Book shop is a family affair: What it's like to run a children's book shop

She’s been sharing her passion for books with a new generation of readers since opening Button & Bear in Shrewsbury in 2016.

The business is a family affair as supporting Louise is her husband Jon, who also works as a cyber security consultant, and their four daughters Emma, Becky, Lucy and Ellie.

And with shelves full of 6,000 titles ranging from picture books to fiction and non-fiction, Louise’s aim is to find the perfect book for every child.

“We know about the benefits of books and we wanted to bring that to families in Shrewsbury.

“It’s about finding the book that interests a child or that can help with difficult times as well as introducing children and families to new authors and books that we love,” says Louise, who previously worked for the charity Booktrust.

She is passionate about encouraging children to pick up a book and says there are ways of helping even the most reluctant readers.

“Sometimes it’s just that they haven’t found the right book. We find out what they are interested in so we can find something that matches and sparks their interest.

“A lot of children prefer to read about something that’s happened rather than fiction.

“We ask if there is a book that they’ve read before that they’ve enjoyed as there might be other titles by the same author or other books in a similar style.

“It might be that they find reading quite difficult so a book that has a font that’s a little bit bigger and with more white space might be better,” explains Louise.

Another way to encourage youngsters is to let them choose their own books. “If they’ve chosen them, they are more likely to read them.

“Libraries are a brilliant place for them to learn to make their own decisions about books.I’m a great believer in the power of libraries,” says Louise.

“One of the key things is that parents should read to their children.

“When they are young it can help them with their language skills and help develop a love of stories. When they are older, reading to them takes the pressure off them as they don’t have to perform, they can just listen to the words.

“Read to them until they beg you to stop even if that’s into their teens,” she adds.

Louise and her team are always on hand to offer advice to relatives that are buying books as gifts.

“We get parents, grandparents, uncles and aunts buying books and if they can give us a little bit of information about the child it’s for, we can recommend some titles.

“We had a lady come in the other day who was looking for a book for her granddaughter who was five and just starting to read.

“She bought five in the end because she felt they could all offer something different. It’s about finding the books that children are going to get excited about,” she says.

Among her favourite titles in the shop at the moment is The Suitcase by Chris Naylor-Ballesteros, which she says is suitable for children aged from three.

“It’s an amazing story of friendship and it also has the important message about welcoming people that look different,” Louise tells Weekend.

One of her picture book recommendations is The Bear and The Piano by David Litchfield which she says is “beautifully illustrated”.

For youngsters just starting to read, she believes Hilary Robinson’s Jasper: Space Dog is a good choice.

“Parents can read this to their children and then they can read it on their own as their reading develops,” says Louise.

A popular book for storytime is The Paninis of Pompeii by Andy Stanton which Louise believes will appeal to both children and adults.

“Funny books are important. It’s very clever for adults and children will find it very funny too,” she says.

One of her recommendations for young adults is Places I’ve Cried in Public by Holly Bourne, which shines a frank light on romance, heartbreak, and what a healthy relationship really looks like.

“It’s very well-written and it’s an important subject as it teaches what coercive control looks like,” says Louise.

The UK’s children’s book market continues to grow with sales remaining strong.

“I think parents want their children to become readers, especially if they enjoyed books when they were children.

“We’ve got a lot of parents and grandparents who are readers buying books for children. There’s also so many illustrators bringing stories to life.

“A lot more diverse authors are being published. It’s really important for children to able to see themselves in books and I don’t think that’s always happened. Now children are being represented and it helps them relate to the books more,” says Louise.

Authors are also trying to capture the attention of their audience in different ways such as novels-in-verse for young adults.

“This helps to make books more accessible and less daunting than full pages of text,” says Louise.

They also run a popular events programme including regular author visits and book signings, storytime, craft sessions and book clubs in its Woodland Room.

The team will be taking part in Bookshop Day on Saturday, October 5, which is organised by Books Are My Bag – the nationwide campaign run by the Booksellers Association to celebrate bookshops.

Every year the campaign releases a special edition canvas tote bag and this time it’s been designed by artist Yehrin Tong, who is known for her striking graphic illustrations.

For Button & Bear’s Bookshop Day celebrations, author and illustrator Matt Sewell will be visiting from 2.30pm until 3.15pm to launch his Atlas of Amazing Birds.

He will be teaching visitors how to sketch all of their favourite birds from drawing simple shapes as well as how to spot them before signing copies of his book.

For tickets for the event see buttonandbear.co.uk and for more information about Bookshop Day see booksaremybag.com