Books about the late Mr Lee Kuan Yew have been flying off the shelves this past week, according to publishers and bookshops here.

A representative from Kinokuniya bookstore told The Straits Times that while Mr Lee's books have been selling briskly in the past month, sales have come to a noticeable peak this week.

It was a development that was also seen at other large bookstores such as Popular and Times, which reported a sharp uptick in sales this week for books by and about Mr Lee.

But it is not just the books geared towards adults that are selling well. A double-part children's picture book series about Mr Lee's life by Singaporean illustrator Patrick Yee is almost sold out islandwide.

Pitched at children between three and eight years old, the first book, A Boy Named Harry, is sold out on the e-commerce site of publisher Epigram Books.

The publishing house estimates that the second book, Harry Grows Up, will likely sell out in the next few days too.

To date, more than 2,500 copies of the first book and 1,800 copies of the second book have been sold. Calls to Kinokuniya and Times found that stocks were either out or running low for both books.

However, parents keen to buy the books for their children need not fret.

Following the overwhelming response, Epigram Books said it has put in an order for a second print run and hopes to restock both books by April 10.

ANKITA VARMA