Children's Bookseller of the Year
Children’s Bookseller of the Year Winner and Shortlist
Proudly sponsored by Macmillan Children’s Books
Anyone seeking inspiration for how to champion literacy and books in the National Year of Reading would do well to visit these 10 businesses. It is a list dominated by independent booksellers, including some who have been celebrating reading for decades and others who are younger than the children they serve. They are where the hard work of building the next generations of readers begins.
The winner of this award will join the shortlist for the Book Retailer of the Year.
The Winner
Griffin Books
Penarth
After opening in 2014 and winning the title of Independent Bookshop of the Year in 2023, Griffin Books in Penarth took its children’s bookselling to a whole new level last year.
Doubling the footprint of a shop in the current climate takes guts. But when a lease became available next door, the Griffin team took a gamble and set up a dedicated children’s space. They opened it within six weeks of getting the keys, to queues that stretched down the street.
The extra space has allowed Griffin to spread its wings in children’s books. Under a new children’s manager, it has thrived on range, recommendations and events, including a massive one with Julia Donaldson just two weeks after launching. Sales to schools have been transformed – not just from conventional author events but via new ideas such as socials for teachers, pop-ups at parents’ evenings and a Young Ambassadors scheme, which encouraged pupils to review proofs.
This is children’s bookselling at its most inclusive. Griffin’s new space has bays for Welsh-language and dyslexia-friendly books, a Diverse Book Box scheme and a wheelchair ramp, and there are book donations to charities – not to mention its sponsorship of a local girls’ football team. There is a lot more besides, such as book clubs for children and teens, toddler storytimes and subscription packages. Website and social media engagement is excellent, as is the care of staff, with above-average pay and benefits like Welsh-language classes.
“Griffin took a risk in expanding but it’s paid off,” said the judges. “Its ambition, performance and commitment are extremely impressive. They are clearly an important part of the Welsh community – not just in the immediate vicinity but way beyond.”
As the winner of this category, Griffin Books joins the shortlist for Book Retailer of the Year.
The Shortlist
Booka Bookshop
Oswestry
Like all the indies on this shortlist, Booka Bookshop in Oswestry is more than just a store: it is a much-loved hub for local children and parents. It runs a lively programme of book clubs, storytimes and a Books and Buggies meet-up, and is particularly supportive of young people with differences such as neurodivergence. Its work with schools includes author visits, book fairs and book subscription packages, including one that tailors selections for disadvantaged children.
Books2Door
Online
Online retailer Books2Door is shortlisted for the fifth year in a row. It has done a lot to bring books to children and parents who might not otherwise encounter them, at accessible price points. It sold 3.5 million books in 2025 and was a powerful presence on TikTok Shop in particular. Books2Door is also doing great things for social inclusion and diversity, with ranges for various underrepresented and under-served groups.
Griffin Books
Penarth
A previous Independent Bookshop of the Year, Griffin Books in Penarth near Cardiff took its children’s bookselling to a new level in 2025. After a lease became available next door to the shop, it opened a new space to queues winding down the street. This has given Griffin room to broaden its children’s and teen ranges, including Welsh-language and dyslexia-friendly selections. School events and sales have increased too, including via a Griffin Books Young Ambassadors Scheme.
Norfolk Children's Book Centre
Alby
Founder and owner Marilyn Brocklehurst has been helping children discover books at this revered independent in the Norfolk countryside for nearly four decades. It is a word-of-mouth destination that grew sales in 2025 despite tough budgets in the many schools it serves. The shop will reach the end of an era and embark on a new one when Brocklehurst retires and it relocates in this, its 40th anniversary year.
Reading Rocks
Subscription Service
Cornwall-based Reading Rocks provides subscription book services to schools, supported by a digital members’ area with notes and activities for using the books in classrooms and libraries, plus virtual author and illustrator events. It faced a lot of pressures in 2025, including stretched school budgets and a move to new premises, but overcame them with creative projects like a Summer Book Boost promotion and Author Advent Calendar at Christmas.
Tales for Tadpoles
Bray, Ireland
Tales for Tadpoles in Bray, County Wicklow is proof of the vibrancy of children’s bookselling in Ireland as well as Britain. It pitches itself as an experience as well as a shop, with an array of activities including storytelling, craft and music. It specialises in enduring illustrated hardbacks over big releases, and champions Irish-language titles and small publishers in particular. Strong marketing, events and a Wonderbox subscription scheme drove a sharp increase in sales in 2025.
The Little Ripon Bookshop
Ripon
Yorkshire’s The Little Ripon Bookshop aims to bring the fun into children’s books – an approach that was encapsulated by a homemade Steampunk-style book dispensing machine the team built for World Book Day. Other highlights of 2025 included a Gruffalo visit and school book fairs. Weekly storytimes and the Book Monkeys Bookclub are part of the mix, and one of the group’s earliest participants has grown into an assistant bookseller.
The Paper Cat Children's Bookshop
Herne Hill, London
The Paper Cat in London’s Herne Hill appears at The British Book Awards for the first time, having opened its doors in late 2024. It is a beautifully designed shop that immediately puts visitors at ease, and it hosts a hive of events that are already very popular with local children, parents and schools. Online sales are another strength, and there are quiet browsing times for children who might otherwise feel overwhelmed.
Waterstones
Nationwide
Waterstones has made this shortlist in 10 of the past 11 years, reflecting its steady growth and refusal to stand still in children’s books. New initiatives in 2025 were led by the first-ever Waterstones Children’s Book Festival and a new YA Book of the Month promo. Mikey Please’s The Café at the Edge of the Woods, the Waterstones Children’s Book of the Year, exemplified the chain’s ability to single-handedly turn new voices into bestsellers.
Wonderland Bookshop
Retford
The 2025 Children’s Bookseller of the Year, Wonderland in Retford had another year of great in-store activity and energetic outreach. It ran its biggest ever school event with Cressida Cowell, launched a new Reading Hero Award and prided itself on its inclusivity and accessibility, with dyslexia-friendly and LGBTQ+ shelves and private browsing for children who need quiet. “Wonderland is my favourite place in the whole world,” said one young visitor.
