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Needless to say, we love a good children’s bookshop here at We Heart Books. And since overseas travel is more of a dream than a realistic proposition for me at the moment, I’ve been pondering a round-the-world trip of the world’s greatest children’s bookshops… Wouldn’t that be decadent and cool?!
Here’s your chance to help compile a list of the best children’s bookshops in the world. Nominate your favourite children’s bookshops anywhere in the world… and spread the word if you know others who might like to have a say too…
How to take part…
In the comments of this post, nominate a bookshop to be included on the itinerary of a world tour of the most amazing children’s bookshops. Include the address and website, and a short description or review of it – your reasons for the nomination. If you know of a good child-friendly cafe or restaurant nearby, feel free to mention that too, and we’ll include it on the itinerary, all this travelling is going to be hungry work…
Guidelines…
Any nominations taken, but we’ll lean towards specialist children’s bookshops, rather than generalist stores. It needs to be worth going out of your way for. Children’s bookshops attached to museums are OK too, as long as they stock a wide range of children’s books and fulfill the above. You don’t need to have actually been to the shop either (I haven’t been to any of the ones below…)
To chart the book tour, I’ve started a Google My Maps – pop over and take a look. I’ll be adding to it as we receive nominations and when we’ve finished we’ll have a Google Map charting an itinerary for a tour of the Greatest Children’s Bookshops in the world!
Here’s a few to start us off…
1) Books of Wonder, New York, USA
Billed as the children’s bookshop of all bookshops, this shop has been called the real life (and bigger) version of ‘The Shop Around the Corner’ from the movie ‘You’ve Got Mail’. It’s known for its amazing range of children’s books, as well as a unique selection of rare and collectible signed and first editions. Check out the post from Vintage Kids Books My Kid Loves when they visited. You can read more about it here and here.
2) La Soupe de l’Espace, Hyeres, France
I first heard about this bookshop via Adolie Day, a favourite French illustrator. I really love the look of this bookshop and their beautiful window displays. And if Adolie adores this shop, it MUST be good. And who can complain if our itinerary takes us to the French Cote d’Azur…
3) Kid’s Republic, Beijing, China
Lou first posted about this incredible space here. It is one of the coolest children’s spaces we have every seen – with so much colour and movement in the shelves, it makes such an inspiring and inviting space for kids to explore books. The focus of this bookstore on children’s picture book artwork and on activities around children’s books is unique and somewhat revolutionary in China and they have done an amazing job.
4) Woods in the Books, Singapore
I have been following this relatively new bookshop on Facebook for some time, and I love their approach. Specialising in picture books for both children and adults, their quirky and arty selection is right up my alley. They also have space for exhibitions.
Please nominate away and spread the word… look forward to hearing about some special and favourite places…
merci
Dear Katie and Lou,
I’m one of the owners of The Flying Dragon Bookshop and came across your website from 7-imp. It is a wonderful idea to have a world tour of children’s bookshops. I can’t go past bookstores when I’m on holidays and they are one of the first things I research in the places I visit.
We are located in Toronto, Canada, in a lovely neighborhood called ‘Leaside’. It is a wonderful place to spend a day of your holidays. There are great restaurants on the street; Riz for Pan Asian Fare, ‘Amaya’ for a taste of Indian, and for a morning coffee and pastry, ‘Rahier’ is a must. After a visit to the bookshop I recommend going to ‘Hollywood Gelato’ for the best gelato in town. But don’t forget ‘The Chocolate Messenger’ for a gingerbread man dipped in Swiss chocolate.
The area has more than culinary stops, a must for mystery lovers is ‘The Sleuth of Baker Street’. ‘Moms to be and More’ is a shop that has everything a baby could dream of.
We specialize in children’s books but we have a fine selection of adult fare. We believe in growing with our customers. From baby baskets to great teen reads to a lovingly handpicked adult selection, we enjoy forming a personal connections with our customers, seeing them through those transitional ages with great books. We know our customers personally and by reading preference, and are ready with the perfect book waiting for them in the wings.
