by Justine Chen
Remember Meg Ryan’s “Shop Around the Corner” in the movie You’ve Got Mail? Here in Taipei there’s also a small shop with a French window with mellow yellow light and children sitting here and there, reading pop-up dinosaur books or Harry Potter. Silex Foreign Children’s Bookstore, located opposite Jin-Hwa Park, is not only a store that sells books, but also one that has a dream of introducing more people into the vast world of children’s reading. Pull the door open; a tinkle of the bell will always greet you when you come in. Take a look at the books on the shelves and you’ll be surprised by the number of books Silex has within its small space. Don’t know what to start with? How about taking a look at the zero- to three-year-old section? In this section, you’ll find books designed especially for kids, printed on sturdy paper and filled with bright, colorful pictures. Children take a great interest in reading the Kipper series, which tells the story of a puppy’s life while learning about shapes by solving simple puzzles; the Maisy series is also popular, encouraging kids to lift small flaps to know more about Maisy the mouse. Want something for older children? Try the shelf opposite, which contains many famous picture books, arranged by author or title. For those who are new to picture books, you can start with the separate sections with individual authors’ works. Don’s miss John Bourningham’s First Step or Cloud, Maurice Sendak’s Where are the Wild Things?, Eric Carle’s The Very Hungry Caterpillar, and Babbett Cole’s Hair in Funny Places. These will keep you busy for a while. Short stories, rhymes, and poems are also available for school-aged children, as well as adaptations of classical fables or stories like Thinderella or The True Story of the Three Little Pigs. Had enough of English books? They also have a small section of children’s books in French, Spanish, and German. Even if you can’t read these languages well, it’s still worth taking a look at the German version of Harry Potter or the French Garfield and Snoopy. Or proceed upstairs to the Chinese section, which fills half of the second floor. The other half contains English novels for teenagers. Here you can also find monthly recommendations. For example, for Halloween you’ll find books that have something to do with witchcraft, such as Which Witch. Lastly, if you are interested in fantasy and science fiction, there is also a great science fiction section. Not exactly children’s reading material, but Silex’s sci-fi section has gained a substantial reputation among fans in Taipei. The shop also holds a variety of activities, including monthly seminars for adults that introduce different authors, and an English story-telling time that takes place every two weeks. People of all ages are welcome. Ready for a close look at Silex? Visit them at: 台北市大安區金華街249-3號 Tel (02) 2396-8403 a
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May 2024
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