My First Busy Shop

My First Busy Shop — a cash register your little one can read

The book is shaped like a till, and it works rather like one too. Little ones choose what they'd like from each shop, slide the coin in, swipe the card, and listen for the kerching. Then they do it all again, because of course they do.

Every shop has its own register with its own novelty, so there's a new noise to find on each spread.

🛒 Playing shop, without the shop

Pretend shopping is one of the first games toddlers invent for themselves — handing you things, taking them back, insisting on payment. This gives that game somewhere to happen, in something that fits in a bag.

It's a book, so it goes on the bookshelf. It's a till, so it gets played with. Both at once, which is a rarer thing than it sounds.

🔊 The kerching is the whole point

• Shop-themed sounds to find across the pages
• A coin slider to post the money in
• A credit-card-swipe slider, because that's how shopping looks now
• Noisy sliders and flaps throughout
• Battery included — it makes its noises from the moment it's unwrapped

The noises are what bring them back to it. There's something very satisfying about a till that goes ker-ching when you've done it properly.

💬 Good for finding words

Playing shopkeeper gives little ones a reason to talk: naming what's on the shelf, choosing between two things, handing something over, saying please and thank you. Parents often notice the shopping words arriving first — and rather a lot of counting.

👶 It grows with them

At the younger end it's flaps to lift and noises to make. Later it becomes a proper game — picking items, adding them up, taking turns at being the customer. The same book does both, which is how it earns its place for longer than most.

📏 Book details

• Format: interactive board book with sound
• Pages: 10
• Size: 233 x 193 x 26mm
• Suitable from: birth+
• Battery: included and fitted
• Written by: Alexander Cox
• Illustrated by: Katie Rudge
• Features: cash-register shape, shop-themed sounds, coin slider, card-swipe slider, flaps and noisy sliders throughout

❓ Frequently asked questions

Does it need batteries?
No — the battery is included and already fitted, so it works straight out of the box. No hunting through the kitchen drawer on Christmas morning.

What age is it for?
The publisher rates it from birth, though it really comes into its own once your little one is old enough to play along — around eighteen months to two years is where most families tell us it clicks.

Is it good for taking out?
Very. It's compact, it's self-contained, and it keeps a toddler busy in a café or a waiting room without a single loose piece to drop.

Are the pages sturdy?
Yes — thick board pages, built for the kind of enthusiasm a till attracts.

Does it make a good gift?
It's one of those books people buy again for other people's children, which is usually the giveaway.

❤️ From our family to yours

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