\When I saw My Miniature Library from Lawrence King a few months ago, I instantly fell in love. It just delighted me on so many levels. I’ll admit that as a child I had a wall shelf in my room for years dedicated to displaying my collection of tiny things, so perhaps this spoke to my heart in a unique way, but I think the appeal is pretty universal. Offering 30 classic books from Jabberwocky and The Owl and the Pussycat to Thumbelina and The Frog Prince to books of birds and butterflies and maps, this big box offers a bounty of mini book magic.
We have been featuring the package prominently since it came out in September, but I had an epiphany today. Why not turn these awesome little books into Christmas ornaments to trim a charmingly bookish tree? A little cutting, folding, pasting, and voilà! As someone with limited patience for crafting, this was just right for my skill set too. I’ve started making them for the store display and am going to bring a second set home as a fun family project for the weekend.
The little books are simply irresistible. This is surely a library fit for a bookish mouse, a thumb-sized child,  some doll people, or even some resourceful borrowers. I can just imagine Arietty Clock eagerly nicking these away to a cozy corner or Despereaux stumbling on a treasure trove perfectly sized for him. They look truly festive on a tree, but you don’t have to pack these goodies away all year long with the rest of your holiday treasures. Once Christmas is over, you can store them on a stylish little bookcase dapper enough for Stuart Little himself.
Although they might not be sized for mouse hands, I also love to recommend (and use) diminutive literary treats as stocking stuffers. What looks more enticing Christmas morning than a little book poking out of the top of a stocking along with the candy canes? This year, I’m specifically highlighting The Mud Book by John Cage and I Like You by Sandol Stoddard Warburg.
I was just in India for two weeks for a family wedding, and we arrived back in Texas last week to honest-to-goodness snow in the air. Of course I was ordering books and checking in from abroad, but what a perfect way to get back in a seasonal frame of mind.
Of course the real snowflakes melted by the next afternoon, but we still have the paper versions to remind us of our brief wintry glory. Here’s hoping you are all feeling the holiday magic wherever you are. Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!