For those of us who work at Woozles, we see everyday the wonderful customers who come in to the store. We hear their stories of how they came to Woozles as children, and now bring their children, and we meet the many grandparents who brought their children to Woozles and now shop for their grandchildren. We listen happily to these connections, and to the connections that everyone shares to different books in the store. We see the real joy on peoples faces when they discover a favourite book on the shelf, and the pleasure that they have when finding a new book that has several connections to the reader they are shopping for.
Books are the heart and soul of Woozles, the roots of the store. Many librarians visit us to find new and wonderful books for their school libraries, and for the public libraries they work for. Again, the enthusiasm that these book lovers share with us when they visit Woozles is often palpable. We learn a lot from them as to what their students love and are interested in, and they share favourite book stories with us.
We had one such visit this week from Margot, a school librarian in Sydney, Australia. When she arrived at the store, she told us of her last visit in 1994, when she sat on some steps in the shop with a Woozles staff member, reading books from each province, trying to select some favourites to take home with her. She told us wonderful stories of books that she has read and loved, of Australian authors that she has met, and conferences she has attended. There were common points of interest and experience shared by all of us who spoke with her. And all because of a shared love of, and wonder at, the power of story and art, both of which are so key in children’s books.
Thanks to all of you who come to Woozles and share your favourite books with us, and allow us to show you some new favourites.
