Recently an author made an appearance for a book launch; authors celebrated big wins; a festival honored an author; a graphic novelist took a cooking class; publishing professionals gathered for a humanitarian partnership; and an author greeted former students.
No ‘Gray’ Skies
Chris Baron (r.) visited Warwick’s in La Jolla, Calif., on June 17 to launch his latest middle grade book, The Gray (Feiwel and Friends), about a middle schooler who is diagnosed with anxiety and panic attacks that take him to a distorted place he calls “the Gray.” Baron held a conversation with author Matt de la Peña (l.) and signed copies of the book for readers.
Winner’s Circle
On June 3, (from l.) Ruta Sepetys, Wendelin Van Draanen, Lisa Kerr, and Lisa Powell Braun appeared at the California Library Association’s annual conference, where all four authors went home with awards. Sepetys was awarded the California Young Reader Medal; Van Draanen won the John and Patricia Beatty Award in the Young Adult category; Kerr won the Beatty for children’s writing; and Powell Braun won the Beatty for illustration.
Festival Focus
The 11th annual Children’s Art + Literacy Festival took place in Abilene, Tex., from June 8–11, where the National Center for Children’s Illustrated Literature honored Brian Lies as the event’s featured illustrator and author. The festival opened with an exhibition of Lies’s work and he was honored with his own day, on June 9. Here Lies gives a presentation at the festival.
A Foodie Affair
To celebrate the publication of his graphic memoir Family Style (First Second), author Thien Pham (c.) participated in a VIP cooking class on June 14. Pham cooked alongside guests Eric Green (l.) and Carolyn Hutton (r.) of Mrs. Dalloway’s Literary and Garden Arts in Berkeley, Calif.
Uniting for a Cause
On June 12, S&S Canada and Save the Children held an event at the Consulate General of Canada in New York City to celebrate a partnership that will distribute 10,000 copies of the Ukrainian-language edition of Sleep, My Baby (Little Simon) by Jacques J.M. Shore and Dr. Lena Allen-Shore to Ukrainian families displaced by the ongoing war. Pictured here (from l.): deputy consul general Andre Frenette; Kevin Hanson, president and publisher of S&S Canada; author Jacques Shore; and Ukrainian Ambassador to the UN Sergiy Kyslytsya.
All Grown Up
Children’s Book World in Los Angeles welcomed former teacher and debut author Kitty Donohoe for a launch event for the release of her picture book, How to Ride a Dragonfly (Random House/Schwartz), illustrated by Anne Wilsdorf. The event had many guests, including Donohue’s former students, now with children of their own.
