Munich Kids

The Bookshelf - English Lending Library hosts an English story hour, every third Saturday of the month, starting at 3 p.m.  Stories are for children ages 3 to 6.  Refreshments are provided.  The Bookshelf is located in the basement of The Old Catholic Church.

Address:  Blumenstrasse 36, Munich

Books are like clothes. Shelves (or closets) are full of them, but there’s nothing to read (wear) for tonight…

This is a modern dilemma, and at least on the book front there now is a light at the end of the tunnel.  Simply swap the books you don’t want to keep for new reading material.  Easier said than done?  You don’t know anyone who: a) lives near you, and; b) shares your taste in literature, and; c) reads English language books?

Time to check out the online bookswapper - a small, friendly community of ex-pats and Germans who share an interest in English language books.  This non-profit online-swap works free of charge, and the owners are happy to help those who aren’t seasoned surfers of the web.  All you need is access to the Internet and books you’d like to exchange for new reads.

Now, list as many books as you like - listing a minimum of 5 books earns you your very first “swap-token”.  With this, you can browse the catalogue and choose any book you like.  Once you’ve chosen your book, click on the “Swap Book” icon, and simply wait.  The book will be delivered to your door-step, as the actual swapping is done by mail.  Thanks to special rates for book shipments inside Germany (only 85 ct for your average paperback), the financial aspect beats that of most fleamarkets.

After that first swap, you earn one token every time somebody requests and receives one of your listed books.  No financial transactions - the swapper sending a book covers the postage.  So, it’s one book out -new token - one book in.  How simple is that?

To find out more and to set up an account, visit www.bookswapper.de or contact resi@bookswapper.de

The Bookshelf e.V. is a English lending library.  There are limited hours, Monday -Wednesday from 3-6 and Saturdays from 11-3.  Starting on April 16, 2007, the Monday hours will be extended to 8pm.  On the third Saturday of the month, they have a story hour for children aged 3-8.

Address:  In the basement meeting rooms of the Old Catholic Church, Blumenstrasse 36

Phone:  089/ 61 62 27

Nearest Public Transportation: U1/U2/U3/U6 Sendlinger Tor

Besides The Munich Readery and the English Hugendubel on Salvatorplatz, I know of only one other English-language bookstore.  If you know of others, please add a comment or, to add a post, send an email to the munich_kids@yahoo.com.  (The Munich Readery and English Hugendubel are described in posts under “Libraries & Book Stores”

Words’ Worth Booksellers; “We offer a large and choice selection of English-language literature, Audio-books, DVDs, Postcards, Classic English board games, gift items, Teas, Marmalades; etc.”

Address: Schellingstrasse 3, 80799, Munich

Phone:  089/ 280 9141 and 089/ 283 642

Website:  http://www.wordsworth.de

Nearest Public Transportation:  U3/U6 Universitat

Hugendubel is one of the large bookstore chains in Germany.  Most of their branches offer at least a small selection of English titles.  One of the branches, Hugendubel am Salvatorplatz, offers only titles in English.  If you’ve been missing the days when you could walk into Barnes & Noble or Borders back in the U.S., and browse among the books for hours, this is the closest you can come to it in Munich.  There is also a small selection of books for children and teenagers.  The book store is located across from the Literatur Haus, a great place to go for coffee and dessert. 

Address:  Salvator Platz 2, 80333 Munich

Phone:  01801/ 484 484

Website:  http://www.hugendubel.de/

Nearest Public Transportation:  U3/U6, Odeonsplatz

The Munich Readery is the largest shop for second-hand English language books in Germany. They offer 40,000 titles in English.  I love this bookstore!  It has a very cozy and relaxed feel to it.  If you are there without kids, you can browse for hours, if you’d like.  If you are there with kids, there is a small kids’ corner in the back with a table, chairs, and a few bright, clean toys for young children.  The store has a small selection of titles for children and teens. 

Books are offered for 30-70% off current list price.  You can also exchange your own books for store credit.    They have a very informative website that should answer your questions about their trading policy or other topics. 

The store is located at the corner of Augustenstrasse and Schellingstrasse.  Schellingstrasse, by the way, is  a treasure trove of bookstores, with titles in English and German. If you are a bibliophile and have some time on your hands, take the U3/U6 to the Universitaet stop and walk down Shellingstrasse for 7 blocks on your way to the Munich Readery.  You’ll find plenty of bookstores to stop in or window shop from, along the way.

Address: Augustenstrasse, 104; 80798 Munich 

Phone: 089/121 92 403    

Website:  http://www.readery.de/

Nearest Public Transportation:  U2, Teresienstrasse; Bus 154 Augustenstrasse

There are over 30 branches in the Munich library system (Muenchen Stadtbibliothek).  If you are a resident of Munich, you can sign up for a library card at your local branch.  Membership at one branch gives you membership access to all the branches.  Many branches have an English-language section.  In addition to books, you can check out CDs, DVDs, and games, for children teens and adults.

Most of the libraries have sections for children and teens.  Branches with children’s sections typically have a small reading area with child sized-chairs or pillows, and a few toys.  The children’s section of your local branch can be a nice alternative to the playground on a rainy day.  Several of the branches host special events and regular activities for children.  Story time in German, and occasionally in English, is common.  Activities that are available for children can be accessed from each branch’s website.  (See web address below).

The city’s main library is housed in the Gasteig on Rosenheimer Platz.  The Gasteig is a cultural center that offers the music, lectures, the library, and much more.  There is an entire library branch dedicated to children and young people in  the Gasteig. This library is called the Kinder- and Jugendbibliothek, and it has a separate entrance from the main library.  This library is also a great place to pick up free resources on parenting and events and activities for children.

There is a small playground behind the Gasteig so your kid can run off some energy after a trip to the library.  There are also several cafes and restaurants in the Gasteig if you need a bite to eat.

Website:  http://www.muenchner-stadtbibliothek.de/page.php?pageid=9.  This site provides a map of the locations of all the branches of the Muenchen Statdtbibliothek. Click on a location to get specific information for that branch.

Kinder- and Jugendbibliothek (Children and Young People’s Library) 

Address:  Rosenheimer Strasse 5, 81667 Munich

Phone:  (089) 480 98 3888

Website:  http://www.muenchner-stadtbibliothek.de/page.php?pageid=84

Nearest Public Transportation:  S1-S8, Rosenheimer Platz; Tram 18, Am Gasteig; Tram 15,25 Rosenheimer Platz