No Alibis, based in Botanic Avenue, is one of the last remaining independent bookstores in Belfast, originally No Alibis was Northern Ireland’s only specialist crime bookstore, and are now diversifying into children’s literature.

No Alibis has had a strong relationship with the Belfast Children’s Festival for a number of years. Working together No Alibis and the Belfast Children’s Festival launched a revamped children’s book area in the store.

Director of the Belfast Children’s Festival, Ali Fitzgibbon, says

‘We’re delighted that after so many years of working together with No Alibis, we can send out a message with one of our local businesses that the best gift to give your child this Christmas is the imagination and delight of a good book.’

For all of us at the Belfast Children’s Festival, the joy of reading and being told stories is something we believe every child should experience. Christmas is the perfect time for children to be read to or to receive a gift of a really good picture or story book. It’s a wonderful way to spend a relaxing time with your children and it’s never too early to start with books for infants right up to teens.

We want to celebrate this fantastic children’s book area, which has a great selection of the very best and some quite rare children’s literature. The brilliant new range of children’s books has been introduced to the shop just in time for Christmas and would make great stocking fillers for any child interested in literature!

Literature, with or without words, leaves space for children to make up the story in their own minds – they have to imagine what characters look like or the way they talk. It stimulates them to see that life can be different from the reality they see every day and gives them the words and ideas to tell their own story. There is no better or more imaginative way to help our children grow their sense of opportunity and their power of self-expression.

No Alibis and the Belfast Children’s Festival hosted a special children’s book reading with local author Glenn Patterson and art workshop as a Christmas treat for a lucky P6 class from Botanic Primary School on the morning of 14 December.

No Alibis have signed editions and special bookshop events including visiting authors frequently, visit their website www.noalibis.com to see what events are coming up and what special offers they currently have in store. And remember to spare a thought for our local businesses this Christmas, you may be pleasantly surprised by the unique range they offer.