Independent retailers to buy children’s books from

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If you’re looking to get your books somewhere other than Amazon, then here’s a whole host of independent booksellers worth supporting. Each week on the Film Stories site, we’ve been championing children’s books that have been struggling to get the attention they deserve elsewhere. We’re back to normal on that next week, but wanted to salute the many independent booksellers still battling for business during the numerous lockdowns. Books are getting a lot of us through the unrelenting pandemic rollercoaster. But writers and publishers are in a precarious position: without in-person marketing events, it’s ever more challenging for new or less-known names to cut through. That puts pressure on booksellers, too. We’ve been championing some great reads lately, and now it’s time to turn the spotlight on the people who get them to us. Lots of people use Amazon to get their books, for lots of good reasons. Others have switched to Hive, which functions in much the same way but splits proceeds with a local independent seller of your choice. And now there’s the indie hub Bookshop.org in the UK, which provides an online outlet for a lot of indies who might not have the investment or manpower to run their own online store. Sometimes, though, you want to support a precious community resource one-to-one. So we asked Twitter’s avid readers which indies they’re getting their books from – while helping to keep the post-pandemic doors open. Most are in the UK and Ireland, but we got a cluster of enthusiastic Australian recommendations (two of which ship globally), so we threw them in too. Many are also children’s book specialists, while some include all ages.  

