Two Edinburgh bookshops have been awarded funding to support projects that encourage children and young people to develop a love of reading.
Tills Bookshop and Wild Fungarium are among 44 independent shops across the UK selected as recipients of the Penguin Random House UK Children’s Bookshop Grant 2026.
Tills Bookshop is located just off the Meadows in Edinburgh, on Hope Park Crescent. Established in 1985 by Rick and Ann Till, it remains one of the city’s oldest second-hand bookshops.
Wild Fungarium, on Randolph Place in Edinburgh’s West End, is an independent wildlife bookshop specialising in nature-focused titles.
The funding programme supports creative initiatives designed to inspire children and young people to explore books, feel part of a reading community and build a lifelong relationship with reading.
More than 150 independent bookshops applied for the grant, which launched earlier this year as part of Penguin’s wider support for the National Year of Reading.
Each of the 44 successful shops across the UK will receive between £1,500 and £5,000 to help bring their projects to life throughout the National Year of Reading, which concludes on December 31, 2026.
The successful proposals included reading confidence workshops for parents and carers, book gifting schemes for children in care, football-themed reading clubs and programmes focused on graphic novels and manga.
Other recipients across Scotland included The Book Nook Stewarton, The Book Nook in Stirling and Daydreams Bookshop in Glasgow.
Sarah Frame from The Book Nook Stewarton said: “We are absolutely delighted to have been selected as one of the grant recipients.
"Supporting a love of reading for all children is at the heart of what we do, and we have a particular commitment to looked-after children and care-experienced young people."
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Francesca Dow Managing Director of Penguin Random House Children said: "It has been uplifting and exciting to see the enthusiastic response to the Penguin Children’s Bookshop Grant and we thank every single bookshop that entered.
"The ingenuity of our independent booksellers and their steadfast commitment to supporting their local communities and the young readers within them is truly inspiring and was evidenced in all the applications submitted."
Elspeth Dougall Head of Sales: Independents and Wholesalers, Penguin Random House UK said: "Independent bookshops are embedded in their communities, so we knew we would get a great response to the grant.
"But we’ve been blown away by the volume of applications, and the level of creativity and thought reflected in them.
"It’s a powerful reminder of what these shops are doing every day, and their vital contribution to children’s literacy and reading for pleasure across the UK."
