Let the wild rumpus start!
Just like a great children’s book, a great bookstore for children does so much more than tell a cute story. Children’s bookstores can inspire and captivate, but they also exist to create memories and shape the type of adults their young readers will later become. The best ones, just like the best books, have strong and unforgettable characters who help deliver a new way of seeing the world.
As the author of two children’s travel books (Getting There Travel Activities for Kids and Road Trip Activities and Travel Journal for Kids), I have spent months traveling around and speaking in bookstores across the country, only to find that there are so many good bookstores for kids out there, but only a handful of kids’ bookstores that truly bring kids along for the adventure of reading. From a roving pink bookstore to a shop that lets kids and animals roam freely among the books, here are the best independent children’s bookstores in America for raising great readers and lifelong lovers of literature.
1 OF 10
Storybook Village
WHERE: Pentwater, Michigan
Owner Barbara Sims was an early learning teacher and administrator before opening Storybook Village, a kid-centric book shop. Her belief is that kids are meant to explore, and she encourages them to touch and step into the stories with interactive displays and plenty of room for imaginative play (#dressupstations). Her puppet shows are a crowd favorite, where kids interact with the story through movement and dancing, and sometimes even crafts. There’s a mix of classic children’s books and new releases, with plenty of author events throughout the year for book launches or special readings. The entire store is a passion project for Barbara, whose joy for children’s literature is evident … especially when she’s the one behind the puppets.
2 OF 10
The Littlest Bookshop
WHERE: Leesburg, Virginia
No matter what was going on behind the scenes of her childhood, Brianne Araujo’s mom always found time to read her a book at bedtime. Books were her constant. Her safe space. Which is why she decided to open The Littlest Bookshop when she moved with her family to Northern Virginia. She purchased a horse trailer and, with her husband, renovated it into a fairy-tale-esque mobile bookshop, complete with a pink armoire filled with books for ages 0-14. It roams around NoVa, popping up at events and farmers’ markets, and has developed a following of customers who keep track of the book trailers’ whereabouts via the Littlest Bookshop’s Instagram.
3 OF 10
Paper Bark Birch Children’s Bookstore
WHERE: Cedar Park, Texas
When Paper Bark Birch Children’s Bookstore opened in 2023, just outside of Austin, owner Stephanie Robertson was still working in tech. Just two years later, she left the tech world and launched herself full-time into the magical world she had created with her family at her Cedar Park book shop. The space is part play area and part bookstore, where the two often intertwine as kids are encouraged to interact with what they’re reading, even creating and illustrating their own stories. Their popular princess story times are all kinds of silly and fun, exactly as a princess story time should be.
4 OF 10
Wild Rumpus
WHERE: Minneapolis, Minnesota
Wild Rumpus Books began in 1992 as an independent bookstore focused on children’s and young adult titles. It remains independent, and that’s because the store’s four employees purchased it to make sure nothing would change. The bookstore has always been a menagerie of books and animals, which has, at times, included chickens, ferrets, chinchillas, reptiles, cockatiels, and Manx cats. Whimsical touches like miniature doors and interactive displays keep things fun for their younger clientele, while an annual life-sized Where’s Waldo Shop Local Scavenger Hunt gets the entire town in on the fun. Their story times are epic, as are their themed parties and author events.
5 OF 10
Books of Wonder
WHERE: New York City, New York
Founded in 1980, Books of Wonder is New York City’s oldest and largest independent bookstore for children. It’s also the bookstore director Nora Ephron used as the inspiration for The Shope Around the Corner in the 1998 movie You’ve Got Mail. Like the fictional bookstore in the movie, Books of Wonder is known for its highly knowledgeable staff and curated selection of the best in children’s literature, with a particularly impressive selection of rare, vintage, and collectible editions for nostalgic readers and collectors. Their story times are often hosted by some of the biggest names in children’s books, and their launch events (there are many) are so popular that they become standing-room-only.
6 OF 10
The Little Shop of Stories
WHERE: Decatur, Georgia
Most families who visit The Little Shop of Stories in downtown Decatur rave about the play area, which was designed to look exactly like the room from Goodnight Moon. More than just a play area, though, the children’s section of this great bookshop has everything from books to imaginative play toys, all geared toward growing curious readers. The owners, Diane and Sunny, along with their booksellers, are invested in the children that come through their doors and the books they read, and often take the time to sit and read with them or engage them in their interactive story times. Their penny floor has become somewhat famous over the years, and it’s a work in progress, where each penny represents a donated cent from visitors to the store.
7 OF 10
Green Bean Books
WHERE: Portland, Oregon
This little red house in Portland’s Alberta Arts District has been welcoming readers to its 500 square feet of literary magic since it opened in 2009. Owner and former educator, Jennifer Green, specializes in the minutiae, and Green Bean Books is stocked with little surprises hidden everywhere, so even regulars are able to walk and notice something they’ve never seen before, like the muskrat finger puppets, or the fake facial hair dispenser, or even the hidden hedgehog diorama. The shop takes a community-centric approach, with many of its story times held on its outdoor reading deck. They even host a youth advisory board for middle-grade readers to discuss and review advanced reading copies of upcoming books.
8 OF 10
Once Upon a Time Bookstore
WHERE: Montrose, California
Maureen Palacios didn’t expect to be a bookstore owner, but when her and her daughters’ favorite bookstore (Once Upon a Time Bookstore, the nation’s oldest continually operating bookstore, which opened in 1966) was nearing closure in 2003, she stepped in. They’re now known for their curated selection, expert recommendations, creative window displays, and, yes, for their celebrity bookstore cat, Pippi, a 10-year-old dilute calico-tabby mix. Pippi lives at the bookstore and watches over all the happenings, such as author signings, book launches, story times, and the amazing events that have made the bookstore such a staple in the community, like Friends of Fantasy Day and Fairy Day.
9 OF 10
Lofty Pigeon Books
WHERE: Brooklyn, New York
Davi Marra and Briana Parker opened Lofty Pigeon Books in 2023, combining their decades of bookselling experience and their mutual desire to invest in their Brooklyn community. Their highly curated store is cozy yet modern, and, along with the classics and contemporary titles, they have a knack for stocking books that highlight diverse perspectives. Their events go beyond typical story times and author signings, with community gatherings ranging from silent book club nights to kids’ dance parties and even open mic events on the lawn.
10 OF 10
The Story Garden
WHERE: St. Petersburg, Florida
Former teacher Megan Kotsko missed helping children discover new books when she retired, so she opened The Story Garden in 2025. She now has a community of book lovers and avid readers who look to her for guidance and community. On any given day, there may be yoga story time for kids and their caregivers on the patio or a “Sing Me a Story” session in progress. Interactive readings are their specialty, and they love getting kids to experience books in very real—and sometimes very surreal—ways.