Turtle Books

Turtle Books is a children’s bookstore in Brookline Village with books for pre-readers all the way up to young adults. The shop is set up for lingering, with comfortable seating, whimsical artwork and reading cubbies that make it a cozy place to share a book. Its goal is to build a community of young readers, and adults are welcome to come in and browse the shelves with or without a child in tow.

Owners Cathy and Bruce came to bookselling by an unusual route, without a humanities degree or a long-simmering dream of running a store. The idea grew out of Bruce’s volunteer job reading to young children at the Martin Trust Early Learning Center. Concerned by headlines about children losing interest in reading, the pair opened the shop hoping to help bend that curve and foster a love of reading in kids.

What to Know

• The store’s motto borrows from the wisdom of turtles, starting with being comfortable in your shell.
• Its grand opening weekend was planned with author events, giveaways and a ribbon-cutting ceremony.
• The shop shares stories and community snapshots on Instagram.