About Us

 

Welcome to Tales for Tadpoles!

We are an independent Irish bookshop and gift shop, founded and operated by Caroline Sullivan. Our shop is a place for people of all ages who love illustration and picture books. We carefully select our range from the most innovative and iconic illustrators worldwide, from classic to contemporary. As well as books, we sell the most beautiful prints, gifts, and homewares we can find. Everything is designed by illustrators, or inspired by children's literature. 

When you shop at Tales for Tadpoles you can be sure everything was chosen by someone just as enthusiastic about illustration as you! We believe you're never too old to enjoy illustrated books; in fact, some of the greatest picture books are created with adult audiences in mind. Caroline created Tales for Tadpoles as a place where adults can shop for themselves and our lovely, loyal customer base has proven that we were needed. Of course, we're also passionate about putting the best books into children's hands. Our team of expert booksellers is always happy to recommend a book for your children, nieces, nephews, students and family friends; from babies to teens.

We love stories, and we're very proud of our own story. Caroline began Tales for Tadpoles as a small market stall, selling a special selection of books and stationery at fairs around Dublin. In 2015 she got the chance to create a pop-up shop for a couple of weeks in Dun Laoghaire. This gave her the push to expand to a six-month pop up in Nassau Street in the city centre, and in 2016 she opened our shop in Dublin's charming Drury Street, where we spent a happy six and a half years.
During those six and a half years, Caroline had two children and moved to Bray, Co. Wicklow, and in 2022 decided it was time to move Tales for Tadpoles closer to home. Bray is a beautiful seaside town and our shop is on Albert Walk, which is right by the DART station, very near the seafront, and surrounded by other fantastic businesses. We love our new home!
Don't worry if you can't make it to Wicklow, though: we ship worldwide and you can find our full range online.

Happy browsing!

Caroline and Team Tadpole