Best of Boston

The bad news: Bookstores dedicated solely to children are increasingly rare. The good news: The best one you’ll find anywhere has been in Brookline Village for almost 40 years. From board books to young-adult lit, the Children’s Book Shop offers nearly 30,000 choice volumes. Staffers are well versed in buzzy tomes and timeless classics alike, and the store regularly hosts poetry contests and authors to teach young ones that reading can be a communal experience.