EXTREME BOOKS

Literacy experts say it time and again: If you want children to love reading, let them read what they love.

While bookstore giants such as Barnes & Noble and Amazon.com provide a smorgasbord of topics for children to explore, there are also many booksellers that specialize in some unusual interests that children may have.

Here is a sampling of some niche bookstores--and one funeral home library--and their collections of “extreme books.” Nominations for a second roundup are welcome.

Angel’s Attic

516 Colorado Ave.

Santa Monica

Specialty: Dollhouses

Housed in a cozy 1895 Victorian, this bookstore and museum features miniatures, rare dollhouses and toys. Aspiring architects can buy a book on the Edwardian style that folds into an 18-inch, three-dimensional pop-up house ($22). As an added treat, partake of afternoon tea and home-baked cakes offered by Angels for Autistic Children, a support group for the Brentwood Center for Educational Therapy in Inglewood. (310) 394-8331

Cabrillo Marine Aquarium

3720 Stephen White Drive

San Pedro

Specialty: Marine biology

Jellyfish, eel, grunion, crab and the bright orange fish of California--the garibaldi--are featured in the pop-up book “Sea Beyond the Ordinary” ($4.50), written by the museum staff. It is just one of many offerings featuring marine themes. (310) 548-7562

Bright Lights Children’s Bookstore

8461 S. Van Ness Ave.

Inglewood

Specialty: African American literature

One of the only African American children’s bookstores in Los Angeles County, this shop fills its shelves with books by black authors, such as local writers Dolores Johnson and Mildred Pitts Walter.

Note: The shop is only open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday. (323) 971-1296

Libreria Buenos Aires (Bernard Hamel Spanish Books)

3102 Wilshire Blvd.

Los Angeles

Specialty: Books in Spanish

This is one of the oldest Spanish-language bookstores in the city--it has been operating since 1967--and has a special section of more than 2,500 children’s titles. They include the store’s own self-published bilingual book “Two Holiday Folk Tales From Mexico” by local author Anthony Ramirez ($8.95). The shop also caters to a large number of English-speaking customers who want to learn Spanish. (310) 475-0453

Heritage House

8193 Magnolia Ave.

Riverside

Specialty: Inland Empire history

Books in this 1891 Victorian mansion feature the Wild West history of Riverside pioneers. One such volume is “Children’s Fashion From 1860-1912” by JoAnne Olian ($10.95). (909) 689-1333

Discovery Channel Store

10250 Santa Monica Blvd.

Century City

Specialty: Nature

Books, CDs, videos and other items about animals--both fierce and cuddly--are stuffed into every nook and cranny at this store. This outlet is run by the television company that produces the “Wild Discovery” show. Based on the channel’s programming, reading and listening subjects range from paleontology and space exploration to aviation and adventure.

The Cook’s Library

8373 W. 3rd St.

Los Angeles

Specialty: Food

Cookbooks for children fill the shelves at this snug little shop in the Fairfax district. The place is packed with every culinary tome imaginable, including the 200-recipe “African American Child’s Heritage Cookbook” by Vanessa Roberts Parham. There’s the “Amazing Jewish Cookbook for the Entire Family” and “Cody Coyote Cooks: The Southwest Cookbook for Kids.” All $15-$20. (323) 655-3141

Valley Funeral Home

Learning Resource Center

2121 W. Burbank Blvd.

Burbank

Specialty: Death

No, this isn’t a misprint. We include it because few places feature an archive of children’s books on the delicate subject of mortality. But when a child faces the sudden death of a loved one, targeted reading material can help him or her cope. This funeral home has stockpiled more than 200 titles for loan, not purchase. Titles include “Why Did Grandpa Die?” Visitors are allowed to check out books for two weeks and are not fined when they fail to return books on time. (818) 845-3766

Southwest Museum

234 Museum Drive

Highland Park

Specialty: Native American culture

Myths and folk tales are explored in books such as “Pablo Remembers: The Fiesta of the Day of the Dead,” by George Ancona, for ages 10 and up ($16), and a book of children’s poems in Spanish and English by Lori Marie Carlson and Emily Lisker ($15.95). (323) 221-2164

Store of Knowledge

Fashion Island

Newport Beach

Specialty: Public Broadcasting System themes

This is the public television network’s playground for young minds. (949) 760-8400

Once Upon a Time

2284 Honolulu Ave.

Montrose (818) 248-9668

Specialty: Family struggles

Books about sensitive subjects such as divorce, adoption and disabilities can be found on this bookstore’s “Special Challenge Shelf.” Titles include “The Tenth Good Thing About Barney” by Judith Viorst ($3.95) and “Dinosaurs Divorce” by Laurene Krasny Brown and Mark Brown ($3.95).