The lucky winner of our September “Around the World in 100 Bookshelves” book draw is four year-old Clarke, from Los Angeles, California. Being the son of writer Candace Ryan (her debut picture book, Animal House, will be released by Walker Books for Young Readers in 2010) and of a very talented father who built him an incredible Zebra bookshelf, Clarke is no doubt a lucky boy.

Back in May Candace posted about her son’s bookshelf (built to his specification), on her blog Book, Booker, Bookets. She said: “Scrap wood, homeless books, a 4 year-old’s imagination—these were the ingredients needed to bring this bookshelf to life. The fact that one of our cats cowered at the sight of the zebra’s eye gave it just that much more credibility. For the bookshelf’s christening, all it needs is a copy of Dr. Seuss’s On Beyond Zebra. After all, this zebra’s imaginative life begins where that of other zebras ends.”

How lovely is that? And how lucky is Clarke to have such creative parents who surround him with books and whimsy?… I just hope Zebra will be keen on housing five new multicultural picture books, as they will be on their way to Clarke very soon!

Please help us spread the word on this project, so that the photos and anecdotes will keep on coming from all corners of the world! All bookshelf entries, excluding previous winners’, are entered in our bimonthly draw, regardless of when they were submitted.

The winners of our second “Around the World in 100 Bookshelves” book draw are Morgan and Alastrin, from Windsor, Ontario, Canada. Their prize—a selection of 5 multicultural books—will be on its way shortly. Thanks, Kathleen, for submitting a photo of their bookshelf. It’s wonderful to see a two- and a three-year-old already hooked on books!

All photo entries, excluding previous winners’, are entered in our bimonthly draw, regardless of when they were submitted, so we encourage you to send us a picture of your kid/kids’ home library (whatever format it may take in your household). We look forward to featuring it here and to further connecting through books and reading!

To see all bookshelf photos submitted to date, click on the “Around the World in 100 Bookshelves” logo on the sidebar, and for more details on the project and the idea behind it, check out our call-out , as well as Janet’s post “Looking at Bookshelves and Wondering“.

Five year-old Shashank, the winner of our first “Around the World in 100 Bookshelves” book draw, received his books! The following is a note from his father:

The books have arrived, and they are so wonderful! Thank you! I have already read them several times to Shashank. His favorite one is ‘Homes,’ and the page he likes the most is the one where crying clouds make rain! Take a look at all the new books on our bookshelf!

Thanks for the feedback and photos, Prashanth! It’s great to see Shashank smiling, with his new favorite book in hand!

Readers, take note: on Jul 15th we will draw a new winner, so keep sending us photos of your children’s bookshelves. They could be the next to win a set of age-appropriate multicultural books!

Here is a list of the books we sent to Shashank:

Homes, by Yang-Huan, illustrated by Hsiao-yen Huang

Speak Chinese, Fang Fang! written and illustrated by Sally Rippin

No English by Jacqueline Jules, illustrated by Amy Huntington

Colors, Colores! by Jorge Luján

Loongie, The Greedy Crocodile by Lucy and Kiefer Dann, illustrated by Bronwyn Houston

Today we are thrilled to announce the winner of our first “Around the World in 100 Bookshelves” book draw. The lucky child is 5 year-old Shashank, from Bangalore, India. Congratulations, Shashank! PaperTigers will be sending five multicultural picture books for you to add to your bookshelf! Please let us know what you (and your friend Mickey Mouse) think of the stories, when you’ve had a chance to read them!

So far, we have heard from The Philippines, Canada, the UK, US, Sweden and India. We want to see bookshelves from all corners, though, and to hear about the books that inhabit them, so please keep those photos coming! Your young bibliophile could be the winner of our next book draw, which will happen on Jul 15.

To see all bookshelf photos submitted to date, and to catch a glimpse of a world made smaller through books and reading, click on the “Around the World in 100 Bookshelves” logo, on the sidebar.