If you would like to find out more about us visit our new blog. We have also started a twitter list for bookstore tourism at –
http://twitter.com/flyingdragonbk
http://flyingdragonbookshop.blogspot.com/
Good luck with your ‘World Tour’ and if you ever make it to Toronto stop in for tea!
All the Best,
Cathy Francis
P.S. Some other fine Canadian bookstores are Mabel’s Fables in Toronto, Woozles in Halifax, and Kidsbooks Vancouver.
I would love to do this as well!! I work in a bookstore, but we cater to all ages. I will do some research on the best kids bookstores in California. Check out this blog for some possible ideas, http://www.bookstorepeople.com/
What a great idea! I nominate Vancouver’s Kidsbooks, a fabulous kids’ bookstore with a great selection, knowledgeable staff, and comfy red chairs.
http://www.kidsbooks.ca/
Kidsbooks
3083 West Broadway
Vancouver, BC, CANADA
V6K 2G9
Janet Rhodes at Heartfire Books in Evergreen, CO – she is an expert on kids books. Here’s my review of the store that discusses Janet: http://www.bookstorepeople.com/2008/11/two-degrees-of-separation-from-philip-roth/#more-88
Also, Mrs. Nelson’s Toy and Book in Laverne, CA, winner of the Parnell Award for excellent children’s bookstore in 2009, loved them. Here’s the review of that store: http://www.bookstorepeople.com/2010/03/mrs-nelsons-toy-book-shop-laverne-ca/
Love this idea, I’ll check back when I’m looking for stores to visit!
Favourite children’s bookshops? Ooh, good question. Kidsbooks in Vancouver (as noted by Holly above) is perfectly wonderful. When we lived there, my son attended some fantastic events – a performance by Eoin Colfer, reading by the fantastic Philip Ardagh and a memorable midnight Harry Potter party.
http://www.kidsbooks.ca/default.aspx?AdID=75
In Toronto, I love the children’s bookshop Ella Minnow – partly for the name, of course, and partly because when they hosted an event for my first book we arrived to find the store had been painted the same colour as our cover. Now that’s attention to detail.
http://www.ellaminnow.ca/
There’s a picture here of illustrator Julie Morstad and I in front of Ella Minnow (along with soon-to-be Ida!) where you can see the clever use of that robin’s egg blue.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2134/1602483958_f9994bfe71.jpg?v=0
Closer to home (my current home, anyhow) is Benjamin’s Books in Saint John, New Brunswick. Owner Mary Ann Gallagher brings an irresistible mix of knowledge and enthusiasm to children’s books and the store is a little gem.
http://www.benjaminsbooks.nb.ca/
What a beautiful idea…
Here is mine
http://www.talesonmoonlane.co.uk/
I only know the Primrose Hill Branch which is just beautiful. I do have a photo or two somewhere on my camera. This is the type of bookshop you dream of as a child – and it is very close to the most beautiful cupcake shop ever!!!! http://www.primrosebakery.org.uk/
I would go back in an instant.
“Cover to Cover” in San Francisco is where I go when I’m looking for children’s books. They are a very small independent bookstore, and while not exclusively a children’s bookstore, they always carry a stellar and diverse selection of childrens’ books. The store’s two owners and staff are very knowledgeable and friendly. They are located at 1307 Castro St., in the lovely Noe Valley neighborhood.
My vote goes to Toronto’s Mabel’s Fables! They’ve even got a cat.
Crouch End London has just got a childrens’ book shop again, in back of Goody Gumdrops on Crouch Hill, run by two guys who have a great independent bookshop in Wood Green. A little chair to sit in, a garden for nice weather, and a great selection of books, and word is there will be storytelling this Saturday (22 May) We love it already!
Powells bookshop in Portland OR, not primarily a kids bookstore, but as the shop is the size of a City block their kids section is gigantic and awesome. Also Childrens Book World in Los Angeles CA, very knowledgeable staff.
