SPONSOR
DESCRIPTION
OVERVIEW
THE EDINBURGH BOOKSHOP The Edinburgh Bookshop won this award back in 2014 and has been shortlisted in every year since. It has grown sales each year too—all of them at full price—and has built a repu- tation for encouraging hesitant readers. It runs a couple of book clubs and two weekly story sessions, and went big on events like World Book Day and Harry Potter Night in 2019.
BLACKWELL’S Blackwell’s has made a concerted push into children’s books in recent years, and there were notable jumps in sales in the pre-school and graphic novel sectors in 2019. The year brought big events with authors including Philip Pullman, Charlie Mackesy, Jeff Kinney and Julia Donaldson, and Blackwell’s also supplied around 500 schools and sold books at numerous festivals.
THE LITTLE RIPON BOOKSHOP The Little Ripon Bookshop in Yorkshire grew its children’s book sales by a third, after an expansion gave it a bright, airy new kids’ space. The shop is renowned for its window displays, and activities in 2019 included The Great Big Book Hullabaloo for 300 local chil- dren and a Bookshop Takeover that saw six students take charge for a day.
SEVENOAKS BOOKSHOP Sevenoaks Bookshop in Kent is the longest-standing of the six indies on this list. Powered by a dedicated children’s book buyer and two booksellers, it puts young readers at the heart of everything, encourag- ing them to review books and helping them to produce their own magazine, Bookmark. “This is no ordinary bookshop but a treasure trove of experi- ence,” said a local teacher.
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THE BLESSINGTON BOOK STORE The Blessington Book Store in County Wicklow, Ireland, is another indie to have made itself a hub for local families. Children’s books account for a third of sales, and schools trade is a strength. It does great work reaching reluctant or light readers, and was instrumental in the success of Kaleidoscope, Ireland’s first family arts festival.
MOON LANE Moon Lane won this award in 2017, and has since grown into a network of three bookshops, an education business and a not-for-profit initiative. There was a double-digit jump in turnover, but it was in the community—with free Festivals of Fun for local schools, the Lewisham Primary Book Awards and many diver- sity-led campaigns—where it made the biggest difference.
GRIFFIN BOOKS Griffin Books in Penarth, near Cardiff, packs a lot of children’s books and activities into its modest 45 sq m space. There are weekly storytimes for pre-school children, while its outreach work includes author events with schools, fundraising for local causes, and its own books festival. The shop is a big supporter of Welsh interest and Welsh-language titles, too.
LAST YEAR’S WINNER
WATERSTONES Waterstones won this award last year, and had further growth in children’s in 2019. Beyond the sales numbers, it clocked up more than 4,000 kids’ events, and introduced the Waterstones Children’s Laureate: Cressida Cowell. As one publisher put it: “Waterstones doesn’t just sell books—it plays a huge part in shaping what children across the UK will be reading.”
CRESSIDA COWELL WAS NAMED WATERSTONES
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