Recently a sled dog was the star of an event, a member of the Exonerated Five launched his book on justice, an author shared a picture book biography, a festival celebrated tween readers, a debut author showcased original art, and an author held food-centric school visits.
Leaps and Bounds
Blair Braverman celebrated the release of her new picture book The Day Leap Soared, illustrated by Olivia When (HarperCollins), with a launch event at Blue House Books in Kenosha, Wisc., on October 22. Based on Braverman’s real-life team of sled dogs, the book follows young pup Leap who is eager to join the sledding team and searches for what makes him stand out. Braverman brought along one of her sled dogs, Flame, for the event.
Past Surviving and on to Thriving
On October 28, Raymond Santana, one of the Exonerated Five who was wrongfully convicted as a teenager, celebrated the launch of his new book Pushing Hope: An Illustrated Memoir of Survival (Astra) at the New York Public Library as part of its TeenLIVE series. Santana was joined by the book’s illustrator, Keith Henry Brown, in a conversation on justice, resilience, and creativity for a group of high school students. Here (from l.), illustrator Keith Henry Brown and Santana with moderator and YA librarian Renee Scott onstage during the event.
Snowed In
Big Hill Books in Minneapolis welcomed Margi Preus (r.) on November 2 for an event presenting her new picture book, Snowshoe Kate and the Hospital Built with Pennies (Abrams). Illustrated by Jaime Zollars, the picture book highlights the life and achievements of Dr. Kate Pelham Newcomb, one of the few female doctors in the early 1900s, who would often do whatever it took to travel to her patients across snowy ground. Author-illustrator Lauren Stringer (l.) joined Preus for a conversation in which they showcased Preus’s father’s wooden snowshoes and discussed her book.
Cheers to the Tweens
The annual Tweens Read festival took place at Pasadena Dobie High School in Houston on October 25, drawing more than 900 attendees to meet their favorite middle grade authors and illustrators. Here, the event’s featured creators: (back row, from l.) Brady Smith, Daniel Nayeri, Dan Gemeinhart, Arree Chung, Craig Kofi Farmer, James Riley, James Ponti; (middle row, from l.) Lauren Tarshis, Dusti Bowling, Kacy Ritter, Meera Trehan, Julio Anta, Misa Sugiura, Shannon Hale, Meg Medina; (front row, from l.) Jen Calonita, Nicki Pau Preto, Jennifer L. Holm, Brandy Colbert, Margaret Peterson Haddix, and Kat Fajardo.
An Artist Expresses Herself
On November 7, Elizabeth McConaughy-Oliver (c.), author of Baby, Express Yoself (Chronicle), exhibited at local bookstore Mrs. Dalloway’s annual art show for kids’ books creators in Berkeley, Calif. The picture book follows a confident baby throughout the day, inspiring young readers to express themselves in similar ways. At the exhibit, McConaughy-Oliver showcased original artwork and was greeted by the book’s designer Sandy Frank (l.) and editor Ariel Richardson (r.).
Have a Bite
On October 28, Mika Song visited several schools in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., to celebrate the release of her graphic novel Night Chef (Random House Graphic). The story traces a raccoon living in the walls of a fine dining restaurant that becomes the guardian to a baby crow. Here, Song enjoys some ramen during a visit to Castleton Elementary School, where she led students through a “Cooking Up Comics with Night Chef” presentation and a collaborative comic writing and drawing exercise. The event was in partnership with Northshire Bookstore in Saratoga, N.Y., which provided free copies of the book to students.
