Blue Manatee

We came here a year and a half ago while on a trip and I cannot stop thinking or talking about how great it is when I talk about bookstores (which, strangely enough, is often). To me, that kind of positive memory says something about the store.
There are tons of books. Tons. And little nooks with furniture to cozy up and read. Play spaces for kids. Books for all ages and levels. A great mural on the wall with different artists’ renditions of animals. A separate section of it is a coffee shop.
I think every children’s bookstore should take notes from this place. It is a gem.

Still a cute bookstore but definitely going downhill. The blue manatee has always been one of my favorite things to do with my son, but I was more than disappointed after our last visit. The book selection was very sparse (huge shelves empty) and the café is now closed which was a huge letdown to both my child and myself. It was so fun to let my son run around while I sipped on a yummy coffee, and we often grabbed smoothies and a snack after shopping. It just doesn’t offer the same experience now. I’m really surprised they chose to close the café, I think it will really hurt sales overall. Today was the first time I’ve ever left without making a purchase, not a good sign! I hope they rethink what the bookstore experience should be like and work hard to make improvements.

Beautiful store, great selection, very child friendly!

I have seen several reviews about Blue Manatee, and thought «how great can this place really be? After all, it is a store and their main goal is to sell you something.» Boy was I wrong. This is hands down the cutest children’s bookstore I have ever been to. Scenes from various children’s books adorn the walls. Stickers from various authors are plastered about. Even the bathrooms are decorated alike. There are places to sit and enjoy a book. Several children were sitting and enjoying looking at books. Various events happen periodically. Check their website, (or the store,) for event times and fees.
There are also a few toy and Blue Manatee t-​shirts. Prices for books seem to be as marked by the publishers.
It was too late for me to partake in the coffee from the adjoining café, but it looked and smelled amazing. They even have a little room with beautiful murals, for the kids to play while parents enjoy a cup of Joe. I love the mural of the manatee sailing away.
There is no hard sale here. Come, relax, enjoy, and it wouldn’t hurt to support local business too. Let your or your child’s imagination soar, and check out Blue Manatee.

The best childrens bookstore in the tristate, blue manatee combines books, fun, and coffee for parents. It’s a tradition in our household to take our girls here on their birthday to pick out some books, then next door to Aglamesis Bros. for ice cream. What a birthday treat! Their book boxes are a great gift idea for that niece or nephew in your life.

We have only been here one time but we will absolutely love to come back. We took a five and three year old to Make A Mess at the Manatee. They read a story and all participated in a craft related to the story. The kids had a blast and enjoyed the special area that was dedicate to this special craft. The bookstore was full of great kids books and the staff encouraged the girls to touch and play in the store. A great place for kids.

Childhood revisited. Remember all those picture books and Shel Silverstein and Judy Blume books you read as a kid? This is where your parents bought those.
Blue Manatee is set up for kids and features its own coffee and tea shop. I had the cider whilst perusing my childhood bedroom bookshelf. The bathrooms are covered in posters for kid’s books and say «potty» on the door, but since that’s what I say to get the dog to go outside, who am I to judge. Read on!

Children’s books are my favorite, so it’s pretty shocking it’s taken me so long to get here.
There isn’t much like taking a step back in time to your childhood, but Blue Manatee provides such an experience — taking you back to the days of imaginative, inspirational artwork, with a whimsy atmosphere and exploratory nature. I didn’t have a lot of time to carefully and thoroughly peruse Blue Manatee’s arsenal of children’s books, young adult books, toys, and various gifts as I’d have liked, but from what I saw, I loved.
I was casually looking through, just because I’d not been and I was leaving The Spotted Goose (next door), but as I was browsing, an extremely friendly worker was more than happy to send me in the direction of «starter crayons» and a coloring book to buy for my nephew to have for his next birthday (I’d already bought his Christmas present next door and, being that I’m his «artist» aunt, I figured crayons and a coloring book were all but necessary).
Now that I’ve spotted Blue Manatee (and The Spotted Goose), I will never look outside of Oakley Square to buy children’s gifts. And I’ve yet the coffee shop to try, too!

