Inspired by the “don’t know what to read?” jar up in our teen room, which has suggestions by genre, and by an empty bear-shaped container I found in the closet, Book Browse Bear was born! There are about 40 titles in each of the following categories: picture books, early readers, chapter books, middle grade graphic novels, and middle grade fiction & nonfiction. (These are color-coded, naturally.) It’s been fun to see people digging into the jar, and fun to help them find the books on the shelves (or another book, if that one is checked out).

If you’d like to make something similar for your library, you can use the link above to make a copy of my lists and adapt them to the collections on your shelves. It’s a great way to promote some favorite titles, especially backlist ones that may not be circulating as well anymore. Happy browsing!