In Brief: March 10

Children’s Book Press in San Francisco rocked donors late last month at a karaoke fundraiser. The nonprofit publisher of multicultural and bilingual children’s books needs to raise $47,000 to cover general operating expenses. “The economy has been a huge factor in our declining revenue,” says sales and marketing manager Janet del Mundo. “And with school and library budget cuts happening across the country, it’s been harder and harder to support our operations with book sales alone.” Since the beginning of February CBP has raised more than $12,000. To donate, go to CBP’s Web site. Pictured here (l. to r.), singing “I Will Survive,” are author/ illustrator Maya Christina Gonzalez, executive director Dana Goldberg, del Mundo, Imelda Cruz, and publisher and executive director Lorraine García-Nakata.

Nearly 300 people visited Sparkhouse Toys and Books in South Orange, N.J., this past Sunday for an event with the “Book Maker’s Dozen,” a group of 13 children’s book author/illustrators who collaborate on a joint blog. Pictured here, l. to r., are eight of the 13 members: Sophie Blackall, Brent Helquist, Selina Alko, David Gordon, John Bemelmans Marciano, John Rocco, Peter Brown, and Dan Yaccarino. During the two-hour event, the illustrators led workshops, signed books, did sketches, and read from their books; framed artwork and limited edition prints are available at Sparkhouse throughout this month.

Last month author Lisa Yee celebrated the end of her seven-city tour for her books about Kanani, the American Girl 2011 Girl of the Year, and the East Coast launch of Warp Speed! (Scholastic/Levine, Mar.) at The Blue Bunny Books and Toys in Dedham, Mass. Not only did her stuffed bunny, Peepy, hit it off with the store’s namesake, but it turns out that Yee’s daughter and store co-owner Paul Reynolds and general manager Janet Reynolds’s son are both freshmen at Hampshire College. Here, Yee (center) is joined by (l. to r.) The Blue Bunny’s Paul Reynolds, Cheryl Doucette, Janet Reynolds, and Margie Leonard.

Author Gary Schmidt recently attended a workshop production of The Wednesday Wars (Clarion, 2007), based on his Newbery Honor–winning novel. The production took place at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Mich., where Schmidt is a professor of English; it was adapted for the stage by Kirsten Kelly and Brian Farish and directed by Kelly. This April, Clarion is publishing Okay for Now, a companion novel to The Wednesday Wars. Photo: Jonathan Stoner.

Debut author Andrea Alban recently discussed her YA novel Anya’s War (Feiwel & Friends, Feb.) in front of an SRO crowd at Books Inc. in San Francisco. In the book, Anya Rosen and her family flee Odessa for Shanghai, seeking a safe haven from Hitler’s forces. Alban (seen here) discussed her own family’s history in Shanghai’s Jewish Quarter, including old family photos, and shared homemade Russian piroshki and Chinese dumplings with her audience.