This London librarian is spreading the joy of reading with her passion for fashion

A London librarian has a special knack for matchmaking, but it's not in the world of romance. She's on the hunt for the perfect pairings of children's books and second-hand fashion finds. 

Linda Ludke, a selection librarian at the London Public Library, has matched about 100 books and second-hand outfits — with no signs of slowing down.

"I guess you could say that I wear my love for children's books on my novelty print sleeve," Ludke said, who posts photos of the pairings on X, formerly known as Twitter.  

"I just want to share my love of books and the joy of reading," she said. "Books bring me joy. Books make me happy."

Her whole goal is to celebrate all the incredible children's book authors and illustrators — especially Canadian, she said. 

From sushi shirts to apple dresses and even Elvis Presley skirts, finding just the right clothing piece for the job takes a special type of searching. 

She starts with a book in mind, then rummages through thrift shops, vintage clothing shows and hand-me-downs to find a piece to complement the theme or cover image of a book. 

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"I love the thrill of the hunt," she said. "It's all kind of serendipitous too. It takes a while for them to come together, and so there's patience."

One of her goals is to take things even further and try sewing her own skirts for the project at the sewing machine in The Labs at the London Public Library. 

The concept is inspired by Ms. Frizzle, the iconic cartoon science teacher from the Magic School Bus, who dresses to match the field trip of the day. In this case, it's books instead. 

It's also a twist on the Book Face, she said, where people take photos lining their face up with a book cover image. 

"I hope that the photographs in the book match-ups also tell a story and hopefully encourage people to take a second look and to check out the books," she said. 

But the story isn't just in the book, it's also in the clothing.