One of the best things about the bookshop crawl for me has been bringing my kids up with it. The first couple of years they were 2 and 4 and so I left them at home, but as they've got older we've brought them along with us and it's become such an important part of their year and something they look forward to.
Bookshops are such fun places for children (for everyone, really), and if you're planning on joining in with any of our bookshop crawl events with your little ones (or borrowing someone else's little ones for a day or weekend) here are some great resources and things to do to make their bookshop crawl (and yours) even more special.
(Here's my eldest on his first year coming to lead a guided group with me, he would have been 6 I think)
This beautiful A4 Printable has been designed just for Bookshop Crawl UK and gives you fun (and easy) things to look for as you're visiting bookshops. You can tick things off, and even take a photo to share on social media with the chance to win a prize. Download it here.
2. Ask a bookseller for a great book recommendation based on what the child has recently loved
This is particularly fun to do when you're in specialist children's bookshops, but in any bookshop it's brilliant to take some time to chat with a bookseller and ask them for something you think the child would love. It's a great way to find things they might not otherwise come across and discover a new favourite!
3. Join in with storytime or other events going on
Lots of bookshops have regular storytime and other things going on. During the London Bookshop Crawl it's half term, so there are likely to be all sorts of extra fun things going on, especially in children's bookshops. We'll be updating our social media feeds with details of these events, and you can also check the individual bookshops' websites.
4. Read around the world1
Why not spend some time in bookshops looking for books that are set in different countries? If you fancy it you can even get a gorgeous Reading Passport here and use your new purchases to gain all the stamps on your passport and become a literary world traveller!
5. Write your own bookshop poem
We'd love to hear what you love most about bookshops, and why you think they're great. Why not write a poem and send it to us for the chance to win a £10 book token? Here's some inspiration, from last year's bookshop crawl: I Like Bookshops by Benjamin Hughes
You must be under 16, and poems must be written by the child. Email to bookshopcrawluk@gmail.com, or take a picture or video of your poem and share it using #BookshopCrawlUK (with parental permission if videoing/including pictures of children, please).
Be sure to share your adventures with us all by using #BookshopCrawlUK. To find out which bookshops are taking part and offering perks and discounts, make sure to register for your welcome pack here.
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