Their video went viral, as TikTok viewers — including a Barnes & Noble employee — said the gesture warmed their hearts.
Screenshot/TikTok - jaciandmoore
For her son's 12th birthday on Thursday, a mother surprised him by letting him go on a two-minute shopping spree at a Barnes & Noble bookstore in Illinois. She only expected him to grab around a dozen books, but he ended up swiftly nabbing 47, which totaled over $270.
Jaci Moore documented the wholesome moment in a TikTok that's been viewed over 1.1 million times. In the video, 12-year-old Bentley is seen preparing to grab books as if sprinting a race. After Moore set the timer, he began determinedly tearing books off of the shelf and stuffing them in a Barnes & Noble shopping bag.
Moore told Insider that the books were all from a series Bentley is collecting called "Who HQ" or "Who What Where, which documents important people and moments in history. Among the many books Bentley picked up are explainers about Alex Trebek, the Civil Rights movement, the Rolling Stones, and the singer Zendaya. Before this shopping spree, Bentley said in the video that his collection already included 81 of these books. Now he has over 128, Moore said.
Moore said they were initially going to spend his birthday at the Shedd Aquarium, but Bentley's sister wasn't feeling well so she pivoted plans. She said she got the idea for the challenge from seeing adult couples do it for each other online, and thought it would be cool for Bentley because he was trying to collect all the Who HQ books.
In the video, as Bentley kept grabbing more, Moore became jokingly concerned. In the description, she said she underestimated how fast he would be. "Be nice to the books," she urged at one point.
"This is your idea," Bentley said, smiling, after a minute had passed.
"Yeah, and apparently I made a poor choice," Moore replied, laughing.
"Leave some books for the other readers!" she said at another point as Bentley continued racking up books. "Daddy's gonna kill me," she joked while checking the clock.
By the end of the video, Bentley's bag was overflowing and he could barely lug it along. Moore was charged $274 for the books, according to a receipt she provided Insider.
In follow-up videos, Moore went through the bag with her son and sorted out any multiples he had grabbed (there were only four), and then showed Bentley standing proudly next to his stack.
"Are you happy?" Moore asked.
"Yes," he said, grinning ear to ear.
In a voice memo sent to Insider by Moore, Bentley said he chose the books because he likes learning about "history, facts, geography, people, and they're really fun and interesting to read."
The comments on their videos are inundated with positivity. People have praised Bentley for his love of reading, and Moore for supporting the hobby. Viewers said the clip warmed their hearts.
"As a teacher, this makes me smile," one top comment said on a video of Bentley bringing the books to the register. "I wish more parents encouraged their children to read."
"His happy face makes my heart full," another person wrote with a crying emoji.
Moore told Insider she was happy to see such a positive reaction to Bentley's enthusiasm for reading.
"The idea of other people getting to smile because of him is a great feeling," she said. "He is thrilled that people love it too."
