Each bookstore will act as a concierge, recommending "the book you should read right now" to FASHION HEADLINE readers. Every Saturday, we will introduce books selected by Shelf, a Harajuku bookstore specializing in foreign books (3-7-4 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo).



■ "Animal Books For / Dierenboeken Voor Jaap Zeno Anna Julian Luca" by Lous Martens

This delightful art book was created by the Martens family based on the animal book (scrapbook) that Ruth Martens, mother of Dutch graphic designer Karel Martens, made for her five grandchildren.

"Seventeen years ago, my grandson Yap was born. That was the beginning of the Yap Animal Book. I took a stack of OASE architectural journals and loosely pasted in pictures of animals cut out from newspapers, art, literature and science magazines. I also had pictures from stamps and advertising brochures. Then Zeno was born and the same thing happened: a Zeno Animal Book. I was now working on two books at the same time. Then Anna, Julian and Luca were born. At this point, I had five animal books in progress on the table - none of them finished. My children, like myself, enjoy watching the gradual evolution. These animal books were not intended for the outside world, where I found the pictures, nor were they intended to be published. Now they are here, grouped together in one big book, because others have convinced me that it was worth it." - Ruth Martens