The Children’s Bookshop in Beecroft will be familiar to any resident in Beecroft and Cheltenham as a local institution. Established in 1971, it is the oldest specialist children’s bookshop in NSW.
In January 2005, Paul MacDonald, formerly a teacher for 20 years, took over the bookshop. Since then he has grown the business to include an enormous variety of books, also hosting story-times and book-signings.
Paul also services many preschools, primary and secondary schools across the state. Paul and his staff have a real passion – not just for reading, but also finding the right book for the young reader.
I was saddened to hear that after forty-eight years the shopfront will be closing down. This is a great loss to our community, which has enjoyed the warmth and charisma of the bookshop over the decades.
However, I was reassured to hear that the business will still carry on servicing schools as it has previously. I wish Paul and his team all the best in their future endeavours. And while I will dearly miss being able to pop into his bookshop, I’m glad to hear he will still be spreading the love of reading to local kids.