Visit us in store
Opening Hours
Mon - Fri 09:00 am - 18:00 pm
Sat 09:00 am - 17:00 pm
Sun 10:00 am - 16:00 pm
In-store activities
Twice a week
Get your drawing in Book 5: Freddie Fox
11 years and under
Reviews
Such a fantastic little book shop selling wonderful children’s story books and so much more! An amazing selection of very reasonably priced fantastic gifts for your special little ones.
Very friendly owners .. can’t wait for the workshops.
Well what can I say my 6 year old daughter absolutely loves The New Beginning Wood books and I do too
The shop looks amazing , great selection gifts and other local Authors books also
We'll be back soon.
Today, Year 1 had a visit from an author who attended Half Acres 45 years ago. He shared his books and stories with the children and spoke about how stories can have hidden meanings.
Brilliant little gem , great prices , friendly staff
Georgie had a wonderful morning at New Beginning Wood. We walked away with so many goodies she couldn’t choose from them all. The books are amazing and Georgie is buzzing to see her Sparrow bird in the Melissa Mouse book! Thanks for this morning Chris, you’ve made very happy little girl!
We were thrilled to welcome local author Chris Elliott. Chris joined pupils in EYFS & KS1 to share his first book - Henny the Hedgehog. Children completed workshops & listened to Chris' brilliant book! We can't wait to hear the next book Snowy the White Rabbit.
Lovely, friendly shop. Perfect for families visiting the area.
Such a lovely little children’s book shop, you can really tell it’s run by someone who genuinely loves books and cares about kids enjoying reading them. It is warm and welcoming feel from the author and the staff.
Not only owner wrote books but lovely merchandise including teddies, pillows, mugs, pens in the store.
The owner definitely has put a lot of time and effort into making it a warm and welcoming place for all.
Definitely worth a visit if you’re looking for something a bit more personal and special for your little ones or for yourself!
Fantastic shop and books my kids and the children i teach at work love them. They are eagerly awaiting the next book in the series.
Lovely shop, lovely books with powerful messages of kindness and friendship.
MY JOURNEY TO NEW BEGINNING WOOD
I hope you will join me on an adventure to
New Beginning Wood.
Hello, my name is Chris. I am the author of the New Beginning Wood series of books.
For Christmas several years ago, I wrote my hedgehog-loving niece, Jessica, a story. After printing the story from the computer, my mum did a couple of doodles, and we stuck a staple in the corner.
Henny Hedgehog was born.
A couple of months later, I got a phone call from an excited 5-year-old telling me that she had taken the book to school and all her classmates wanted another. As it was coming up to Easter, I wrote a story about a rabbit and called her Snowy.
12 stories later, I decided to try to get them illustrated and published. On a very limited budget, this was close to impossible, and so the dream died.
I moved to Newbiggin several years ago now, and one random day, I put a shout-out on Newbiggin News and Views asking if anyone knew a local illustrator. Holly Taylor was mentioned. We met, collaborated, and I love how she is bringing the stories to life.
Henny Hedgehog was launched in October 2024, and 4 more have been published since, with many more to come over the next 4 or 5 years.
This shop will be running reading classes, writing classes and also drawing competitions for children to get their pictures in the next book.
So please step into the world of New Beginning Wood, named after this amazing village, and get lost in a world of wonderful woodland creatures.
If you are wondering, Jess is now 12 and is STILL as much in love with hedgehogs as she always has been.
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