On-the-Spot Recommendations

It was the day after Christmas and I could think of no better place to be than the bookstore. Two books I had ordered were ready for pick-up,  and I was eager to get them. As I entered the store, I ran into a teacher friend. She showed me the books she was buying and looked at the books I had in my hand. I mentioned I was going to the children's section to browse, and she said she'd like to follow. We walked over to the picture books, and I asked myself: What books should I recommend to her?

After about two seconds of thinking, these two immediately came to mind:

JOURNEY is such a stunning book.  The readers in my library have loved it, too, and I know this by the comments of praise they make when they open it. I also gave this book as a gift to several on my Christmas list! 

It is wordless and entirely beautiful.  

But when we went to look for it on the shelf, it was gone! Sold out. I was so sad about this. But very happy for the person(s) who bought it. 

Then I looked for this one, hoping I'd have better luck: 

MR. TIGER GOES WILD by Peter Brown is captivating and wonderful! The patterns and intricacies are eye-catching and I could literally stare at this books for hours! I love the story and Mr. Tiger and, once again, I am amazed at Peter Brown's ability to create such a unique and beautifully illustrated work. 

Except when I went to the shelf, it wasn't there either! I was disappointed, yet not surprised. Someone had picked it up. Someone really smart!

So I glanced at the other books on the shelf, and I tried desperately to find something else my friend should buy. (Really, I just wanted to put the previously mentioned books in her hands. Truly nothing else would suffice.) I made small talk, not finding anything else, when I just casually glanced up and saw MR. TIGER GOES WILD perched on a really high shelf! "Oh, look! There's Mr. Tiger!" I said with delight in my voice--almost as if Mr. Tiger himself was there. 

I handed the book to her and said very confidently "You will LOVE it!" She took the book from me without a question, and I could tell she was happy, too! (My friend is a great writing teacher, so I know she will probably use it as mentor text! Hurray!)

After a brief conversation, we said our goodbyes and I headed to the cash register to pay for these books: (I had read library copies, but wanted my own! )

As I took my place in line, I saw my friend waiting ahead of me. "Look what I found!" she said, and as I turned to look at her to see what she was talking about it, I joyfully saw that she had a copy of JOURNEY in her hands. "Yeah!" I said.  I was so very happy at that moment--happy that my friend would be reading these wonderful books, and then happy for her students because I knew she'd be sharing them. I realize now that books continue to bring me joy even long after I've read them for the first time. When I share them with others, the joy gets passed on, and that in itself, brings MORE joy. 

What two picture books would YOU recommend to a friend if you ran into them today? Be ready!