The Reading Bug

I used to love this place, but after a nasty interaction with the owner and some disappointing experiences with staff, I won’t be going back. The owner is not friendly and goes around barking orders at children and giving nasty looks to parents. The nasty looks are things her staff seem to have picked up as well. She polices how the children play and I heard her yell at a parent who’s kid was maybe 2 years old and very small child, he got up on the train table to retrieve a train in the middle, which he couldn’t reach otherwise. The owner said the train table was not sturdy enough to hold him for even a brief second and when the parent hesitated one second to tell her what had happened the owner yelled for her to take him down immediately. I think this is worrisome if toys intended for children of all ages are not sturdy enough for children to play naturally with them. The parent confronted her and she was even more nasty and condescending back. They are all too precious about the things in the store like the kids chairs and are constantly frustrated when little ones pick up new merchandise. I get that they need to keep the merchandise in good condition, but maybe they should put it out of reach of little hands if they are so worried about it all the time. Parents can teach children about this and watch them, but sometimes a kid will pick something up in an instant and the parent is trying to buy something. The constant pressure for parents and kids to be perfect in a kids store makes it really awful to shop there despite them having nice toys and books. There’s also a hazard by the play area that their back store room which is not safe for kids is completely open with just a small curtain blocking it off, which doesn’t even reach the floor. I feel for the establishment to be so judgmental of patrons and children they should take a look at what they are doing that’s not in the best interest of kids. Between me and my parents we probably spend a few thousand there a year on presents for my kids and their friends and my family, which they’ll lose now. You can get all the same stuff on Amazon and since the store isn’t that pleasant, it’s not worth the visit. I hope they make some changes and start to value their customers who keep them in business.

The owner reached out to me and asked me to reconsider my review so I will base my 4 stars on all the other times I had been there minus 1 star for the experience. Glad she reached out and hope for the best for small businesses. We will come back and give it another try– I’m sure my boys will be thrilled.

This place is adorable. The staff is always friendly and there’s lots of space in this store so it doesn’t feel cluttered.
They also do gift wrapping for $ 0.10!

Love this place!!! They have some many cute books and gifts for everyone. The staff is amazing. Every time my daughter and I walk into this charming bookstore. We never come home empty handed.

The cutest bookstore for children of all ages, from newborn to young adult. They even host a daily story time for young ones, which is FREE and features a great selection of books. I’d recommend this place to any child or parent of a child who is interested in reading!

Love that we have a place like this in San Carlos. We take our 2 year old here for story time and craft time. He loves it, especially when they sing songs during story time.

Good selection, but overpriced. Charge $ 7.75 for a bag for your purchase if u forget one. Buy cheaper online.

If you have kids there’s not much to dislike about this place. There is story time every day at 11 AM for babies and toddlers. Lots of kids come here with their parents to sing and read. They have just the right amount of space for the people that show up although it can get a little crowded sometimes.
They also have an assortment of children’s books and toys for sale. Prices are pretty reasonable and all the staff that work there are pretty friendly.
In the back opposite the reading room there is a small children’s playhouse as well as a train set for small kids to play on. They have changing stations in the two restrooms so this is a great place to bring your babies or toddlers. They also have special event booksignings and other activities.
If you have small children and live in the area I highly recommend stopping by for a visit.

Hands down my most favorite children’s bookstore in the Bay Area! I can get so lost in this store that I try not to bring my daughter because Id never be able to take my time going through it! Kuddos to whomever is the buyer because I love love their book selection (there’s even an area for mom and dad) and the toys/​puzzles too. Great foreign language section for kiddos Andes well as lots of educational choices. Absolutely adore this store and try to stop by whenever I’m in the area. The sales people are very kind and helpful. Great location (parking was fairly easy) is a bonus with lots of shops to check out after this store. Don’t miss the regular story time! I only wish they would open MORE Bay Area locations!

I adore this bookstore!!! Whenever I think I am going to «pop in» and pick up something quickly, I wind up immersed in children’s books for hours. They have an incredible selection of quality children’s literature (and other amazing gifts) and the employees are all exceptionally knowledgable. I’m always thrilled with their recommendations and have gotten rave reviews from all of my gift recipients. My go-​to store for all things child-​related!

Love this gem of a bookstore! Story time is wonderful. The people who work here are great! I love going every chance we get!

Ubercute, I just wanna buy off the whole store

I am so happy with have The Reading Bug in our community. The place is entertaining and comfortable for grown-​ups with their children. There is a play area, a large selection of books for younger kids and young adults and a knowledgeable staff always ready to help.
Definitely support this local book store!

What a lovely store with a playroom, great selection of books, toys and kids products! You can read books and find cute lounge seating in every corner! We love this store! There are also free music events and other classes. I recommend this store for shopping, reading and playing with your kids!

Adorable children’s store! They have lots of events for the community, which is wonderful. Not to mention the loads of cute toys, books and games in stock.

This store is adorable! They have lots of toys and activity sets for kids in addition to all the books. They also have a good selection of local products and organic toys for babies. My little guy is 9 months but I can’t wait until he is walking — he will have a great time exploring the store. There is a lot for little ones to play with. The staff is also super friendly and helpful. They are very knowledgeable about the products if you ask for recommendations for your child/​baby. They also have a wonderful space that can be rented out for parties in the back. We are having my son’s birthday party here. I wish I would have discovered this place when I was on maternity leave — we would have come for story time!

Dream come true for kids (and adults too?)! I wish a place like this existed when I was a kid. There are amazing little nooks and chairs and playhouses to hangout, play and/​or read in. All sorts of books are available for babies, kids, teens and adults. There’s even a section for bilingual books and CDs. I always come here to pick out gifts for kids because there’s such a wide selection of books and some toys to go along. You can’t go wrong with books!
There’s also special activities for kids and adults such as reading/​story time, author appearances, yoga and zumba classes (some of these aren’t free though).

this is a gem of a place for kids, more than just buying books, story time and events are included too. We came here and saw the illustrator for Fancy Nancy books. She signed a copy of the book for my daughter and she read the book to a group of kids, she brought people up to help out and it was a fun event for kids, they also will do parties in their back room. the place is decorated in imagination, fantasy and fun. You have to check it out.

Love this bookstore! It is a parents and children’s paradise. Their selection of books are great. They have toys. They have classes and you can throw your kid’s birthday party here.

This is one of those great bookstores that you love having in the neighborhood (and look for opportunities to support because you desperately want it to stick around). It’s the perfect place to pick up a children’s gift since they’ll gift-​wrap it for you (with really cute paper). Note that it is primarily targeted at the young at heart (but they do have a shelf of books for big people as well).
The space is very welcoming, and there’s a lot of it. There’s a little play table in the back for babies and toddlers, as well as a larger space for hosting parties.