Address: 2720 West 43rd Street, Minneapolis, MN, 55410
Upcoming Events: Jump to Wild Rumpus Books Events
Website Wild Rumpus Books
Phone 612-920-5005
Wild Rumpus is a one-of-a-kind independent children’s bookstore. In 2022, the bookstore celebrated its 30th anniversary of providing their expertise on kids books to Twin Cities families and book lovers. Begin by ducking through the preschool-sized purple front door of this Linden Hills store front and let your child’s imagination go wild.
Meet the animals of Wild Rumpus: Where the (Not-So) Wild Things Are
Besides a catalog of books geared toward children and a friendly staff, Wild Rumpus boasts a menagerie of domestic and exotic pets. The animal inhabitants change over time, but cats, mice, lizards, chinchillas, tarantulas, chickens and birds have all called the store home at one point. According to the store’s newsletter, What’s the Rumpus?, the store’s most-recent chicken, Neil Spiel, decided to retire to a nearby hobby farm in 2021.
Fun facts: Often described as a “magical place,” Wild Rumpus based the interior design and animal-friendly atmosphere of the store on the children’s book, The Salamander Room by Anne Mazer; and, of course the name, is a quote from Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak.
Pictures & video of Wild Rumpus Books
Events at Wild Rumpus Books: local authors, storytime and more
Like any good bookstore, Wild Rumpus offers author events, readings and story times. We recommend getting on their email list so you’ll learn of these events early. Many author events are held on Saturdays, so you could just show up and see what is happening. This might be best with a plan for exploring the Linden Hills neighborhood (read more about that below).
Tail Time, the popular weekly story hour, is held Tuesdays from 10:30 to 11am. It is geared toward toddlers and preschool-age kids, but if you have older kids at home, you can bring them too. The store can get pretty crowded, so we recommend coming early – say, at 10am store opening. We include Tail Time listings on our FAMILY FUN CALENDAR, often in our WEEKDAY FAMILY GUIDE and in our list of TWIN CITIES PRESCHOOL STORYTIMES.
Wild Rumpus suggests scheduling large groups for a separate story time. They’ll toss in a brief tour of the store. Call the store to learn more.
Wild Rumpus Trolley Storytime
A couple times a year, Wild Rumpus has offered a popular trolley ride story time in conjunction with the nearby COMO-HARRIET STREETCAR LINE. The tickets are typically snapped up too fast to promote. If you are interested in attending one of these programs, we again recommend subscribing to their newsletter so you can get the details early. If your kids are interested in riding the trolley, it runs seasonally starting in late April or early May – and it’s only a 10 minute walk from the bookstore!
The Linden Hills neighborhood
Wild Rumpus is located in the beloved Linden Hills district of Minneapolis. If you are up for an afternoon of exploring, Anne has more details and suggestions for restaurants and family fun in her article 5 Spots to Stop in Linden Hills, Minneapolis with Kids — including Great Harvest Bread & Sebastian Joes Ice Cream for snacks, Heartfelt Crafts, Pinwheel & Play Toys to shop, the Linden Hills Library and more.
A parent’s review of Wild Rumpus Bookstore
Located in the Linden Hills neighborhood not far from Lake Harriet, Wild Rumpus is a dream. It’s the place where you can pull up a chair or a bench and just read without any distractions – unless you count the the animals who inhabit the store. Your kids will definitely be distracted by the menagerie.
But when there are good books to be had, nothing can stop you! My daughters were in heaven with books surrounding them floor to ceiling. (Who am I kidding? I was in heaven!) For being a small, locally owned bookstore their selection of books was incredible. My boys were in heaven with a gazillion nooks and crannies in which to hide. (I on the other hand kept losing them! I wasn’t too worried since the store wasn’t that big.)
One disadvantage the bookstore has is limited street parking, extra inconvenient in the winter. You may need to park a few blocks away and walk. That was my only complaint, however; I recommend Wild Rumpus books to any avid reader with our without young children.
This parental review was originally written by Gianna Kordatzky on Dec 5, 2013.
More information about Wild Rumpus Books
- Contact Wild Rumpus via email: info@wildrumpusbooks.com
- Find upcoming events on their Wild Happenings page
- Meet the animals and find videos of their antics
Share Your Experience/Tips:
We would love to hear your thoughts and parental tips. Share your experiences and any information you think other parents would find useful. Leave us a comment below.Upcoming Family-Friendly Events
- Wild Rumpus Books Author Visit (FREE) - 05/16/2026 - 10:30 am - 11:00 am
Fun Past Events We Hope to See Again
- Find Waldo in Linden Hills Grand Celebration (FREE) - 07/31/2025 - 5:00 pm - 6:00 pm
- Independent Bookstore Day at Wild Rumpus - 04/25/2026 - 10:00 am - 5:00 pm
- Wild Rumpus Books Weekly Storytime (FREE) - 05/12/2026 - 10:30 am - 11:00 am
Please Note: FamilyFunTwinCities.com is an independent website run by Twin Cities families for Twin Cities families. We attempt to include the information we find most essential as parents. We make every effort to keep up with changes. However, we are not employed by or connected to this venue, and information sometimes changes without our knowledge. We recommend calling or checking the venue’s website for up-to-date information.
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