Instructions by Neil Gaiman illus by Charles Vess

A number of years ago I was asked to be a panel member on the Children's Book Council's Not Just For Children Anymore catalog.  As a panel member,  I read numerous books and then  helped to decide what titles went into the catalog.  There were four of us on the panel.  We had to decide if a book could be enjoyed by an adult.   So many times as a buyer I would look at a new children's book and think that no child would really like it.   I thought they appealed more to grown-ups.  When I was in the stores so many people would come in just to buy a picture book because they loved the illustrator.

Today I was out perusing the bookstores when I discovered a beautiful book that is perfect for grown-ups.

Instructions by Neil Gaiman and illustrated by Charles Vess is a beautifully illustrated book that tells tells the simple tale of how to survive a fairy tale....but is really telling the reader how to survive life.   I love the flow of words and how the pictures evoke a warm feeling.  This is the perfect book to give someone who is going through a hard time or a recent graduate.   It is the perfect life lesson.   A gem of a book.