Big fan of Carson Ellis here 🙋🏻‍♀️

A tribute to a legendary picture book making duo, Alice and Martin Provensen. #booksky #kidlit

Highlighting a beautiful book

One of my all-time favourite illustrated books is The Mousehole Cat, written by Antonia Barber, illustrated by Nicola Bayley, and originally published in 1990.

THIS SATURDAY! Any young artists and / or donut aficionados can join me online for a Phoenix Digital Workshop where we will MAKE EXPLOSIVE DONUT SQUAD COMICS TOGETHER! 🍩💥 thephoenixcomic.co.uk/event/?event...

A wonderfully illustrated book for children who struggle to fall asleep at bedtime no matter how hard they try (I might personally know one or two such children 😅)

An absolute gem of a picture book, and one of my personal favourites from 2025. Sasha Feels Shy by Natalia Shaloshvili is about a little wolf who struggles to relax and enjoy playing with a friend at a play date.

Playing with colour

Beautifully illustrated middle-grade fantasy novel The Notted Island by Katherine Child is a story of a world that lost its colour. The colour is regained eventually everywhere apart from on a small island where the book’s heroine, Tisky, resides.

This graphic biography of the Mitford sisters by Mimi Pond is a tremendous achievement and an excellent way to learn about the 20th century through one of the most fascinating families.

A Big Mooncake for a Little Star by Grace Lin explains the phases of the moon in a witty, sweet and quietly joyful way. Inspired by the Chinese Autumn Moon Festival and its central food - the mooncake - it focuses on the loving relationship between mother and daughter.

A recent book from a bright new talent on the picture book scene Jess Hannigan. The Bear Out There is her second book and is a fast-paced page turner about two characters hiding from a bear in a woodland cabin. And one of those characters is the reader!

A beautiful little collection of comic-format short stories by Jordan Bolton. They talk of the human experience, from the ordinary and the everyday to the big life moments.

Happy New Year everyone!

A seasonally appropriate instalment in the Chirri and Chirra book series by the Japanese writer and illustrator Kaya Doi, The Snow Day is charming and eccentric in equal measure.

Logo change alert! We’ve got new branding to enter the new year. We haven’t had the old one for very long (and it was a bit of a rushed job in the first place), so hopefully the new one will be welcomed and will stick around for a long long time.

I hope yours is merry and bright! 🌟

The Tomten and The Fox written by Astrid Lindgren is an adaptation of one of Scandinavian tales about a mythical creature that secretly lives with humans protects their houses and farm animals.

A gentle and sweet book first published in the UK this year, A Winter’s Morning by Angélique Leone and Grégoire Solotareff is a fun new take on a ‘lost toy’ story.

This year’s seasonal hit (and rightfully so) The House With the Little Red Door by Grace Easton is a gorgeously illustrated heartwarming story of a friendship between a mouse and a little girl called Olivia.

Tim and Gerry found the boarded-up ‘strange’ house quite by chance. It looked mysterious and exciting, but was it deserted after all? When they glimpse a ghostly face behind a window, they decide to investigate…

Grandad takes his grandson out on a night walk in search of grandma’s favourite place. A touching and beautifully illustrated book on grief and remembrance. Night Walk (2024) was written and illustrated by Jason Cockcroft

Current read

It’s not just beautiful books that we offer at our pop-up. We also have the most delightful stationery! Pencils, notebooks, letter-writing sets, reusable stickers, magnetic bookmarks, and even dream catchers! Come and explore tomorrow at Curioso, 27 Albert Place, Edinburgh, EH7 5HN

Big thank you to the brilliant @earevalomelville.bsky.social who came to support us today. She signed two of her books and left a cute little illustration in one of them 😍 Our pop-up is running until 5pm on Thursday and it’s at Curioso, 27 Albert Place, EH7 5HN

Our pop-up is now open, and we’re here until 5pm on Thursday. Come say hi!👋 #Edinburgh #bookshop #childrensbooks

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Carson Ellis is one of the most talented and acclaimed picture book writers and illustrators working today. But In One Week in January she illustrates an old diary documenting one week of her life at the very beginning of her career when she just moved to Portland, Oregon.

