Olsson's Books

This timely assignment allowed me an opportunity to satisfy my literature craving at the low-key Dupont Circle branch of Olsson's Bookstore, 1307 19th St., NW. I am consistently amazed at the lack of patrons in this location, and often wonder how they manage to stay open. This visit was no exception. The store was virtually deserted, and foot traffic was minimal. Over the course of my visit three families entered in search of books to fulfill class requirements. After several references to "the booklist" the would settle upon their selections. Unlike several of their other locations (Chinatown, Reagan, etc.) this branch cannot be considered an information common ground as there are no spaces for community meetings or coffee shop attachment. I quickly found the children's book section, which was aptly labeled. The section is a small nook off to the right of the register. As a general rule I prefer to browse the stacks myself, but I made a stop by the register to determine whether the staff would be willing to help patrons find books. The cashier was not very knowledgeable, but was very helpful. She explained that she can help me find a specific author or title, and to a lesser degree books about a specific subject. I thanked her for her willingness to help, but settled to the task of finding some multicultural books without assistance. This task was made difficult by the shelving practices of the bookstore. Children's books were stored on shelves, and not prominently displayed. There was a small chair (child-sized), which I sat in this as I perused their selection. They were alphabetically ordered according to the author's last name, and there were no theme grouping. So, I had to look at each title and choose books that sounded multi-cultural. I was very pleased with the titles that I eventually found. However, I noted that there were slim pickings for certain cultures; actually, they had a small collection in general. For instance, I couldn't find any books approved by the Oyate organization. Still, after a good deal of browsing I found a few titles that I am familiar with and like, they were:

Henry's Freedom Box
Ellen Levine

Freedom on the Menu
Carole Weatherford

Tar Beach
Faith Ringold

Too Many Tamales
Gary Soto

Sadako and the Paper Cranes
Eleanor Coerr