Oh YES it's a Gruffalo!

It's been a few days now... too many days since our Gruffalo Tea Party without an update! Nina really put her heart into the preparation (though she enjoyed every minute of it). And we really got a sample of the lovely Witney spirit: our darling Susan, former Children's Bookseller and loved by many of our customers, who now runs the Cook shop around the corner from Hackett's, volunteered to do what she does best: story time with all the eager children that showed up.

On the same day, in the morning, a lady called Anna, who had just come in to buy a few books, volunteered to return for the event to do free face painting, just because "she loves the shop". What an utterly wonderful thing to say and do, and what great community spirit this displays - I have lived in a few places, and grown up anonymously in a big city, but have never experienced this kind of thing.
Lordy we LOVE Witney!

So here is a big THANK YOU to all of you who turned up - so MANY of you - and made this event truly wonderful with your enthusiasm. So many children showed up dressed up, bright-faced, with toy Gruffalos, and one baby even wearing a Gruffalo outfit that was unbearably cute.
There were cupcakes, and balloons, and children joining in, shouting the good lines in unison, and booksellers nearly fainting from all the balloon-blowing (but one cannot say no to a darling
child eagerly holding out a pudgy hand in balloon-envy) - good times were had by all. Hope to see you all again soon!