A rainy morning on Old Stellenbosch Road led us to one of the most unique bookshops we’ve visited in Somerset West, a customised bus packed with children’s books, toys and plenty of imagination.
I had planned to take my family to visit the Discount Books Bus in Somerset West earlier that morning, but the steady rain had other ideas. We waited for a break in the weather before heading to Old Stellenbosch Road, where the colourful Book Bus was parked outside Smart Foundation Station Pre-School, next to De Hoop Primary School.
As soon as we arrived, the rain started falling again. We made a quick dash across the pavement and stepped inside, leaving the gloomy weather behind for what felt like a cosy little world built entirely around books.
A magical children’s bookshop on wheels
From the outside, it looks like an ordinary bus. Step through the doors, however, and you’ll find a cleverly designed mobile bookshop with shelves stretching from floor to ceiling. Every available space has been transformed into a home for books, creating an experience that feels more like discovering a hidden library than walking into a shop.
The focus is very much on children’s books, making the Discount Books Bus especially appealing for young families. Alongside the books were soft toys, puzzles and other play items that immediately captured our son’s attention.
While he happily explored what he clearly considered a magical little world, my husband and I browsed the shelves looking for books suited to where he is in his learning journey. He’s currently fascinated by letters, first words and colourful picture books, so there was plenty to choose from.
Despite its compact size, the bus also carries a selection of books for older children and adults, making it easy for the whole family to find something.
The Discount Books Bus in Somerset West
This compact, floor-to-ceiling children’s book bus is more than just a clever idea. It’s a mobile extension of Discount Books, a wholesale bookseller based right here in the Helderberg that supplies retailers, schools and independent bookstores across South Africa.
The customised Book Bus regularly visits schools and events, bringing affordable books directly to local communities. During our visit, it was stationed on Old Stellenbosch Road in Somerset West, making it easy for parents and pupils to browse before and after school.
Unfortunately, we happened to catch it on its final day at this particular location.
A rainy morning worth remembering
Our visit only lasted about ten minutes before we made another dash through the rain, but it was more than enough time to leave with two new books and one very excited little reader. There is something wonderfully imaginative about discovering a children’s bookshop inside a bus. For a child, it feels less like shopping and more like stepping into a story.
By the time we were driving home, our son had already started singing his own version of The Wheels on the Bus, replacing the usual lyrics with verses about books, stories and the Discount Books Bus.
The wheels on the bus go round and round,
round and round, round and round.
The Discount Books Bus goes round and round,
Through Cape Town, it’s quite renowned.
Today it reached Somerset West,
With stories and tales, it’s truly the best!
It was a short outing, but one that perfectly proved how a rainy morning in Somerset West can still turn into an adventure. Sometimes all it takes is a colourful bus, a few good books and a child’s imagination to brighten an otherwise grey day.
