As a result of their passion for reading, artist Jane Mount and writer Thessaly La Force asked 100+ creative people to assemble their ideal “bookshelves.”  This select group represented a variety of disciplines, and many of them cited reading as a gateway to their creative pursuits.  My Ideal Bookshelf  will inspire you, help you find new books to read, and make you think about your own ideal bookshelf.  Included is a template that allows you to create your own bookshelf. 

Bookshelf of Nancy Pearl, librarian

Bookshelf of Candy Chang, artist + urban planner

Ask your children to assemble their bookshelves (and illustrate the book spines too).  The following prompts (taken from the book’s cover illustration) will get them thinking: 

• The Best Book I Ever Read
• The Book I Read Again and Again
• The Book That Makes Me Cry Every Time
• The Book I Love the Most
• A Book That Changed My Life
• The Book That Makes Me Who I Am
• My Favorite Book

They could also assemble bookshelves for historical figures or fictional characters.  For example, what book might Harry Potter love most?