One other thing to note about Books of Wonder, is that there’s a Cupcake Cafe in the store, the most delicious cupcakes to nosh on while you read through their extraordinary collection.
Also in NYC we have the amazing Scholastic Store, which features a giant dinosaur (from the Jane Yolen series) and a Magic School Bus. They carry much more than Scholastic titles, too. We had a fabulous birthday party for my daughter there.
http://store.scholastic.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/LandingPageView?storeId=10052&catalogId=10051&jspStoreDir=SSOStore&pageName=aboutus
NYC is home, too, to Bank Street Books, with an extraordinary selection of picture books and chapter books on the first floor, and a world full of learning upstairs.
http://www.bankstreetbooks.com/
I second Powells in Oregon.
And, though not exclusively a children’s bookstore, I’m keen on Northshire Book Store in Manchester, Vermont, a must-stop when we’re up north.
http://www.northshire.com/
I should be part of the Kalamazoo Tourism Bureau the way I talk it up, but you gotta stop by there. Beautiful town, and they’ve a little store called Bookbug that can’t be beat (http://www.bookbugkids.com/). My two cents.
I am wishing I could go to the shop at the Eric Carle Museum in Amherst Massachusetts.
http://www.carlemuseum.org/
The museum is currently showing an exhibition of Eric Carle prints and papers, or you can learn about Leo Lionni’s collage techniques and have a go yourself or celebrate dogs in picture books on June 12 and I just wish it was just down the road so I could hang out there on the weekends and buy cute Eric Carle party supplies at their shop whew!
Here in Melbourne I have to say I always find something I want when I go to Readings in Hawthorn – it’s not super chic or an exotic location but they always manage to stock something I covet. And I think that’s a good thing.
PS still loving your work ladies x
The Wild Rumpus in Minneapolis, Minnesota is a fantastic childrens bookshop complete with a child-size door in the middle of the “regular” adult door. Not only do they have a wide selection of titles and a friendly knowledgeable staff, it truly is a wild rumpus as the shop is home to a variety of animals including cats, chickens, fish (behind the bathroom mirror), a ferret and more! I haven’t been in a while but there used to be a fabulous ice cream place around the corner and it’s only a short walk to Lake Harriet which has a great playground. http://www.wildrumpusbooks.com/
I wish I could nominate the store I worked at for 6 years, Imagination Station in Arlington VA. Unfortunately, it has closed but Hooray For Books, in Alexandria VA is still going strong.
http://www.nimmersatt-kinderbuch.de/
Nimmersatt (nimmer=never, satt=satisfied/full) is the German title of the book we know as “The Very Hungry Caterpillar”) and the name of one of my favorite children’s book shops in Berlin. A German/Russian couple owns it so they have books in Russian,German, English,Turkish, and more I can’t remember right now. You can have coffee and cake there while your kids look at the books or play with the wooden train set and other toys. They regularly have exhibitons by children’s illustrators, puppet theater presentations, and readings. The neighborhood is a paradise for kids with playgrounds, kid-friendly eateries and cafes, a licorice shop. If you are ever out this way, let me take you there!
Lafayette, CA (east of San Francisco) has a terrific children’s bookstore, The Storyteller. Owner Linda and the staff all know and love books and children. My adult “kids” grew up going to meet all their favorite authors at this wonderful store and participating in the summer reading program. My career as a teacher/librarian was motivated and fed by weekly visits to see all the new books. They have puppet shows, book clubs, author events, summer reading, and more!
