This week, Dav Pilkey’s Dog Man sets out to do good; Debbi Michiko Florence launches a series; Elisha Cooper decorates a new bookstore; and a musician celebrates his children’s book debut.
Dog Man in the Spotlight
Dav Pilkey recently kicked off his “Dog Man Do Good” Tour to promote For Whom the Ball Rolls (Graphix), the latest book in his bestselling graphic novel series. Pilkey appeared at a standing room-only event at the Mississippi Book Festival in Jackson, and then traveled to St. Louis, where he was greeted by a sold-out crowd of 5,000 fans at Chaifetz Arena (seen here). The tour continues this fall in the U.S. and then in Asia, where the author-illustrator will appear at the Shanghai China International Children’s Book Fair in November.
We Are Family
On August 15, author Debbi Michiko Florence launched her new series My Furry Foster Family at Savoy Bookshop & Cafe in Westerly, R.I. The early chapter books follow eight-year-old Kaita Takano and her family as they welcome into their home new foster animals. Local organization Save One Soul Animal Rescue League brought some furry friends along to mark the occasion, and to hopefully find their own forever homes, too. Florence adopted her dog Kiku from SOSARL in 2017. (From l.): Jocelyn Cobb, the SOSARL volunteer who helped Florence with her adoption, and the inspiration for the character Joss in the book series; Florence holding Jupiter, one of the dogs available for adoption; and Emma Dawley, founder and president of SOSARL.
Let the River Run
New York-based author-illustrator Elisha Cooper painted a mural for the children’s room at the newest McNally Jackson Bookstore location, which opened on August 15 at Manhattan’s South Street Seaport. The mural features art from Cooper’s forthcoming picture book, River (Orchard, Oct.), about a canoe trek down the Hudson River.
All Aflutter
Award-winning musician Ben Gundersheimer, aka Mister G, stopped by the Blue Bunny Books and Toys in Dedham Square, Mass., to share his debut picture book, Señorita Mariposa (Penguin/Paulsen), illustrated by Marcos Almada Rivero. The English/Spanish book follows monarch butterflies on their annual migration from Canada to Mexico. Here, Mister G and his wife, Katherine Jamieson (aka Missus G), lead a singalong at the store.
