The money's already gone, but Thank You Puffin Books!

We were recently the beneficiaries of a grant from Puffin Books and believe you me, we were blown away to get the news.
Puffin Books are the publishers of some of yours and your kids' favourite books, such as The Very Hungry Caterpillar (which just celebrated 50 years of delighting children), Hairy Maclary and more recently books from authors such as Mem Fox and local authors Anna Walker and Sophie Beer.
We weren't expecting big things, as every bookshop in Australia was eligible for a slice of the giveaway and our submission was perhaps a little practical rather than visionary... I know, I know. But if you have kids, you know that carpet, fixtures, clean wall space and well, an illusion of order are all things that get worn out quicker than you would like.
So what did we ask for?  An amphitheatre for storytime I hear you ask?  Enough cash to fly Eric Carle into the country for a series of workshops? (both cool ideas actually...)
No, we asked for and received enough to create a new spinner for our board books, modelled on Penguin's very own iconic classics spinners (Penguin, didn't you say Puffin earlier - not a menagerie but simply Puffin Books is the children's arm of Penguin Publishing).
A spinner that was created locally by a Brunswick business.
We didn't wait for the grant to be announced, as things were getting a little out of hand in that section and just because board books are (mostly) for babies doesn't mean that adults should have to get into crawl position to find a new favourite book.  (Just saying and no thanks necessary)
So although the announcement was exciting - Thank you so much Puffin Books - we've already spent the money!  It was a bit of a relief really.
We love our kids section and you've probably seen it grow and change over the years.  We love that this is a space for discovery and a space for people to spend time not just choosing what to buy, but also to read stories and reminisce and enjoy.
So whilst this new spinner is partly courtesy of the great people at Puffin Books, it is also possible because of your support of children's publishing.
So next time you are in the store, give yourself a pat on the back for helping us to do things a little better and revel in the swish of our brand new board book spinner - or just have a little smile at how happy moving a wooden frame around and around in a circle makes your little Brunswickian....