Vote Wolf introduces electoral politics and political theatre to children in a simple and entertaining way. As the farm prepares to elect a leader, George Wolf is the most popular candidate, because of his charms and photogenic looks.But once he is elected things don’t go the way animals expected…

If You Make a Call on a Banana Phone by Gideon Sterer, illustrated by Emily Hughes, came out just a few months ago. A funny and touching book it celebrates imaginative play, but is ultimately about the need for connection and acceptance. A wonderful little book.

“The catless manuscript is not worth writing”. A fun, wise, and witty collection of letters, poems, notes, and drawings by the great Ursula K. Le Guin on her beloved subject of feline companions. This book is pure joy for anyone who appreciates these mysterious and goofy creatures.

A lovely 2019 edition of The Iron Man, the 1968 classic by Ted Hughes. This hardback edition is richly illustrated by Chris Mould and would make a perfect gift for a young or not so young sci-fi lover in your life.

Highly acclaimed young adult novel Bitter by Nigerian writer Akwaeke Emezi tells the story of a 17 year old artist struggling to find her place in a protest against social injustice in a way that is true to herself.

The most lovely editions of Tove Jansson’s Moomintroll books published by Sort Of Books. Produced with the love, care, and appreciation these books deserve. We’ll be taking them to our pop-up on 8th-11th of December, 27 Albert Place, EH7 5HN.

Beautifully illustrated book for the smallest readers helping them learn about the world around them and introducing new words. The simplicity of the images and the colour palette are pure delight. One Thousand Things by Anna Kövecses

The Gnome Book by Loes Riphagen is bound be a hit with the little ones (it certainly is with my kids). It depicts the lives of the little creatures with humour and fun unexpected details accompanied by wonderful illustrations that children will love to explore.

We have our bookmarks! Thank you @print.work We’ll be giving these away at our pop-up on the 8th-11th December, and you can also grab one at McNaughtan’s @mcnaughtans.co.uk

If you’ve ever found reading traditional fairy tales and legends to young kids (especially girls) a bit icky, these picture book retellings of the classic tales by Bethan Woollvin are the perfect alternative (at least until they’re old enough to read Angela Carter’s The Bloody Chamber 😉).

This Book Is Too Quiet encourages the readers to make noises to accompany its bright and fun illustrations by Joana Casals. Silly laughs for both kids and parents guaranteed!

Prep prep prepping for the maker’s market this weekend at Lind & Lime gin distillery in Leith. 29th and 30th of November. Hope to see you there! #Edinburgh #art

A fun, fascinating, and richly illustrated history of shoes by Anna Davies and Daisy Winter. Perfect for fashion, history, and fashion history buffs.

Wordless graphic novel, The Arrival by Shaun Tan, is a stunning and moving work of art. It seeks to explore the experience of migration through a mix of realist and surrealist imagery, of familiar and unfamiliar symbols.

The Fox and the Star is a stunningly illustrated poetic tale by Coralie Bickford-Smith. This book is so beautifully published - the cloth binding, the thick textured paper, the colours and the striking style of the illustrations - it’s a pleasure just to hold it in one’s hands.

Our children’s bookshop intends to focus not just on new authors, publications and editions, but also on out of print, rare and secondhand children’s books. So many treasures have been unjustly forgotten or are no longer easily available in shops, and we hope to remedy this in our own small way.

Who's going to join me this Friday (7-8pm)? To join in, simply reply to any of the themed posts (they’ll be posted at 5-minute intervals) using #EdinburghHour hashtag. Don’t worry too much about being on time or overrunning, by using the hashtag everyone can catch up whenever. #ChristmasGifting

One day, in a village in Southern China, a young girl leaves her mama’s house to buy ingredients for wonton soup. On the way to market, she meets a wonderful array of characters who all gift her with something special for her mama’s cooking pot.

Flora and Ulysses by bestselling author Kate diCamillo has a fun, curious and complex heroine in Flora Belle Buckman. A “natural-born cynic”, Flora looks out of the window one day to see a vacuum cleaner vacuum up a squirrel… Laughs and high jinks for young readers are guaranteed.

A delightful and very funny series about sisters Stella and Marigold and their adventures written by Annie Barrows and illustrated by Sophie Blackall. Perfect for kids who are moving into early chapter books from beginner reader material.

A delightful and witty introduction to opposites for little ones from Didier Cornille. And a joy for grown-ups too! Big, Little: A Book of Opposites by Didier Cornille

A selection of books by the great Anthony Browne that we’ll be bringing to our pop-up. Big fan here! ✋