There is not much to say that hasn’t been said already — this store is whimsical, imaginative, and inspiring.
When you walk in you are greeted with a sea of calming blue murals and a cute little café for parents (good call!) On the bookstore side there are aisles and aisles of books ranging from newborn, teens, and everything in between. I love seeing all the interactive elements in the store.
There are learning toys, books, and their mission of getting kids to use their imagination again is infectious. My favorite part is when you purchase a gift, or books you can get your item wrapped in one of their famous cardboard boxes:
The motto? Read the books, play with the rest! Again, going back to using your imagination — this is one of the most precious gifts you can give.
The owner is one of the sweetest people I have ever met. His mission for this business is incredible. There are few that rival this kind of passion. Stop in for a coffee, get inspired, and you can leave with a pep in your step and feeling good about spending your money here.
Pro tip: They have a deal on Unilocal!$ 20 for $ 25.

Adorable children’s bookstore with a really fun space for kids. I always love a local/​independent bookstore. Great place to go for kids/​baby books and gifts if you want to go off the beaten path of Babies r Us, etc.

Blue Manatee will make you wish you were 5 again. It has every children’s book you can imagine, from board books to chapter books. The walls are covered with drawings and signatures of favorite authors. It is whimsical and colorful. The staff is phenomenal and so knowledgeable about new books, popular ones for different age groups, and they come up with the best gift ideas. Don’t overlook it as a small independent bookstore. They make sure their place in Oakley Square is known and the café next door is a great place to stop and peruse your new purchases.

I have to start out by saying that I love the bookstore half of this shop! Adorable books! Great space! Friendly staff! Perfect to take young kids and babies on a day out!
Unfortunately when I went to get a coffee at their little coffee shop I happened to have a pretty bad experience. I ordered an iced coffee and asked for it to be sweetened. The girl told me that they had sugar packets at the counter. Sugar packets? Sugar will not dissolve in an iced coffee!!! As a lover of iced coffee this is a personal pet peeve of mine. Then as I was waiting I heard her loudly complain about the costumer who just left and then to make it even better, she went on to talk about how sick she was feeling. I was right there. Definitely within earshot. Umm… eww…don’t want sick people all up in my expensive coffee goodness…
I’ll come back to visit the bookstore and I hope that girl was just having a really bad day because I want to love the coffee shop too.

I love this place! It looks so small from the outside, but it’s actually pretty big. My 20-​month-​old daughter was so excited about the chairs and table that were her size. There is a big wooden train with windows and a passageway through the whole thing, which we played in and around for at least 20 minutes. There were stuffed animals to go with book themes, all very cute. They had different sections of the bookstore for the older kids, with age-​appropriate seating for each.
I found some sweet little books and would have gotten 4 or 5 books, but I decided to limit it to 2. I’m very happy with my purchase and although I feel that I probably could find these books cheaper on
, I’m much happier to support a local business, especially one with such charm!
As I was checking out, a lady arrived with a present and said she was there for the birthday party. The nice girl who was checking me out pointed her in the direction of another part of the shop, which I hadn’t gone into (I think it was the café?).
I will definitely check them out online for more info on parties and possibly have my daughter’s 2^nd birthday party here. As it was, I had to bribe and coax my daughter out of the store so she obviously enjoyed it too. My sister was with us and we each exclaimed over and over the adorableness of each new thing we saw.
We will definitely be coming back!

Smiles and bright colors make this one of the better places to get your coffee smoothies and snacks with your kids

Cozy and comfortable place for everyone in the family to enjoy! The abundance of children’s books, colorful décor and mini-​sized furniture make this a place where children feel free to explore and use their imagination. Blue Manatee is parent friendly too.. . there is a small coffee shop located inside as well!
Also, be sure to purchase this MUST HAVE book.. .. . Cincinnati, Our City, Our Story. All proceeds go to the Every Child Succeeds in Cincinnati.

