The most amazing bookstore found me this 
weekend.
It reached out its wild and papery arms, sucked me through the child sized door built like a cat flap into the standard doorway and whispered sweet nothings into, not my ears, but my heart.
I’m hopelessly smitten.
Outwardly unassuming except for the aforesaid purple child’s door, my first step indoors said:
“Wow–fantastic–fantabulous– I want to live here- forever and ever- ’til death do us part. Just me and this bookshop.”
I’ll try and share it here, but nothing compares to being enveloped by the atmosphere, the smell of books, paper, inks, the whispers of stories told but unread, waiting with bindings flapping.
Books are everywhere!
Big shelves, small shelves, straight and tilted, ragged and new.
There’s books on the floor, on tables, in baskets.
Every children’s book, hot off the press and long out of print, it’s there somewhere, lovingly presented.
There’re well-worn armchairs, benches, and carpets.
You can sit cross legged on the latter with your favourite book and fly about the room. 
Which brings me to look at the ceiling.I discover two levels.
An off white, cracked open span, looking like a hatched egg, and the deeper level is painted to begin as space, merging as the crack narrows, into a river which is complete with a canoe.
.
This leafy roofed garden shed is my style–books sprouting in it, books growing around it and what’s this on the floor?
Some wood planks pulled up and replaced with clear acrylic? 
There’s a light on a foot or so down, a bit of straw, a water bowl—
which brings me to the next great kid-friendly feature in the Great Wild Rumpus…
THE WILD BEASTIES! Let the WILD RUMPUS begin!
Children and animals.
Mostly a mutually awesome combination.
And The Wild Rumpus has created a perfect symbiotic environment for both.
Children and pets. Pets and pets. They all get along in four part harmony.
A bantam hen clucks along softly on feathery feet unchallenged by 3 tailless manx cats wandering at will throughout, over and on top of the books.
Two chubby chinchillas rule in their suite by the garden shed where, underneath the floorboards live 3 rats.
Two ferrets have a large ‘apartment’ with a window view, as do the birds further down the window.
These same birds, 3 cockatiels, like to chime in noisily when there’s a visiting author speaking or it’s morning storytime and the 3 nearby doves sing a-cappella.
Last but not least, there’s a pot-bellied little lizard who has place of honour at the desk.
You can see them all here: http://www.wildrumpusbooks.com/meet-animals
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Not just a store. A Haven.
A place mom’s come with their children, where without preaching they can learn the value of books, of reading, of a place they can feel as safe and comfortable in as at home. Sometimes more-so.
A place anyone can relax in and the outside world seems far away.
Not just a store. An EXPERIENCE. And I met a favourite author there. But that’ll keep for another day.
Ink & Attic 