Latina-owned Bloom Wild Bookshop is coming to the Montebello Barnyard Zoo

Aurora Anaya, CEO and Founder of Bloom Wild Bookshop, is bringing her Latina-owned mobile bookstore to the Montebello Barnyard Zoo this Saturday, September 14. Don’t miss this fun, family-friendly event filled with books, community and more.

Anaya shared with CALÓ News that Bloom Wild Bookshop has long been a dream of hers, one she hoped to realize before returning to her community in Los Angeles. Prior to launching her mobile bookstore, she lived in New York, where she owned the brick-and-mortar shop La Casa Azul. 

“When I closed the bookstore to return back home, the dream to continue selling books never left and I knew that one day I would return to bookselling,” she said.

What makes Bloom Wild Bookshop truly special is that it’s a mobile bookstore, bringing books directly to communities by traveling from place to place. Anaya believes strongly in the importance of having independent bookstores in every neighborhood, ensuring that access to books and culturally relevant stories is never out of reach.

“I feel like with Bloom Wild Bookshop, I can bring the mobile bookstore to your neighborhood, to your park, to your school, and even if it's for a few hours or a day, the community has the opportunity to browse through bookshelves and buy books, and so that is unique and also I make it convenient for everyone,” Anaya said.

There are several factors in curating the books that she selects for her mobile bookstore. Anaya selects books that are written by people of color, books that reflect the diversity of Los Angeles. She also carries a selection of books that are on the banned book list. 

“I think it's important to have books that this administration would consider inadequate, basically books that they don't want us to read, especially for kids,” she said. Her collections also highlight books that are both English and Spanish.

Anaya also explained that Bloom Wild Bookshop’s mission goes beyond addressing “book deserts.” It’s equally focused on raising awareness about underserved areas by incorporating gardening and environmental education through books, promoting both literacy and sustainability in the communities it visits. “It’s about being able to speak with people about what it would mean to convert their lawn or their balcony garden that would be filled with plants that are native to California and that also promote biodiversity with bees, hummingbirds, butterflies and the pollinators that we need,” she said.

Anaya shared that Sunday’s event marks her first collaboration with the Montebello Barnyard Zoo, and she’s thrilled about the new partnership. The bookmobile will be parked just outside the zoo’s gate, and all visitors, whether at the park or the zoo, are warmly invited to stop by, browse the shelves and support this small, local business.

Time: 11:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.

When: Sunday, September 14 and Sunday September 28

Location: Grant Rea Park, 600 Rea Drive, Montebello, Ca, 90640