In 2009, two bookshops a week were closing in the UK and the days of physical books seemed numbered. Now, indie stores are booming. What explains the turnaround – and can it be sustained?When Sarah Mullen was asked to set up a children’s book festival in a leafy suburb of Birmingham in 2012, she couldn’t find an independent bookseller to run the bookstall. “So we all rolled up our sleeves and did it ourselves,” she says. Pregnant with her third child, she had recently given up her job as a solicitor to work for the Bournville Village Trust. Mullen’s task was to set up the Bournville BookFest, which ran for 10 years before being brought to a halt by the Covid pandemic. But far from accepting defeat, she rolled up her sleeves once again and “pivoted the whole thing into a bookshop”. Two years on, the Bookshop on the Green is thriving – a living rebuttal to the once widely held idea that the digital era meant certain death for the neighbourhood bookstore.When I visit early on a Friday morning, a turquoise vintage Smith Corona typewriter holds centre stage in the Bookshop on the Green. Beside it stands Bradley Taylor, a poet whose job is to write poems on demand for anyone who asks. He has composed a lot of Batman and football poems for the children who pile in on Saturdays, he says, before sitting down to tap one out for me about the joy of bookshops. In the multitasking tradition of small retailers, Taylor also works in the shop. He made his cosplay debut last month as the... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'
[ The Guardian | 2023-07-27 09:00:32 UTC ]
If you’ve ever opened a children’s book and thought this should be my wallpaper, know you’re in good company. Bruce Handy, the critic/journalist/humorist and multi-genre author, has been obsessed with inside covers for a while. So much so that this month, he puts on a new hat—curator. His... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2025-04-17 18:11:13 UTC ]
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The Georgia senator’s new children’s book series based on biblical tales kicks off this month with Leo’s Lunch Box about a generous boy whose inexhaustible lunch box recalls the miracle of loaves and fishes that fed a multitude. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2025-04-15 04:00:00 UTC ]
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On May 2nd, the U.S. Postal Service will unveil a new stamp to kick off Children’s Book Week. The newest honoree to be cast Forever in adhesive is Margaret Wise Brown’s Goodnight, Moon. The new pane will pay tribute to your favorite bedtime story via Clement Hurd’s beloved illustrations. Letter... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2025-04-10 16:39:17 UTC ]
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Publishers for Palestine, a global solidarity collective of nearly 600 publishers across 50 countries, has condemned the ongoing silence of the world’s largest children’s book fair on the slaughter of children in Gaza. In a press release issued earlier today, the advocacy coalition took the... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2025-04-03 18:45:12 UTC ]
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Babe is a film with real heart, based on a richly drawn children’s book which advocates for brains over brawn, respectful communication and common decency. Continue reading at The Conversation
[ The Conversation | 2025-04-02 16:17:08 UTC ]
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An unprecedented IPA collaboration is created with for the 2026 congress, by a book fair that has IPA membership. The post Bologna Children’s Book Fair To Partner With IPA on Malaysian Congress appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2025-04-02 08:19:38 UTC ]
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French author Marion Brunet is the winner of the 2025 Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award, the world’s largest children’s book prize. The award was announced live from Stockholm on April 1 and broadcast simultaneously at the Bologna Children’s Book Fair. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2025-04-01 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Chinese children’s publishers are creating original works, quality translations, and tweaking their programs to meet rapid market changes. (Sponsored) Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2025-03-21 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Chinese children’s publishers are creating original works, quality translations, and tweaking their programs to meet rapid market changes. (Sponsored) Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2025-03-21 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Growing consumer caution and uncertainty surrounding federal government support for education resulted in results falling below expectations at the children’s book publisher’s last quarter. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2025-03-21 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Barbara Marcus, one of the most prominent and influential figures in children’s book publishing for decades, will step down as president and publisher of Random House Children’s Books on May 1. She will be succeeded by Mallory Loehr, currently EVP and publisher of the Random House Books for... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2025-03-20 04:00:00 UTC ]
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During Bologna Children's Book Fair, IBBY's annual International Children's Book Day will be observed, this year sponsored by the Netherlands. The post At Bologna: IBBY’s International Children’s Book Day appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2025-03-19 23:32:04 UTC ]
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The Bologna Children’s Book Fair, scheduled from March 31 to April 3, will once again bring the book world to Italy as it continues to grow beyond its traditional remit focused on children’s books. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2025-03-14 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Estonia will serve as Guest of Honor at the 2025 Bologna Children’s Book Fair, marking the Baltic nation’s first time in this prominent role at the world’s largest children’s publishing event. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2025-03-14 04:00:00 UTC ]
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His memoir “Growing Up” depicted her hometown “like a shining city on a hill.” Other authors who mean a lot to the musician (and now childrens’ book writer): Kevyn Aucoin and Hilary Mantel. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2025-03-13 09:00:09 UTC ]
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Spend any time scanning a list of banned books and you’ll find some head-scratchers: picture books challenged for including seemingly gay characters in the background, or describing a difficult moment in history, or revealing a naked goblin butt. Among the most banned picture books of the last... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2025-03-10 08:58:37 UTC ]
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A Caldecott Medal winner, he turned childhood memories of fleeing the Nazis in Poland into magical stories. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2025-03-07 19:00:38 UTC ]
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Matthew Teller, whose books include Nine Quarters of Jerusalem, said the society’s response to the event which saw two leading booksellers detained was ‘an abject failure’A writer has left the Society of Authors (SoA) in protest after the UK’s largest writers’ body made a statement on a recent... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2025-02-20 17:34:09 UTC ]
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Children’s books fall into six main categories based on age groups and format: board books (ages 0-3), picture books (3-8), ... Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2025-02-20 11:00:00 UTC ]
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