COEUR d’ALENE — “Your total is $21.84,” Melanie Chun told her customer at the Well-Read Moose in Riverstone, “and we’re asking all of our customers if they would like to donate to Books For Tots.”

Chun went on to explain the book drive, an emerging area tradition that piggybacks off the local Toys For Tots campaign and collects books for underprivileged children in Kootenai County. That patron declined, but the next customer in line donated “Where The Wild Things Are” by Maurice Sendak.

“We’re all about literacy,” owner Melissa DeMotte said. “It’s all about getting kids in front of books as early as possible. And to add a book to the Toys For Tots toy drive: It was a brilliant local idea.”

The idea, which DeMotte attributes to fellow Books For Tots organizer Linda Rohlinger, will continue its front-and-center run of prominence in the independent bookstore’s literacy leadership during Monday’s fourth annual open house, from 5 to 7 p.m. The evening event will feature complimentary wine, hot chocolate and treats. Adults and children of all ages are invited to attend.

Customers who donate that evening for Books For Tots will receive a 20 percent discount on those books. DeMotte said she hopes the promotion will help people get into the spirit of giving.

“For me, my favorite thing is when parents hand their little ones to put in the [Books For Tots] box,” she said. “It’s that act of giving—the act of physically putting the book into the box—that makes it so special. It’s a good, tactile way to explain to children there are some kids who aren’t able to get a book whenever they need one. The act of giving a book can help a child appreciate the value of that donation.”

DeMotte said the number of books donated so far this season already eclipsed last year’s totals, thanks to a hearty push of teamwork.

“We have a nice display we keep up-to-date up front,” she said, “and the staff does a really good job promoting Books For Tots.”

“We’ve got some very generous customers,” Well-Read Moose bookseller Marlene Craig said. “We have some great customers who are always willing to give back to the community. Whenever we ask, they say, ‘Sure.’”