Oh man, I don’t have kids… but this place makes my uterus ache and my heart soar, with all its cuteness. In part because I do someday want to have kids (and I am still naïve enough to believe I’ll be able to provide such an enriched and warm environment to my kids in all our free time-I’m aware enough to know it’s not all so glamorous); this is how I imagine those moments working out. Fantasy aside and even without kids, this place is magical. Seeing the families reading, exploring, playing with chalk, looking at the exploration tables, etc. is really heart warming.
The walls in the store are burlap with art and signatures strewn about. There is some awesome knit bombing by the faux fireplace, which is beyond charming. And… there are books everywhere. I’m also a sucker for books, you can see how this place calls to me.
To top it all off (as if all of the above weren’t charming enough), the attached café provided me a hearty, simple, but delicious meal. I had a toasted bagel with cream cheese (takes me back somehow) and a honey pot smoothy. I mean, it was like I had been transported into Pooh’s forest or something. Perhaps the stories were taking me back as I waited on my order. Good, healthy, quality food. Couldn’t ask for more there. The coffee smelled delicious and their menu is written in beyond hip (if you’re a kid) colored letters.
The blue manatee inspiration is everywhere. The bathrooms are even fun, with an adorable mural in the mini sized chair room, and then old book posters inside.
I had such a nice and heartwarming time here that I’ve thought about going back already. Sans kids, I don’t know how often I can actually do that, but it’s a fun place to dream (of someday kids), explore the memories or reading and see what new is out there, to feel refreshed that kids are still being stimulated and nurtured, and to feel full of good food and safe. This. is. priceless.
As a final note, and not to diminish this actual, real-​life feeling of this store, but the scene in ‘You’ve Got Mail’ with The Shop Around the Corner felt in the movie as this does in real life. Real life is better, if by default– of course, and I share the comparison with an intention of flattery, not hyped-​Hollywood.
When I have kids, even if I’m not living here, I’d feel honored to have them spend some time in the Blue Manatee Bookstore/​Café. Well done!

A local children’s bookstore with a cute little café attached. I’ve lost myself for hours in here, searching for gifts, catching up on the latest teen novels, and revisiting developmental milestones. I love that they have a little section on science and biology and a great bookshelf with parenting books, no doubt vetted by the owner, a pediatrician. A carefully chosen selection of music and developmentally appropriate but fun toys and gift round out your shopping selections. Plus, if the thing you chose is destined for someone else, they bedeck your gift in fashionable wrapping.
Come for story hour, stay for some tea, and take yourself back to your childhood in this perfect little bookstore.

Blue Manatee gets it. The staff is knowledgeable and always eager to offer recommendations or suggestions for a gift, but, in my experience, they’re never pushy or snooty. They’ve got an outstanding selection of books and games for children and young people. The coffee shop is also super charming, with lots of locally made goodies to eat. Many of the drinks have names inspired by children’s literature, too, which is fun.
Ultimately, there’s nothing here you can’t pick up at one of the Walmarty bookstores like Barnes & Nobel or order on Amazon. But Blue Manatee isn’t just in the business of hocking books to make a buck. They’re in the business of selling a life-​long love of literature.
They have all kinds of fun activities and workshops for kids, too. My three-​year-​old and I come here every Wednesday at 10:30am for storytime. This is like church for my son. He is a firm believer in the gospel according to Miss Gail, which asserts a sound doctrine founded on the tenet that books are cool and that if you’re happy and you know it, your face should surely show it. It gets a little crowded sometimes (especially if the weather’s lousy and parents are scrambling for something to do outside the house), but it’s still worth cramming in.
Also, the walls are covered in drawings and autographs from some of the best authors and illustrators of books for children, which, in itself, is worth a visit.
There’s no pandering here. Blue Manatee bursts at the seams with whimsy, but it never, thank god, disintegrates into cutesiness. It’s childlike without being childish. The reason Blue Manatee works so well is that they understand that you don’t have to make reading SEEM fun or exciting. Reading IS fun and exciting.

An interesting place… A bookstore for children, but with a coffeeshop for the adults? I’m in.
The place has great children’s books at a great price, even if I am too old for them it still gives me great memories of those classic books that have been handled from generation to generation. Connected to the store is a cute coffeeshop, with a childlike attitude; As far as décor, the menu is written in magnetic letters and the tables have many objects inside a glass case, giving something for the children to be kept occupied. If I ever am in the area I will be going here for children’s gifts!

Oh the huge manatee!
Even the delightfully whimsical exterior doesn’t do this justice. Once you step inside, you are whisked away to a wonderland of children’s delights. The décor is uplifting, such that children and and adults alike will be encouraged to embrace their imaginations.
They have many cool events like readings, and book signings. The artwork on the walls is perfect, and the staff is fun and friendly.
They have a café as well with fair trade coffee, tasty bagels, and even little ‘pint-​size’ kids cups of fun and healthy snacks.
Stop in for that little kid in your life, even if that little kid is you.