“Anyone who writes down to children is simply wasting his time. You have to write up, not down” - Elwyn Brooks White (Author of Charlotte's Web)
A Book for Every Shop
Independent shops are the heart of every town.
The bakery that wakes before the sun.
The florist who fills the street with colour.
The bookshop where stories escape.
A Book for Every Shop is a growing series of children’s stories inspired by the small shops that make a city feel alive.
Each book celebrates a different local shop — its people, its objects, and the quiet magic that happens inside.
Together they become a map of a city told through stories.
For Independent Shops
This project also invites collaboration with local businesses.
Each story can be inspired by a real shop and its place in the neighbourhood.
The result is a book that:
• celebrates the shop
• delights children
• becomes part of the local community
Why It Matters
Independent shops give a city its character.
They are places where people meet, talk, help each other, and build community.
Through stories, children learn to see these places not just as shops — but as part of the life of the city.
Follow
the Journey
New shops — and new stories — are added regularly.
Because every city is full of stories.
Sometimes they are just waiting behind a shop window.
The Idea
Children walk past these places every day:
the hairdresser
the coffee shop
the charity shop
the bicycle shop
the toyshop
the bookshop
But what happens after closing time?
What stories live inside these places?
Each book answers that question.
Bristol Initiative
Charities we're working with in Bristol, UK
We're hoping to collaborate with many more Bristol/South-West-based charitable organisations, so please get in touch with us if you have any queries or ideas!
Aid Box Community is a Bristol-based humanitarian organisation offering vital support to asylum seekers and refugees. Their mission aligns closely with the message that we seek to promote with our children's books here at Clever Fox Press. We are so proud to be a part of the remarkable work that they do, having donated multiple copies of our books 'Katya's Sunflowers' and 'The Dreamer' to the 'Free Shop' in Montpelier, allowing Bristol-based refugees to pick up any donations free of charge. We look foward to working more with them in the future, including read-aloud groups with refugee children, helping them adjust to a new life here in Bristol.
The Grand Appeal is the official charity for Bristol Children's Hospital, helping to fund life-saving equipment, provide family accommodation, support medical research, and offer wellbeing services like arts, music, and play therapy. We are delighted to have been able to donate multiple copies of our book 'Tim-Tim and the Sickly Monster' to their two oncology wards at the Bristol Children's Hospital and we hope to come back in the future to provide reading circles and story time as part of their outstanding wellbeing services.
Ukrainian Aid and Welfare is a charity dedicated to making a positive impact on the lives of Ukrainian people affected by crises, focusing on humanitarian aid, community education, supporting refugees and preserving Ukrainian heritage. We are honoured to support their Ukrainian School in Bristol, a school that is committed to instilling a love for the Ukrainian language, culture and traditions in children of Ukrainian heritage. We are so pleased to have donated our Ukrainian editions of Katya's Sunflowers and The Dreamer, stories that align with their mission to nurture, preserve and celebrate the Ukrainian language, culture, and identity among their wonderful students.