Virgina Wolf

Using a fictional account of the relationship between sisters Virginia Woolf and Vanessa Bell, this story teaches empathy, compassion and the power of art to heal. This is also a great introduction to an important historical author - by tapping into the sisters relationship and creating a captivating magical  world, this book succeeds in holding a child's interest.

The People Of Paper

The People of Paper struck all the right cords. It is filled with loneliness, longing, mediations on the magic of paper, beautiful graphic design with unconventional typography. After immersing in the metafiction of this novel, I had trouble going back to more conventional reads.

Bart's Books

Bart’s Books is is the largest independently owned and operated outdoor bookstore in the country. If traveling to Ojai, Ca., book lovers should stop here. Books line the exterior walls, and within patrons can browse and relax in the open sunlight and air.

The Teapot Opera

In this tiny book of photography a miniature “opera” is enacted by staged objects - a teapot, a toy horse, bits of sculpture, billiard balls, a glass eye. The narrative follows the birth of an idea as it travels to full completion. The teapot emerges form the sea, breaks apart to reveal a white stallion, who then transforms into the sun and plants. 

A Visit to William Blake's Inn

Visit an imaginary inn run by William Blake. Fully illustrated by Alice and Martin Provensen with bread baking dragons, the Man in the Marmalade Hat, the King of Cats, the Wise Cow, and Blake himself. All populate this book of Nancy Willard's lovely nonsensical poetry - the first Newbery winning book to also be named a Caldecott Honor Book.

Old Books = Sketchbooks

It's nice to have a book you can doodle and paint in with out worrying about the end results. It's ok if the drawing fails, or the color choice was wrong, it's a disposable experiment - a safe place to explore.

The Secret Lives of People In Love

I savored this book like a cup of perfectly brewed tea - it was just the right temperature and flavor. The prose is delicate, quietly impactful. There are 18 stories within, all dealing with love in some manner -  the love between romantic couples, but also love of children or parents lost, of life's ephemeral beautiful moments.

The Wonderful Fluffy Little Squishy

Something to love about French children’s books is that they often do not have the educational moral messages that drive the storylines of American storybooks. A moral tale is not a bad thing, it’s wonderful that books instill meaningful values in developing minds, yet it can be refreshing to simply enjoy a story that’s fun for the sake of fun.