Books of Wonder Kid’s Bookstore: Now With More Cookies! And Bacon!

May 29, 2012

Is Books of Wonder NYC's best children's book store? Possibly. Probably. Yes, ok: definitely. Because although it's been a bunch of years since we last brought our children to this pretty, airy Chelsea bookstore–it's both New York City's oldest and largest independent children's bookstore–as soon as we walked in the door last week nothing but happy memories came flooding in. Also: we were at Books of Wonder to eat a whole bunch of cookies, including plenty of bacon-y baked goodies, so that certainly helped the mood of our crew. But more on the (excellent!) cookies in a minute.

A Chelsea Bookstore the Whole Family Can Enjoy

First, the books at Books of Wonder. You'd expect a children's book store that's been around for more than 30 years to have a first-rate selection of both beloved classics and spanking-new favorites, and you'd be right. Funny books, picture books, chapter books, sad books, pop-up books, silly books… everything you already know you want to share with your children, plus dozens of new discoveries you guys can make together, all here. Twice a week, on Sundays at noon and Fridays at 4:00 p.m., Books of Wonder throws a well-attended (but not too chaotic) story time party, and there are frequent big-name author readings as well. 

So no matter where you live in Manhattan, you should come to Chelsea's Books of Wonder for the books… but you'll want to stay for the cookies. Yup, there's a full NYC bakery/coffee spot at Books of Wonder, comfy and cozy and featuring one of the best selections of baked goodies around. Yes, even rivaling nearby City Bakery. There are the cupcakes here, provided by Cupcake Cafe, which are always a solid selection. More exciting, however, are the new arrivals to Books of Wonder, including e.e. cookies, which are buttery and super-intense and overflowing with top-shelf ingredients. We've tried pretty much all of the e.e. cookies varieties by now–owner and baker Kori Stanton also sells her beautiful creations at the Hester Street Fair–and, honestly, we love them all… though our favorite FAVORITE might be the Dark Chocolate Chunk with Dried Cherries. 

Finally, the Books of Wonder cafe is now home to the over-the-top (in a good way) treats of Baconery, which are exactly what you suspect: baked goods like cookies and muffins, in all sorts of flavor combinations, all packed with bacon. Again, we've pretty much made our way through the entire Baconery menu–including the straight-up thick strips of smoky bacon covered in, for example, dark chocolate–and haven't had a clunker yet, but if you're only going to get one thing at Baconery, make it the Chocolate Peanut Butter Bacon Cookie. 

Books of Wonder is located on 18th Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues and is open on Monday through Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., and on Sunday from 11:00 to 6:00. For more information, please see the Books of Wonder website, here. For more cookie information, please see the e.e. cookies website, and/or the Baconery website. 

Posted in Downtown, NYC Dining, NYC Events, Westside | Tagged baconery • bakery in nyc • bakery in nyc midtown • best bakery in nyc • Books of wonder • books of wonder new York • books of wonder nyc • Chelsea bookstore • e.e. cookies • kids bookstore nyc • nyc bakery