Mary and Helen Wardsworth, owners of The Dorothy Butler Children's Bookshop

4:04 PM, 15 November 2023

We are Mary and Helen Wadsworth, sisters and owners of the Dorothy Butler Children’s Bookshop. We’ve been here for eight years now - we’re the fourth owners. Dorothy Butler was the original owner and was a strong advocate of reading to children from when they were tiny and also someone who helped nurture New Zealand children’s literature. The shop has been in the same location since 1985 and we often get customers who enjoyed the shop as children now shopping for their own children. Introducing kids to the joys of reading is our reason for being here.

In terms of staff, we have a small team of part-timers who are all great readers and love recommending their favourites for customers.

From Mary:

Book of the moment: Puppets of Spellhorst by Kate di Camillo. Anything written by Kate is awesome and this deceptively simple fairytale is no exception. The three words I’d use to describe it are friendship, connection and courage.

Favourite customer comment: from a boy entering the shop for the first time and seeing the books and toys. ‘Wow, wow, wow!’

From Helen:

Book of the moment: Impossible Creatures by Katherine Rundell. Though definitely more fantastical than her other books, this one still has wonderful brave characters, lots of adventure and all the heart of her previous stories. Unputdownable!

Best thing about working here: opening boxes of new books still gives me a thrill and then I get to tell customers all about them!

—Mary and Helen, owners of The Dorothy Butler Children's Bookshop