How do you raise a mini bookworm? Just get them to start reading– and start them early! Science often tells us why getting kids into the reading habit at a much earlier age has numerous benefits and helps open up a world of imagination and creativity in the little minds.
If you are a parent in Chennai, the good news is that there is no dearth of options for your little bookworms in this city. We have compiled a list of the best bookstores in the city that you need to head to with your kids and add to their collections!
Higginbothams
Image source:instagram.com/higginbothamsbookstore/
India’s oldest bookstore, Higginbotham’s has one of the best collections of books for all age groups and genres in the city. Although headquartered in Chennai, Higginbotham’s has operations in Bangalore and few other southern cities since 1891. It has recently opened another outlet inside Writer’s Cafe in Royapettah, and the Chennai Airport too.
Website: Higginbothams
Facebook: Higginbothams
Address: 116, Anna Salai Road, Opp. To LIC Building, Anna Salai, Chennai
Contact: 28513519
Odyssey
Image source:facebook.com/odysseybookstore/photos
Odyssey specialises in books and has three floors dedicated to different kinds of books in its Adyar and Thiruvanmyiur branches. From genres ranging from fiction to satire to romance, Odyssey has something for everybody. And not just that if you are looking for unique gift items for a loved one- Odyssey is the place to head to.
Website: Odyssey
Facebook: Odyssey
Address: Multiple Locations
Contact: 24453191
Giggles
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Popularly called ‘The Biggest Little Bookshop’, Giggles has been around since 1974. It now houses a world of children’s books- for all ages.
Facebook: Giggles
Address: Binny Road, Anna Salai, Triplicane, Chennai
Contact: 9884700674
Tara Books
Image source:facebook.com/TaraBooks/photos
Tara Books, an award-winning publishing company houses a wide variety of books in English, Tamil and German in their store. They also try to infuse Indian culture and the work of Indian artisans in the production of these books.
Website: Tara Books
Facebook: Tara Books
Address: 9, Kuppam Beach Road, CGE Housing Colony, Thiruvanmiyur, Chennai
Contact: 42601033
Tulika Publishers
Image source:facebook.com/tulika.bookstore/photos
Tulika Bookstore that has recently opened in Alwarpet, This brightly lit bookstore houses all of Tulika’s publications in all languages (Yes, not just English, but regional languages as well). It is spacious enough for your kids to come, pick up their favourites, sit and browse- so you know that this is an outing to a store they won’t refuse. Read more here.
Website: Tulika Publishers
Facebook: Tulika Publishers
Address: 305, Manickam Avenue, TTK Road, Alwarpet, Chennai
Contact: 24331639
Crossword
Image source:facebook.com/Crosswordbookstores/photos
A famous pan-India name, Crossword has outlets in popular places like Alwarpet and Forum Mall, and they stock the widest genres of books from the fields of philosophy, fiction, fantasies and fun. They even sell toys, accessories and stationery, making it a popular choice among all age groups.
Website: Crossword
Facebook: Crossword
Address: 9, Kuppam Beach Road, CGE Housing Colony, Thiruvanmiyur, Chennai
Contact: 42601033
Eswar Books
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Eswar bookstore that started with just over 1,000 books has now expanded to a space of 7,000 square feet with over 1 lakh books. Although it runs a parallel e-book site which is one of Asia’s largest, the bookstore sells books across different fields of education, research, comics and novels among others.
Website: Eswar Books
Address: 27/16, Archana Arcade, Natesan Street, Postal Colony, Thyagaraya Nagar, Chennai
Contact: 24339591
Starmark
Image source:facebook.com/EmamiStarmark/photos
With five outlets in Kolkata and two in Chennai, Starmark has all kinds of books and stationery- new comics, novels and other informative books that you could think of.
Website: Starmark
Facebook: Starmark
Address: Express Avenue & Phoenix Marketcity, Chennai
Contact: 8100120120
Words and Worths
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Words and Worths is a local bookstore where you can spend hours browsing among books that you know won’t end up costing a bomb. They also sell stationery, toys and music CDs.
Facebook: Words and Worths
Address: 28, 2nd Avenue, Chennai
Contact: 24468659
Passaro Books
Image source:facebook.com/passarobooks/photos
Passaro Books houses 30000 children’s books! The books come in a variety of genres and are broadly categorised according to age — 0-4 years, 4-8 years and 8-12 years. They do have a few classics and some books for teenagers too.
Website: Passaro Books
Facebook: Passaro Books
Address: Plot No: 87, GF, Babu Nagar III St, Medavakkam, Chennai
Contact: 42869063 / 9962002500
Swasam Bookart
Image source:www.swasambookart.com
Swasam Bookart is a leading bookstore with a collection of over 2,00,000 books at extremely affordable prices from more than 5,000 authors. They have a huge variety of books like fiction, non-fiction, GK, activity, paperback, hardcover, board book, etc.,
Website: Swasam Bookart
Address: No.5, Castle Valley, Vengadamangalam Main Road, Ponmar, Chennai
Contact: 8148066645
Image source:google.com
Tanya Lemos
Rati Ramadas Girish
Neha Savla
Dr Garima Malhotra
