All the talk in the press and the news recently has concentrated on New York Public Library’s current children’s literary exhibit The ABC of It, as curated by Leonard Marcus.  It is, justifiably, remarkable.  But exit the exhibit and you’ll find that it’s not the only children’s literary piece going on in the library at this time.

When you leave the exhibit and look to your immediate left you’ll see the bookstore.  And should you choose to not to enter but, instead, to walk around it, you’ll find a window display to beat all window displays.  A window display for the ages.  Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the The Best Books on Writing, NYC, Animals and More.  The “more” refers to “Timeless Treats for Young Readers”.

Created by Brain Pickings author Maria Popova, the exhibit was created after NYPL asked Maria to curate a selection of books for the bookstore.  Maria chose the books.  Then she collaborated with artist Kelli Anderson to make the book jackets come to life.  In the end, Kelli decided to turn a number of book covers into 3-D paper sculptures that pop out at the viewer as you look at them.

I think what struck me about the exhibit the most was the choice of children’s books included.  Because as much as I love Blexbolex, I don’t often see his book prominently displayed (or even remembered half the time).  Yet there he is, alongside a ton of other heavyweights. Here’s a quick glimpse of some of the inclusions: