Story Time at Wild Rumpus... with LIVE chickens!?

Wild Rumpus is an independently owned children's bookstore in Minneapolis that is a must-see! The first unique thing you'll notice is that the big purple door you use to enter the bookstore, has a smaller door cut into it, just for children to enter [and that alone can be worth the trip]!

Once you step inside, it's enchanting. The floor-to-ceiling bookshelves filled with children's books immediately brings comfort and coziness. Soft, worn chairs are placed about in corners for cuddling up and getting lost in Goodnight Moon or The Runaway Bunny. And don't forget to watch out for the chickens running wild around the store!

I didn't notice the theme of this when I was first there, but the tunnel in the back of the store is a "haunted hut" where all the "scary" books are kept. This is also where you can find the rats. Yes, rats [but don't worry, the rats are safely caged, unlike some of the other animals].

And some of those other animals that call the Wild Rumpus home include spiders, birds, chinchillas, and an African lizard. While these animals are nicely caged to look at from a distance, there are chickens and some [naturally] tail-less cats that can be found roaming the store.

The animals create a fun adventure for the little ones every time you visit. Also every Monday @ 10:30, Wild Rumpus hosts "tail time" [story hour]. However, I would not recommend visiting the store at this time with your baby. It was extremely crowded with no room for grown ups to sit down [which also included mama's with babies strapped to them, aka me.] The host of story time was more soft spoken and because it was geared for children of all ages, the books were a little over E's short attention span. While the story teller was great with the bigger kids, singing songs and getting them involved, I don't think E even realized we were at story time. When you're bringing your little babe to this store to soak in the captivating environment, I think it would be better when the store was a little quieter. I was a little overwhelmed and ready to leave by the end.

The bonus is that Wild Rumpus is in a great neighborhood [Linden Hills]. So you can make a morning or afternoon out of it. Who can resist some great shopping for your baby? Check out: Creative Kids Stuff, Oscar & Belle or Wonderment, all within walking distance. Hungry? Stop by Great Harvest Bread Co. and sampled some homemade bread or [what I thought was] the world's biggest chocolate chip cookie. Looking to cool off? Try across the street & get some of the best ice cream you are going to taste at Sebastian Joe's [and they have a fabulous back patio too]. The options are endless!