UK & Ireland

  Alligator’s Mouth A children’s bookshop in Richmond, London, which also offers gift vouchers, loyalty cards and a postal subscription. Buy direct online Buy via Bookshop Follow Alligator’s Mouth on Twitter   Bear Hunt Books Based in Wirral, Merseyside, Bear Hunt is a children’s bookshop. As of January, you can add a £2.50 ‘gift a book’ donation to get more books into the hands of children in low-income families while they’re cut off from schools and libraries. Buy direct online Follow Bear Hunt Books on Twitter   Big Green Bookshop Highly recommended by local Londonders, this Wood Green based all-ages bookshop has made the most of its dedicated Twitter following to launch the weekly #BuyAStrangerABook scheme, as well as offering postal subscriptions. The team also has a Patreon if you want to sign up for longer-term support.  Buy direct online Follow Big Greek Bookshop on Twitter   Book-ish Based in Crickhowell, Powys, Book-ish is run by the director of Crickhowell Literary Festival. It also offers subscription boxes for adults and children starting at £10 a month. Buy direct online Follow Book-ish on Twitter Bridge Books County Down’s Bridge Books offers books for all ages, including pre-loved bargains.  Buy via Bookshop Follow Bridge Books on Twitter   Chicken and Frog Outside lockdowns, Chicken and Frog is also a children’s tuition centre and cafe in Brentwood, Essex.  Visit the website Buy via Bookshop Follow Chicken and Frog on Twitter   Ginger and Pickles Edinburgh’s Ginger and Pickles is a dedicated children’s bookshop. During lockdown they’re offering click and collect, or local hand delivery. Request a book Email an order request   Gutter Bookshop When not looking at the stars, Dublin’s Gutter Bookshop sells books for all ages, shipping internationally, too. Buy direct online Follow Gutter Bookshop on Twitter   Lantana Publishing Oxford-based Lantana isn’t a bookshop – it’s a children’s book publisher and social enterprise – but you can buy its titles directly online. One book bought = one book donated. Buy direct online Follow Lantana Publishing on Twitter   Mostly Books In nearby Abingdon, Mostly Books caters to all ages. The online store filters by categories, and includes some book-related gifts, like reading lights. Buy direct online   Newham Bookshop An all-ages London bookshop that champions local authors and offers UK-wide postage. Visit the website Email to order or arrange local collection Follow Newham Bookshop on Twitter   News From Nowhere Radical and Community Bookshop Since the 1970s, News From Nowhere has run as an all-female workers collective, where everyone earns the same living wage – and there are no bosses. Most books need to be ordered in, but I can personally vouch for the team being quick and keeping you updated by email. Caters to all ages; can ship internationally. Visit the website Buy direct online Follow News From Nowhere on Twitter   Norfolk Children’s Book Centre Exactly what it sounds like! Owner Marilyn Brocklehurst is also worth an extra Twitter follow for recommendations and general book chat. Visit the website Buy via Bookshop Follow Norfolk Children’s Book Centre on Twitter   Ottie and the Bea A London-based trove of children’s books, toys, homewares and clothes. Free local delivery of orders over £30 during lockdown. Buy direct online Follow Ottie and the Bea on Twitter   Round Table Books CIC A project by publishers Knights Of, Brixton’s Round Table particularly champions inclusive and accessible titles. Buy direct online Follow Round Table Books on Twitter   Skoob Books London’s second hand bookshop Skoob is a slight outlier in this list, as it’s stock is largely academic, rare or out-of-print titles. But as a niche indie flying the flag for curated literature, we thought it deserved a mention (and people buying books for kids might also want books for themselves, after all…). Visit the website Buy direct online (takes you to Psychobabel) Follow Skoob Books on Twitter   Stories by the Sea Based in St Ives, Cornwall, Stories by the Sea is run by Heather of Reading Rocks – a great resource for parents, guardians and teachers during lockdown (and beyond). Visit the website Buy via Bookshop Follow Stories by the Sea on Twitter   Storytellers, Inc Another coastal choice, this time in St Anne’s-on-Sea, Lancashire. Co-owner Katie Clapham welcomes requests for personal recommendations on Twitter, and can accept direct DM orders (paying by PayPal or similar) – which nets the store a bigger margin than buying online. Caters to all ages. Visit the website Buy via Bookshop Follow Storyellers, Inc on Twitter   Tales on Moon Lane A Herne Hill, London-based children’s bookshop focusing on inclusive and accessible titles. Visit the website Buy via Bookshop Follow Tales on Moon Lane via Twitter   The Barrister in Wonderland A children’s bookshop in Nottinghamshire. Since March 2020, the team has also accepted #PayItForward donations, to get new books to children currently cut off from school and public libraries. And they’ve donated books to local Bassetlaw food bank. You can also set up a subscription starting at £30 for 3 months. Buy direct online Follow The Barrister in Wonderland on Twitter   The Book Nook 2018’s Children’s Bookseller of the Year, based in Hove. Follow on Twitter for lots of links to virtual events with authors. Buy direct online Follow The Book Nook on Twitter   The Bookshop on the Square An all-ages bookshop based in Otley, West Yorkshire. Buy via Bookshop Follow The Bookshop on the Square on Twitter   The Grove Bookshop An all-ages bookshop in nearby Ilkley, also West Yorkshire. Buy direct online Buy via Bookshop Follow The Grove Bookshop on Twitter   The Rocketship Bookshop A Salisbury bookshop recommended to us several times on Twitter for its beautifully wrapped deliveries – so perhaps a particularly good choice for gifts. Free delivery to the SP1 postcode, free nationwide delivery for orders over £30, and click and collect available at set times. Buy direct online Follow The Rocketship Bookshop on Twitter   Topping & Company Booksellers An independent chain with individual Twitter accounts for its Ely, Bath, Edinburgh and St Andrews stores. Offers first editions, collectibles and subscriptions for adults, but you can order books for all ages. Buy direct online  

Australia

  Amplify Bookstore Amplify sells books online for all ages, new and pre-loved, with a specific focus on fiction and non-fiction for, by and about Black people, indigenous people and people of colour. International shipping available. Buy direct online Follow Amplify Bookstore on Twitter   Little Bookroom Melbourne’s Little Bookroom is a children’s bookshop that offers subscriptions and delivers across Australia. Buy direct online Follow Little Bookroom on Twitter   Lost in Books Lost in Books describes itself as “the bookshop that speaks your language”. To name literally just a few: Arabic, Chinese, Vietnamese, Tagalog, Spanish, Armenian, Albanian, Greek, Malay, Māori, Pashto, Yoruba and Hindi. If you’re local, you’ll also find a cafe and safe space for women there. If you’re not, the team can post internationally. Buy direct online Follow Lost in Books on Twitter
Lead image: BigStock
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