In honor of this weekend’s Book Tourism event, I’m posting a a couple of reviews this week of stores participants can visit during their eight hours of exploring Greenwich Village.
Mother and son reading on the kangaroo's tail
The Store Of My Childhood Dreams
My favorite day in elementary school was the day the Scholastic Books flyers arrived. Growing up in a small town with very few bookstore options and having read through everything of interest in our small library, this was my monthly goldmine of book discoveries. Weighing my desire for each book while carefully allocating my allowance money provided early lessons in money management. This childhood literary crush didn’t fade with time. When my kids started school, I raced to volunteer to be the Scholastic Parent. Every year I was amazed that I was competing with nobody, the parents and teachers happily gave me the job.
When I saw The Scholastic Store on my way to Housing Works Bookstore Cafe, I practically skipped over (well, I might have actually skipped if the weather wasn’t so hot and muggy). I hesitated for a moment going into a children’s bookstore without any kids, either with me or at home. I realized this was the perfect opportunity since my teenagers would have wanted to spend less time in a children’s bookstore than I would. The store is a delight! It’s a cross between a playground and a bookstore. Don’t take my word for it, check out the store tour video.
The Scholastic Store is organized by age. I spent quite awhile in the YA section for teenage readers. As a mother who inadvertently gives her daughter YA books that are too old for her, I found it helpful that the YA books were divided between teens and pre-teens. The sales people were immensely helpful, pointing out several books that a lover of the Twilight series might enjoy. The rest of the store was a bit of a walk down memory lane. The Magic Tree House section reminded me of the hours we spent learning about the world from Ms. Frizzle. Harry Potter central brought back the days we had to buy three copies of the latest book so we could all read it at once. And of course, I recalled the truly olden days when the Big Red Dog was the hero of our world. Add to those series the Hunger Games trilogy, the 39 Clues Books, and Madeline, it’s clear Scholastic publishes terrific kids books. To see them all together in this publisher’s bookstore is a treat.
The Scholastic Store is more than a purveyor of books, it’s an activity center. With regular storytime every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, activities every Saturday and a dream birthday party destination spot, the store attracts our littlest readers with fun.
If you’re in Soho, with or without kids, stop by and indulge yourself in a visit to childhood reading.
557 Broadway
Soho, NY
Tel: 212.343.6166
Tags: bookstore birthday parties, children's bookstore, New York, New York bookstore, new york city, New York City bookstore, publisher's bookstore, Soho bookstore
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