Books on the Green tucked neatly beside Ryan's of Sandymount is wellknown to almost all shoppers in Sandymount. Brian, the owner, carries a wide variety of books from fiction to the local history of Ringsend and Sandymount and a wide range of children's books. What he does not have to hand, he can order in especially for you. He also provides a service for colour copying, both A3 and A4 and a fax service.

Lately Brian extended his shop and came up with a wonderful idea to fill this invaluable space with children's toys and games. As Brian has two little children himself of 6 years and 18 months, he really saw the need for toys which can be purchased locally rather than trotting into town. I have been considering buying a few games like Scrabble and Draughts for the Christmas nights in front of the fire and was delighted to see them on the shelf.

An abundance of jigsaw puzzles, both educational and fun, are on offer. Ravensburger jigsaws in the shape of a globe for teens, Disney puzzles including Cinderella, Snow White and of course Sleeping Beauty.

Horrible Histories and Horrible Science are available for the more intellectual type and Winnie the Pooh for younger puzzlers. A National Geographic 1,000 piece set looks taxing and challenging for older teenagers and adults. I also noticed the traditional wooden piece set in Giant Pirate Ship and Noah's Ark.

There is a wide range of the well known brand Crayola for colouring pencils, stencils and all colouring needs including books. Wild and farm animals were on display, both in small and larger sizes. The larger sizes, including dinosaurs, elephants, hippos, lions and tigers are all in very vibrant and real-life colours. Cars are always an attraction and there is a large selection of model cars in every imaginable colour and style. They also carry the larger SUV type models, trailers, jeeps and horsebox. These are all friction-powered and do not require batteries.

It was great to see the old-fashioned games still on demand and they brought back some great memories of our family feuds, especially when I saw Frustration and of course our old favourite Snakes and Ladders. Draughts and Chess, Scrabble and Monolopy are on their way! It's wonderful to see these games are still in circulation in the ever-growing world of technology.

And for the girls, a lovely range of dolls are competing to be taken home and minded, especially the New Borns. There is also the Pretty Look dress-up dolls and Supermodel make-up dolls. There is the jetsy Barbie type dolls modelling their latest fashion trends.

An entire stand comprised of Top Trump card games, including Football Legends, Dinosoars, Dr Who, Jacqueline Wilson and Postman Pat to name but a few. Klutz have a wide range of activity books, velvet art, big bubbles and the very popular sling chutes, stretching 40 feet!

Brian has a wonderful children 's book section. ʻThe Story of Ireland' by Brendan O'Brien and the ʻGuinness Worldbook Records 2008' with glow-in-thedark pictures are both very popular. There are books for all age groups, boys and girls. It was nice to see Enid Blyton holding her own on the shelves.

The extended Books on the Green is now a one-stop shop both for adults and children alike to indulge their interest in books, toys and games. Now that's a little bit of joy for all on a cold winter 's day.