It’s not exclusively a children’s bookstore, but Politics and Prose in Washington DC has a fantastic children’s selection. Rick Riordan, Deborah Wiles, and Michael Buckley recently visited the bookstore-in just the past few weeks!
http://www.politics-prose.com/
Blackwood and Brouwer in Kinderhook, NY. It is a small indpendent bookstore nestled in the Hudson River Valley in the foothills of the Berkshires. It is only two rooms, with one side of the main room dedicated to children’s and YA books. The proprietor (Rondi Brower) knows her children’s fiction and non-fiction- what is good, what sells, what is new, and what the kids will want to read. She is able to tailor book recs to the individual readers. For the littlest ones there is a bin of soft toys to play with while parents browse (and no worries that they will get too far away in the shop). And regulars know that there are always big pretzels to gnaw on for the kids-because can be hard work. Lots of author signings and the summer story hour in the evenings is one of the highlights of the village calendar.
Joseph-Beth in Cincinnati, Ohio has a great children’s bookstore attached to the main store but with its own separate entrance. They have a child-friendly dedicated space, with mini-amphitheater-style seating for their well-attended story times and events. As an author, what I have noticed that is unique to this bookstore is not only their well-rounded and thoughtfully-displayed inventory of classics and newbie books as well as other children’s products, but also their amazing staff—they are extremely helpful and passionate about children’s books and so great at interacting with the kids and leading story times with songs and games appropriate for specific age groups. For hungry shoppers, the main bookstore has an attached cafe, as well as a few other casual restaurants in the nearby shopping center.
http://www.josephbeth.com/Default.aspx
I would second the nomination for Powell’s bookstore in downtown Portland, OR, especially for children’s-book-loving adults that enjoy “happening” upon that truly special book. They have quite an extensive array of children’s books, new and used, that can keep a true picture book fan busy for hours. When I visited Portland a few years ago, I went there 3 times in about 2 days.
http://www.powells.com/info/places/burnsideinfo.html?header=Sub:%20City%20of%20Books%20on%20Burnside
I nominate Babar En Ville in Montreal. What a terrific children’s bookstore. I could have stayed there for days!
I second the nomination for Wild Rumpus in Minneapolis, also the Red Balloon Bookshop in St. Paul, MN http://www.redballoonbookshop.com/
Hi – I wanted to add another vote for Kidsbooks in Vancouver: http://www.kidsbooks.ca. It’s definitely a specialty shop and the area of Broadway it’s located on includes Melonheads (a kids’ hair salon), Just Imagine (a kid’s costume shop), plus great bakeries and coffee shops and even a cupcake store. The only problem is it’s almost impossible to not buy way more than you planned to when you go there – their staff are true experts in children’s literature and they host great author events as well.
If you’re in Bali, I’d recommend checking out Enchanted Books on Jalan Raya Kerobokan 69, Seminyak (+62-361-734822). I just called and they don’t have a website unfortunately. While this is not on the scale of that lovely looking place in Beijing, it’s a cute little store with interesting toys as well.
It’s then not too far to head around to Biku on Jalan Petitenget for high tea — it’s not especially child-targeted but they do a lovely tea that little boys and girls in particular are likely to enjoy.
Just like Sarah F I wish I could go to this one http://www.thestorybookhouse.com/
Just a new bookshop in Dallas (USA) it specialises in picture books and picture book art. Their tag line is ‘Where Art Inspires Reading’ – beautiful!
My nomination is still on hold. Last June we visited the Curious George Bookshop in Boston and thought this to be a pretty wonderful children’gs bookshop, coming home with a few books for Rowan and some suggestions for stock for Katie and Lou.
This June we’re in Berlin and have a few children’s bookshops on our list to look out for. Unfortunately today we couldn’d find Le Matou – no longer at 29 Hausemann Strasse, Prenzlauerberg but did find Mundo Azul International Children’s Books at 49 Choriner Strasse, Prenzlauerberg. Wonderful to see a shop full of just children’s books in so many languages. Despite luggage problems, there are a few more books destined for Katie, Rowan and Otto… and hope to get to Nimmersatt before the end of the week.
We have a lovely bookshop here in Perth Western Australia called Child Education Book shop. It sells children’s books as well as teacher resource books. It’s a beautiful place.
http://www.childeducation.com.au