A Grand Entrance

Last weekend was a festive one at the Eric Carle Museum in Amherst, Mass. Saturday, November 15 marked the opening of Madeline at 75: The Art of Ludwig Bemelmans, an exhibition that premiered this past summer at the New-York Historical Society. Museum guests Jim Boyd and his grandson Milo Jacob were pleased to make the acquaintance of the eponymous picture book character herself, who stopped by to see what all the fuss was about. The exhibition will run until February 22.

Twenty Under 11

When Dave Eggers, author and founder of 826 National, visited the 826michigan writing club students at the James and Grace Lee Boggs School in Detroit this past May, he was thoroughly impressed by the stories that the writers, ages 6–10, had created. After the students sent him a copy of their chap book, Eggers hatched the idea to illustrate the stories and publish them as a book. Eggers returned to the school for the release of Where Is It Coming From? on November 4 to celebrate with the 20 young authors who contributed to the anthology, many of whom – like Ms. Mimi Jenkins pictured here with Eggers – read their pieces at the event. Proceeds from the book’s sales will be split between 826michigan and the Boggs School.

Adventures in Book Touring

Chris Van Allsburg was an honored guest at the 92nd Street Y in New York City on November 15. Allsburg read from The Misadventures of Sweetie Pie (HMH), and was interviewed by friend and fellow author Jarrett J. Krosoczka. Allsburg’s U.S. tour, which began on November 8, continues through the end of the month. At the 92nd Street Y event, when asked which accolades meant the most to him, Allsburg shared an anecdote about four teachers from York, Pa., who couldn’t attend his events but were so eager to meet him that they drove to Washington, D.C., to catch Allsburg at the airport. Just about to head through security, Allsburg was more than happy to meet the teachers and to sign their books.

A ‘High’ Honor

Staff members and friends of Boyds Mills Press, Calkins Creek, Highlights for Children, and the Highlights Foundation came together on November 12 to celebrate author Kathy Cannon Wiechman’s debut book, Like a River: A Civil War Novel (Calkins Creek). Wiechman initially began writing the novel, which releases in April, at the Highlights Foundation’s workshops in Boyds Mills, Pa. In front: Carolyn Yoder, senior editor, Calkins Creek. From left to right on staircase: Liz Van Doren, editorial director of Boyds Mills Press and Highlights Press; Mary-Alice Moore, v-p, publishing strategy and product development at Highlights for Children; the author, Kathy Cannon Wiechman; Christine French Cully, editor-in-chief of Highlights for Children; and Kent Brown, executive director of the Highlights Foundation.

Pop Art Chanukah

Caryn Yacowitz, author of I Know An Old Lady Who Swallowed a Dreidel (Scholastic), illustrated by David Slonim, shared her Chanukah-themed riff on the nursery rhyme – which doubles as a romp through art history – with readers at Books Inc. in Mountain View, Calif., on November 9. The author performed the story using a puppet modeled after the book’s main character, and afterwards, got chummy with the bookstore’s staff, who created an Andy Warhol-inspired sign, in line with the story’s art-spoofing. From left to right: Loren Hsieh, Dori Jaroslow, Lisa Windes, Caryn Yacowitz, and Alex Papoulias.