We're Not in Kansas Anymore (Or, Children's Books Aren't Just for Children Anymore (Don't Ask))

Going through the children's picture book section of our beautiful shop has exposed me to the plethora of children's literary material available. And it has come to my attention that children's books aren't just for children anymore. Increasingly, picture books have become more imaginative in design, content and humour. Sometimes I think that it's more for the parent reading than the child.
But is it a reflection of children now? Becoming more sophisticated more quickly? Anyhow, I'm not complaining, it's never too early to start collecting books for your future children (yourself). 

So here we have some of our favourites at Andrew's

THE BOOK WITH NO PICTURES by B.J Novak
Will revolutionize the way that you see children's picture books (mainly because there aren't pictures). It's funny, laugh out loud and sure to garner a few laughs from the most serious kid.

THE DAY THE CRAYONS QUIT by Oliver Jeffers
We have a bit of a penchant for Oliver Jeffers here at Andrew's. What happens when all your crayons go on strike for a day? Sound crazy? Well when you start to read their reasons, it becomes weirdly believable. Whoever thought of this is a genius. 
 

I WANT MY HAT BACK by Jon Klassen
This is a dry tale of a seemingly emotionless bear who evens the score when his hat goes missing. A little bit messed up but in the best way possible. Klassen seems to enjoy writing about hats - he also has a book called This Is Not My Hat that also has a surprising end.

MAPS by Aleksandra Mizielińska
Learning is fun right? Right? Well now it actually is with this gorgeous map book. The illustrations are spot on and there are fun facts left right and center. It's not stingy in size either and generously can fit across the laps of up to three small children.

PRESS HERE by Herve Tullet
A play of colours, shapes and interactive..stuff. It's whimsical yet educational and sure to tickle the fancy of anyone who likes books to respond. You can't get that from an iPad. Oh wait you can, you might just hurt your eyes a bit more.

JEANNE'S JANUARY TOP FIVE PICKS

 Welcome to the first edition of our top five staff picks! For the month of January/ uh kinda February we have Jeanne (yours truly for the time being) sharing her favourites. It's weird to refer to yourself in third person (and then comment on it anyway). But anyway! They are:

1. Lonely Planet NEW YORK CITY special guide - need we say more about this? If you're planning or trip or wish you were, this is perfect.

2. When You Wake and Find Me Gone by Melbourne Author Maureen McCarthy is a riveting introduction to growing up and modern history in Ireland.

3. Letters of Note compiled by Shaun Usher is an interesting insight into the written word.

4. The Wife Drought by Annabel Crabb is a must read for anyone who's wondering why on earth men and women aren't yet equal in the workforce.

5.Once Upon an Alphabet by Oliver Jeffers is a delightful collection of short stories revolving around individual letters. Cheeky and fun!

I love all of these so much. If I could marry a book I would (and then cry about it later because there's too many to choose from). Even though Once Upon An Alphabet is a children's book, it is so much more than that. The short story for the letter 'S' is both hilarious and heartwrenching. Read it and weep as they say.

Keep an eye out for the next staff pick coming out in the following months!

Welcome to the Andrew's Bookshop Blog!

Hello all you bibliophiles out there! 

We hope you enjoy  perusing our blog and all things book related. We are an independently run bookshop in the leafy suburb of Ivanhoe, Melbourne and are a little bit obsessed by books. And by a little bit we mean a lot. 

Now speaking honestly, upon researching bookish things for this post I've discovered a thing called "Bibliomania (which) can be a symptom of obsessive–compulsive disorder which involves the collecting or even hoarding of books to the point where social relations or health are damaged." - thank you Wikipedia (our dear dear friend). While I do not recommend you to damage your health or relationships, we hope you love the written word as much as we do! I'll try not to be too nerdy but can't promise anything...

How can someecards be so true?