Papa-Livros was born in 2007 out of its founder's need for change, and inspired by English bookshops that were ‘very cosy and warm, like a fairytale’. Before opening the bookshop, Adélia Carvalho was a kindergarten teacher and worked with books on a daily basis. The tight routine of teaching and the lack of placement gave her the strength to create a space where she could share her love of stories and, at the same time, stay close to the children. ‘I was tired of the school routine and wanted something that would challenge me intellectually,’ she says.

The Papa-Livros space reflects this desire. It's a bookshop, but it's also a gallery where illustration takes centre stage. Here, the books are displayed like in an art gallery, facing the front so that children can recognise their covers - an approach designed to stimulate the little ones. ‘I joke and say that this was the world's first Instagram,’ she laughs. "Pre-readers can't read, but they recognise the book by its cover. So they have to be able to see them!"

Ave Azul is a young bookshop with deep roots. The name is a tribute to the literary and art criticism magazine Ave Azul, published in Viseu between 1899 and 1900. "Blue was very much associated with the Republican struggle. Ana de Castro Osório, who wrote for the magazine, was known for her fight for peace, women's rights and the right to education," says bookseller Maria Inês Gomes. "At the end of the 19th century, literacy was a privilege. These women fought for all children to have access to school. Today, we take that for granted, but I think it's beautiful to remember that past," she emphasises.

The spirit of that publication is reflected in the bookshop that opened its doors in 2022 by the hands of this philosophy teacher who fell in love with illustrated literature when she worked in a children's bookshop, ‘to fill holes while she couldn't find a position in a school’.

It was during this period that she realised how adults, at a certain point, turn away from picture books. "I think we all have a divorce with children's books. We grow up and think they're no longer for us, but if we happen to come across them again, we realise we were wrong to leave them behind," she reflects.

Blue Bird challenges this ‘separation’ imposed by age. Here, a picture book can delight a five-year-old child, but also an adult who appreciates illustration and visual storytelling. ‘Illustrated literature isn't just for children; more and more adults are buying these books for themselves, even without having a child or a nephew to give them to.’

Maria Inês believes that the way we read a book changes over time. "Re-reading a book years later can have a fantastic effect. Our perception changes and we look at the book with different eyes," she says. Today, special care is taken to link text and image. ‘The illustration plays a fundamental role in the book; it also speaks through symbols, helps to integrate the text and allows the sentences to be shorter.’

For Maria Inês, the messages in books can be both happy and sad. Children's literature shouldn't shy away from difficult subjects. "We shouldn't hide from children what exists in the world. Making children's literature into a reality that doesn't exist is hardly fair to them." This bookseller argues that war, politics and other current issues should be addressed in the books they are given to read.

Ave Azul will be marking 25 April with a selection of books that deal with political themes. ‘Political issues come up a lot here, and I'm not afraid to make that commitment,’ he says, adding that ‘we need to show things as they are, but we also need a pinch of humour and lightness.’

If there's one name that's already part of Porto's literary memory, it's Salta Folhinhas. Opened more than 20 years ago by Teresa Cunha, the bookshop has changed its address, adapted to the times, but remains steadfast in its purpose: to make known the stories that live in books.

A graduate in electrical engineering, it was through the books she read to her children that she rediscovered her taste for children's literature. "I took the engineering course because my father thought that a student with such good marks in maths couldn't go into literature. I worked at it and felt myself wasting away every day. Until I decided to become a full-time mum and, later, to open the bookshop," she says.

The name came from an unexpected moment. When Teresa announced to her children that she was going to open a bookshop, her middle son exclaimed: ‘It has to be called Puddle Jumper!’ - in honour of Aquilino Ribeiro's Romance da Raposa. The name was refined and Salta Folhinhas was born.

Like Maria Inês, from the Ave Azul bookshop, Teresa believes that books should tackle all subjects, including difficult ones. "Parents are very afraid of the ugly, the grotesque, the bad. But children have this need." They often only look for books on delicate subjects when the child is going through that experience - and, according to Teresa, that's not the best time. "For example, death should be talked about in moments of happiness. Because the child will process it better. If they're experiencing pain, they won't accept being told about a pain that isn't theirs."

Nor should we be afraid to introduce children to unfamiliar vocabulary. "If the words are used in the right place, in the right way, children assimilate and understand. And later, without realising it, they're using them naturally." This is the case with the book What is a River? by Monika Vaicenaviciene. ‘It's a book that won a non-fiction prize, has very rich, poetic language and beautiful illustrations.’

And then there are books that fascinate adults, such as a text by the Indians of Northern Europe, Thank You, Mother Earth! by Vanina Starkoff. "It's a thanksgiving to the earth, to the world. The book becomes a three-metre-long mural. They are works of art."

Salta Folhinhas isn't just made up of books - it's a space where visual art and writing intersect. Throughout its shelves and walls, there are illustrations and puppets, many of them linked to storytellers. Names such as João Sá, Teresa Guimarães, Sofia Paulino and Cláudia Pinheiro have a presence in the bookshop.

Anyone who visits Salta Folhinhas will recognise this phrase: ‘There were three days and three nights that Salta-Pocinhas - foxy, cunning, shrewd, lickety-split - ran through the woods, sniffing, beating the undergrowth, without being able to lay a nail on another hunt...’ - Like Aquilino Ribeiro's little fox, Salta Folhinhas continues to walk her path - attentive and restless, looking for the next story to tell.