Where our books come from │#Jobookchat

Where do all our books come from? Sounds like a stupid question, doesn’t it, but there are so many options when it comes to children’s books. These are our favourite 5 ways of getting our hands on new reads.

1) Library
Seems obvious, but in a world where we are accumulating more and more “stuff” it makes so much sense to share and reuse as much as we possibly can. We are lucky that our local library is a lovely modern space, with a large choice of books. It’s an excellent spot for the children to kill a bit of time, leaf through some books, and choose some to take home.  Once we’re done it’s good to know we can just take the book back and another child is going to have the opportunity to enjoy it. And the library service is free to use! What could be better? If you would like to find your local library click here.


2) Independent bookshops
I tend to find that you don’t get the same deals on books in independent bookshops, as you would in a high street chain or a big online retailer. However, the service you get in independent bookshops is usually excellent. Our nearest is Coles Books, we’ve picked up some really good stories here that I’ve not spotted elsewhere, and they host a free weekly story time on a Friday morning, as well as other ticketed events throughout the year. I do support our local bookshop where ever possible.

3) Charity shops
We’ve picked up quite a few good children’s books in Oxfam (they also have a good online store here) and at second hand stalls at various National Trust properties. Like I said for libraries, it makes sense to reuse where we can, plus you can sometimes pick up great titles which are no longer in publication. And your money is going to charity. Excellent.

4) Hand-me-downs
A huge number of the books on our bookcase belonged to me and my brothers when we were children, making some of them around 30 years old. It’s lovely to enjoy some of the stories from my childhood with my children. I nearly always pass on my paperback novels when I‘ve finished with them, and I’ll definitely be passing on our children’s books when they’ve outgrown them.

A selection of our children's books

5) Supermarkets
I have to say, I was undecided as to whether to give “supermarkets” or “Amazon” the number 5 slot. I decided to give “supermarkets” the honour (!) for a few reasons. All the big name supermarkets seem to stock kids books these days, and they quite often do really good deals on them.

Whenever I’ve ordered children’s paperback picture books from Amazon they have nearly always arrived with a bent or creased cover. I know that most books are going to accrue some wear and tear, particularly in the hands of little ones, but I'd rather they didn't start that way however good the price may be!


So that's it. Our favourite ways to get our hands on new reading material. I'd love to hear where your children's books come from? Am I missing some hidden gems?

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