Not Your Average Bookstore—Discover the Enchantment of Wild Rumpus. A Bookstore with Live Animals? Meet the Furry & Feathered Friends of Wild Rumpus!
About Wild Rumpus Bookstore for Kids
Address: 2720 West 43rd Street, Minneapolis, 55410
The magic of Wild Rumpus Books begins before you walk in the front door. Nestled within the standard frame of wood and metal lies a tiny purple door that’s the perfect size for a child, complete with its own knob. The whimsical front door is just one example of how Wild Rumpus Books takes ordinary moments and makes them truly memorable. Example: a small cottage within the store is home to all the scary and spooky books!
A few more steps inside the quirky store, you may hear a cat’s meow or the soft call of a dove. A Linden Hills institution since 1992, the independent bookstore is home to bestsellers, board books, and a veritable menagerie of animals.
Furry and feathered friends
Named after the Maurice Sendak classic ” Where the Wild Things Are,” it perhaps comes as no surprise that this bookstore runs a little wild and free. Wild Rumpus Books has become synonymous with the animals who roam its shelves, like cats Booker T. Jones and Eartha Kitt.
However, the fun doesn’t stop with feline friends. Wild Rumpus Books is also home to two adorable chinchillas, a dove, a crested gecko named “Stinky Cheese Man,” and even a whole fish tank in the store’s bathroom. Longtime Wild Rumpus patrons may even remember a chicken named Neil DeGrasse Tyson who called the store home, but she has since retired to a hobby farm.
Boundless Books
The sheer number and variety of books at Wild Rumpus are impressive. Whether your child is still in diapers or doesn’t want to be seen with you and just wants a ride to the mall, there is truly a book for every child (and adult, for that matter) here. They also boast a collection of books in different languages, like Spanish, French, and Indigenous languages.
The store’s design and organization are intuitive and categorized in a way that makes sense for young minds. The truck books are with the truck books, which are housed next to the car books, of course. This makes the process of finding your next treasure fun. Tip: Wild Rumpus sells a reusable canvas store tote, and if you bring the tote in, you receive 20% off all future purchases.
Related Article: Top Bookstores in Minnesota for Kids
Wild Rumpus Bookstore Highlights
- Independent Children’s Bookstore featuring animals and a wide variety of books.
- Weekly Storytimes with songs, stories, and dancing every Tuesday at 10:30 a.m.
- Monthly Wild Things Book Club (ages 6-9), Purple Door Book Club (ages 8-12), and Young Adult Book Club (ages 13-17)
- Periodically host local, national, and international Children’s book authors
Know Before You Go to Wild Rumpus Books
- Website
- Hours: Closed Mondays, Tuesday – Friday: 10 a.m. -7 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m. – 5 p.m., Sunday 12 p.m. – 5 p.m.
- Special events and holiday hours are updated regularly on their social media
Mary McGuire is a mother of two young girls and freelance journalist based in the Twin Cities. Her current interests include searching for lost pacifiers, cleaning up crushed Cheerios, and sharing everything our great state has to offer with other families. Born and raised in Edina, Mary has worked in broadcast television for more than a decade at TV stations across the country.
