seuss's Red Fish, Blue Fish, teaches the littlest readers about opposites.

    Red Fish and Blue Fish drank tea in the park,

    But swimming nearby was an awfully big shark!

    Follow Red Fish and Blue Fish as they try to avoid a big, scary shark and learn along the way that he might not be so dangerous after all! This playful, rhyming Little Golden Book features a story from Netflix's preschool show Dr. Seuss's Red Fish, Blue Fish, based on the beloved Dr. Seuss classic One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish.

    Little ones will giggle while they learn that you should never judge others based on their looks!

  • Laura Dave continues Hannah Hall's pulse-pounding journey in the riveting and deeply moving sequel to the #1 New York Times bestselling blockbuster and Apple TV+ show, The Last Thing He Told Me.

    How far would you go for a second chance?

    Five years after her husband, Owen, disappeared, Hannah Hall and her stepdaughter, Bailey, have settled into a new life in Southern California. Together, they've forged a relationship with Bailey's grandfather Nicholas and are putting the past behind them.

    But when Owen shows up at Hannah's new exhibition, she knows that she and Bailey are in danger again.

    Hannah and Bailey are forced to go on the run in a relentless race to keep their past from catching up with them. As a thrilling drama unfolds, Hannah risks everything to get Bailey to safety--and finds there just might be a way back to Owen and their long-awaited second chance.

    A gripping, rich, and deeply moving novel about the power of forgiveness, The First Time I Saw Him picks up right where the epilogue for the "genuinely moving" ( The New York Times) The Last Thing He Told Me left off, giving readers the eagerly awaited and absolutely exhilarating sequel to Dave's global blockbuster.

Tags Shoplocal, littlevillagetoyandbookshop, indibookstores, booktok, bookstagram, dav pilkey, minecraft, Disney, Ms Rachel, Who HQ, Easter, St. Patrick's Day, Cat in the Hat
Older Posts →
Summary Block
This block is invalid. Please check the block settings and try again.
Featured
Aenean eu leo Quam
66df2a7dd732dd581f52b748_Bookshop-Logo-Wide.png logo-indiebound.png images (6).jpeg Libro.fm_logo.svg.png Proud-Member-of-White-Mountains-Directory-3.png