Many South Londoners, who were left bereft by the closure of the Tales On Moon Lane Children’s Bookshop in 2023, will be overjoyed that a fantastic new children’s bookshop will be opening in the space this Spring.
The Words + Pictures Children’s Bookshop will be run by multi award-winning children’s author/illustrator, Frann Preston Gannon, together with business partner, Anja Stobbart.
Frann, who has been celebrated internationally for highly acclaimed works including I Am The Seed That Grew The Tree and The Journey Home, comments: “We are delighted to be bringing a children’s bookshop back to Herne Hill, and launching through this partnership with the incredible Stepping Into Stories Kids’ Lit Fest, which takes Herne Hill by storm every February! Having lived in the area for seventeen years, I know just how vital books and stories are to the local community, and can’t wait to inspire children from all backgrounds to celebrate reading, creativity and stories in all their rich array.”
The Words + Pictures Bookshop is providing sales of signed books across the festival programme, including to the many schools taking part throughout the week.
As Anja notes, “We have already had fantastic sales and support from participating schools, and this is so important as a new business starting out. This exciting collaboration with the festival gives us a great boost as we launch the bookshop, making us visible to the many thousands of people who take part each year, and putting us firmly on the map as a fantastic local bookshop led by a team with knowledge, experience and passion.”
The Words + Pictures Bookshop will host a beautifully-stocked, pop-up bookshop in Station Hall Herne Hill throughout the week of the Stepping Into Stories Kids’ Lit Fest, which sees 60+ world class children’s book events taking place for all ages.
Frann will also be running a book event at the Stepping Into Stories Festival, for children aged 3+, where she will celebrate her latest publication, The Eco Family Book, in a fun, interactive storytelling event perfect for little nature lovers. This is part of an action-packed weekend of events for booklovers of all ages, with other celebrated names including Sam Sedgman (Clockwork Conspiracy); James Catchpole (You’re So Amazing!); Erika Meza (The Other Side); Kelechi Okafor (Strong Like Me); Rashmi Sirdeshpande (Yes You Can, Cow!), Xavier Leopold (Art For The Heart) and many more. Tickets are £4-12, with accompanying adults going free. Further concessions are available.
Don’t miss this incredible week of storytelling, performance, poetry, creative writing and illustration - run proudly by the local community to bring books to life for children everywhere.
For the full Stepping Into Stories Festival programme and to book tickets, please visit www.steppingintostories.org.
The Words + Pictures Bookshop will officially open its doors in Herne Hill, SE24 in Spring 2024.
To keep up to date with all the latest bookshop news visit www.wordspicturesbooks.co.uk. And to learn more about the team and their CrowdFunder campaign in advance of the launch, head to: www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/new-childrens-bookshop