Years ago, I had a children's book party business. People would invite their friends over, I would go to their homes, talk about the latest and greatest titles, and then sell the books. It turned out I was better at selling reading than books so I gave up the business. Several months ago, after more than a decade, I helped organize a very special children's book party and remembered how easily books build community.

I have a dear friend who was expecting her first grandson. Before he came, she wanted to have a shower for her daughter. My friend is quirky and playful and doesn't ever do anything in a way that's traditional! She asked me if I would put together a list of book suggestions for a Baby Book Shower. I loved the idea!

My list had all kinds of books to delight babies. Her grandchild was being born into a bilingual family, so I included both English and Spanish titles. I suggested books full of rhythm and rhyme like My Very First Mother Goose illustrated by Rosemary Wells and Arroz con Leche compiled by Lulu Delacre (Scholastic, 1992). There were silly board books by Sandra Boynton like Barnyard Dance and The Going to Bed Book. And quieter books like Barbara Berger's Grandfather Twilight and diez, Nueve, Ocho by Molly Bang. There were books for participation like Eric Carle's Very Hungry Caterpillar, which has been translated into Spanish. In fact, while I created the list, I was delighted to see how many familiar stories are available in Spanish. Madeline, Mike Mulligan, Barbar, Corduroy, Harold and the Purple Crayon, Ferdinand the Bull, Harry the Dirty Dog, and The Cat in the Hat all have Spanish versions.

But the greatest and most unexpected joys came from seeing how this book shower idea played out. The RSVP asked people to name which book they would give the baby. And my friend told me that every time someone called she had a wonderful conversation about memorable book experiences.

The shower itself was glorious! We sat in a circle and the mom-to-be opened presents, each a gift that would be opened again and again throughout her child's life. Guests who didn't know much about children's books oohed and ahhed at the magnificent illustrations. Not everyone followed my suggestions. People brought books that had created magic in their families. One woman recited an entire book that she'd memorized after reading it aloud more times than she could count. As we built the baby's library, we savored the books, shared our memories and felt close to the new parents, the baby-to-be, and each other.

I gave a workshop recently and one of the participants was a graduating education major. She told me the mother of a friend had organized a Teacher Shower. I began to imagine all kinds of reasons for throwing a book party. When you bring together books, people and purpose, a celebration is sure to succeed!