The Bimbi Books Story
Hello, I’m Rocio, the founder of Bimbi Books. I’m originally from southern Spain and have called Brussels home for more than ten years. Before settling here, I lived in several countries, including Italy and China, experiences that gave me a deep appreciation for languages, cultures and the stories that connect us.
The idea for Bimbi Books began when as a parent, I often found myself searching for children’s books in different languages and wishing there was a place where families could browse them in person. For me, children’s books are something you want to hold in your hands to discover the illustrations, understand the story and find the book that is just right.
Living in Brussels, one of Europe’s most multilingual and multicultural cities, I began to imagine a children’s bookshop that reflected the families around it. A place where stories could be shared across languages, where children could find books that felt familiar, and where parents could discover new favourites from around the world.
What started as an idea gradually became a reality and today Bimbi Books is a welcoming multilingual children’s bookshop dedicated to helping children develop a lifelong love of reading. I’m delighted to share this journey with the book lovers who visit every day. Bimbi Books is proudly an independent, woman-owned business and I look forward to welcoming you to the shop!
If you cannot make it to the shop in person please visit our online catalogue through our e-shop at bimbibooks.com.
Our Book Selection
As an independent children’s bookshop, we carefully curate our collection rather than trying to stock everything. Our shelves cover every stage of childhood from baby books and picture books to novels for teenagers.
Alongside beloved classics by authors such as Jules Verne and Beatrix Potter, we also seek out contemporary stories that reflect the multicultural world we live in.
When selecting books, we pay close attention to storytelling, illustrations, values, cultural perspectives, local connections and the quality of each edition. Rather than focusing only on the newest releases, we aim to build a collection with lasting value, featuring books that children continue to enjoy year after year.
We also love introducing families to children’s books that are well known and cherished in other countries, helping great stories travel across languages and cultures.
Our collection is always growing, and we are continually learning more about children’s literature. If you have a favourite book you’d like to recommend, we’d love to hear from you.
Our Multilingual Collection
Brussels is a wonderfully multilingual city, and many children grow up speaking more than one language. From the beginning, one of our biggest questions was: how many languages should we offer? After many conversations with parents and booksellers, we chose seven languages that allow us to create a diverse yet carefully selected collection: French, Dutch, English, German, Italian, Portuguese and Spanish.
We selected these languages based on the communities we serve in Ixelles and across Brussels, while ensuring we can thoughtfully choose, order and manage each title. Can’t find the language you’re looking for? We are happy to order books in other languages whenever possible—just get in touch and let us know what you need Here.
We also regularly host children’s activities, readings and events that celebrate stories, languages and the joy of reading. Find out more Here.
Bimbi Books in The Press
- Radio Alma, March 2026. Bimbi Books en la Feria del libro: literatura infantil con diversidad lingüística. Listen to the episode here.
- De Standard, February 2026. “En ze leefden samen zolang ze dat wilden”: drie valentijnstips van boekhandel Bimbi Books in Brussel. Read the article here.
- Bruzz TV, March 2024. Multilingual children’s bookstore Bimbi Books: ‘I personally select all the books’. Read the article here.
- Radio Alma, April 2023. Nos desplazamos hasta Bimbi Books, la librería infantil de Bruselas con libros en 7 lenguas. Listen to the episode here.
Making Bookselling Greener
We believe small actions can make a meaningful difference. That’s why we look for practical ways to reduce waste and our environmental impact. We reuse bags through our “circular bags” initiative, where customers and friends donate clean, reusable bags for others to take home their books. We also reuse and share cardboard boxes whenever possible before recycling them.
Some of our books arrive by bicycle from local warehouses, and we encourage suppliers to use low-emission delivery methods whenever available. We also favour fewer, larger orders rather than frequent small deliveries to help reduce transport emissions.
To minimise unnecessary shipping, we focus on maintaining a carefully selected collection rather than constantly replacing stock. We print receipts only when requested and keep our administration as paper-free as possible—while happily making an exception for books of course.