Best kids’ bookstore

Winner Books of Wonder
Peter Glassman opened this children’s bookstore more than 25 years ago, intending to stock only antique and collectible volumes. He couldn’t find enough of those to line the shelves but fell in love with modern children’s literature. Lucky us. Now in its fifth location, the enormous Books of Wonder has everything a little bookworm could want: a top-notch selection of board, picture, chapter and series titles; user-friendly categories like “classic picture books,” “modern picture books” and “New York books” (even “first editions” and “foreign-language titles”); regular author appearances and signings (autographed copies are always on sale); a friendly staff whose members stay current on kid-lit (many go on to write their own children’s books); and an in-house Cupcake Café, where parents can grab a coffee while tots get a sugar fix.

18 W 18th St between Fifth and Sixth Aves (212-989-3270, booksofwonder.net)

Runner-up Bank Street Bookstore
The smart booksellers at the Bank Street College of Education’s shop litter the shelves with their reviews of both best-sellers and more obscure titles—a boon to anyone browsing the shop’s comprehensive selection of kid and teen fare. Occasional author appearances and kid lit–related performances, which are held in the nearby Bank Street College Auditorium, add to the bookstore’s well-deserved attraction for city parents and their children.

610 W 112th St at Broadway (212-678-1654, bankstreetbooks.com)

And don’t forget...Community Bookstore of Park Slope
In the back of this cozy, dimly lit bookstore is a small, well-curated children’s section, complete with a low bench and pint-sized red piano, plus a large resident iguana.

143 Seventh Ave between Carroll St and Garfield Pl, Park Slope, Brooklyn (718-783-3075)