I mean, the bindings are absolutely disintegrating after only a couple months of light/moderate use. It’s especially true of board books and hardback bindings; oddly enough, the “cheap” saddle-stitched or perfect (soft) bound ones are holding their structural integrity best.
We’re talking big-5 major publishers too; you’d think they could afford a scrap of book cloth on the spine, endpapers thicker than what comes out of the office copier (or any endpapers at all!), even an extra layer of paper glued to the interior spine. There’s often nothing but a floating cardboard rectangle that seems to have been glue-sticked to a single layer of glossy outer paper. It’s sad.
So if you’re in the market for kids’ books, spring for the library binding. They’re a bit trickier to source, but surprisingly close in price to the delicate pulp that’s becoming standard in book shops. That’s my rant, and I’m sticking to it (unlike these spines and signatures)!
by alluvium_fire