60% of parents include reading in their daily activities, and 80% prefer story books, according to a recent survey conducted online by Didactica Publishing House between September and November 2021, on of 1332 parents and 434 teachers. The winter holiday period is no exception, so the interactive, oversized books, along with those signed by well-known Romanian authors, are among the bestselling titles of December. The publishing house has prepared for Christmas a portfolio of over 50 titles, with an investment of 200,000 euros. Almost a third of this investment was directed to event books, interactive, with an atypical format, in limited edition.
Over 90% of parents consider books very important for children’s cognitive and emotional development, so more than half include them in daily activities, according to Didactica Publishing House. Over 80% of them buy story books, which are also part of Christmas gifts. In this context, the seasonal portfolio of DPH contains over 50 Christmas-themed titles and a similar number of books, games, and winter activities.
An unique editorial appearance on the Romanian market, Povestea Craciunului is one of the most emblematic winter’s title. Printed in only 2,500 copies, the 140 pages are a complete gift, which includes, in addition to classic stories and historical data, dozens of vintage illustrations, games, activities, magnets, stickers, greeting cards, ideas for writing the perfect letter for Santa Christmas and more.
Holiday season is a very intense one for the book market and, in general, there is a general effervescence related to gifts on the market. By choosing new titles from the portfolio dedicated to Christmas, we wanted to offer to our readers a family experience, collectible books, which will remain in their library for years, explained Florentina Ion, founder of Didactica Publishing House.
Top 10 most popular Christmas books
Over 20% of the portfolio of seasonal books is represented by new editorials, such as the Big Book of Christmas games or titles signed by Romanian authors, such as The frightened little pillow and the terrible encounter with Santa (Pernuța speriată și teribila întâlnire cu Mos Craciun), by Diana Tivu. Although they entered the offer in November, they have already entered the best-selling books top, along with bestsellers from past years – books with interactive, atypical content, dedicated to the family.
- Ema’s perfect Christmas (Craciunul perfect al Emei: O carte plina de globuri, aventuri si iubire) – Ioana Chicet- Macoveiciuc
- The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus (Viata si aventurile lui Mos Craciun) – L. Frank Baum
- The frightened little pillow and the terrible encounter with Santa (Pernuta speriata si teribila intalnire cu Mos Craciun) – Diana Tivu
- The Jolly Christmas Postaman (Craciun cu postasul vessel) – Janet si Allan Ahlberg
- CuMinte de Craciun: Cadouri surpriza pentru Ema și Eric – Ioana Chicet-Macoveiciuc
- Felix’s Christmas around the World (Scrisori de Craciun de la Felix) – Annette Langen
- Tilda – A Christmas Miracle (Tilda Soricela – un miracol de Craciun) – Andreas H. Schmachtl
- Tifi Saves the Christmas (Tifi Papadie saveaza Craciunul familiei) – Andreas H. Schmachtl
- The Message of the Birds (Mesajul pasarilor catre inimile copiilor) – Kate Westerlund, Feridun Oral
- Max’s Winter Adventures (Aventuri de iarna cu Max) – Christian Tielmann
“Didactica Publishing House has an editorial approach focused on the child’s education, both from a cognitive and emotional point of view. Our goal is to constantly bring innovative titles and materials to the portfolio, including interactive books, that will attract children to read in a playful way. And for Christmas, the book offer was designed in such a way as to inspire readers to pass on knowledge”, said Florentina Ion, founder of Didactica Publishing House.
Encourage reading project
Continuing the efforts to promote reading, in December the DPH resumes the #PovestileCraciunului, in which, daily, until Christmas Eve, at 17.00, children are invited to watch a story or participate in a themed activity for the season. These can be followed on the DPH Facebook page, where they will be staged by actors from the Ion Creanga and Excelsior theaters, Blue Party animators, authors from the publishing house’s portfolio and well-known content creators, promoters of education through alternative methods.
“The project is part of our strategy to actively contribute to the development of a close relationship between children and book universe, thus facilitating learning through play and the development of essential skills in the field of emotional intelligence. Moreover, now, during Christmas, we consider that a moment of story is a welcome break and a moment of connection for the whole family,” said Florentina Ion, founder, and CEO of Didactica Publishing House.