Monday, June 12, 2017

John McIntyre, champion of children’s books, 1951-2017

By now many of you will have heard the sad news that John McIntyre of The Children's Bookshop, bookseller extraordinaire, died on Saturday 10 June, after a brave fight with chronic illness.

When someone dies, people often ask "what can we do?" - well - there is something you can do...

We'd love it if as many people as possible could Buy a Book for John - to show what John meant to you and to the world of children's literature, and to give some practical support to Ruth McIntyre and the bookshop over the next few weeks. If you're in Wellington, pop into the bookshop (Shop 26, Kilbirnie Plaza, Kilbirnie). If you live elsewhere, you can shop online on their wonderful website. We'd like to think the bookshop staff will be swamped with orders and run off their feet. (We've checked with them first!) If so, your order might take a little while to process, but it will be forthcoming!

The Children's Bookshop stocks a fabulous selection of books for children and young adults, as well as some adult fiction and non-fiction. If you're not sure what to buy, ask one of the bookshop staff - they are all amazing and knowledgeable (after all, they were trained by John). Or check out the suggestions on their website - have a look at the latest newsletters.

Buy a book for yourself, or buy one to give away and tell the person you give it to that it's in memory of John McIntyre. John said of himself, "I'm just a bookseller" - but we know he was much more than that.

Spread the word on #buyabookforjohn

Funeral details:
John's funeral will be at 1pm on Friday 16 June at Old St Paul's, Thorndon, Wellington (and the bookshop will be closed on that day). In lieu of flowers, the family has said that donations to Kidney Health NZ would be appreciated. Messages for the McIntyre family can be left on John's tribute page or sent to: The Children's Bookshop, Shop 26, Kilbirnie Plaza, Kilbirnie, Wellington 6022

More tributes to John:

The Sapling: Farewell dear John we miss you already

Booksellers NZ: Vale John McIntyre, creator of readers

Radio NZ interview with Kathryn Ryan, 26 May 2017 - recorded just after John had decided to give up the review spot he'd held, every second Friday,  for 15 years 

[This is an initiative by the Wellington Children's Book Association Inc. We don't mean to take away business from any other of our wonderful bookshops. We'd simply like to show our appreciation for John in a  way that we hope he would have approved of. For John, it was always all about the books - not about him.] 

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