This week, the force awakens in D.C.; an author gives her stamp of approval; an artist puts a new spin on Alice in Wonderland; and an illustrator gets her very own day.
The Saga Continues…
In anticipation of the December 18 release of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, authors of Disney’s Star Wars Saga books appeared in an event at the Thomas Jefferson Building at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., on December 7. The authors were (seated, from l.) Tony DiTerlizzi (The Adventures of Luke Skywalker, Jedi Knight), Alexandra Bracken (The Princess, the Scoundrel, and the Farm Boy), Tom Angleberger, (Beware the Power of the Dark Side!), and (standing) Adam Gidwitz (So You Want to Be a Jedi?). They performed a dramatic reading of sections from their individual books for an audience of 400, consisting of 300 local students and 100 members of the general public. Here, Gidwitz trains a student on Jedi skills.
(Stamping) Party Time!
Gearing up for the release of the first book in Cassandra Clare’s new series, The Dark Artifices, next year, the author is holding “stamping parties” for individuals involved with the creation of the book. Simon & Schuster staffers as well as co-authors of Clare’s other series and bloggers are all invited to attend sponsored parties at different venues to place their individual “stamps” on the first 600,000 copies of Lady Midnight: The Dark Artifices Book 1 (S&S/McElderry). On December 4, Clare stamped book copies at S&S headquarters, along with many of her in-house fans. Here, Clare (l.) stamps away with Carolyn Reidy, president and CEO of Simon & Schuster.
A Paper Wonderland
Illustrator Anna Bond was the featured guest at Paper Source on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan on December 6, where she spent an afternoon signing copies of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (Puffin), a new edition of Lewis Carroll’s classic, which Bond illustrated. Here, Bond, who is also the creative director and co-founder (with Nathan Bond) of the stationery and gift brand Rifle Paper Co., greets mother and daughter fans at the retail store.
What a Day!
Peter Pauper Press offered a preview for librarians of its 2016 children’s books with guest author-illustrator Kelly Canby at the White Plains Library in White Plains, N.Y., on November 30. A surprise was in-store for Canby and those in attendance, as state senator George Latimer (seen here) presented Canby with a certificate in honor of “Kelly Canby Day, November 30, 2015.” In addition to receiving her award, Canby provided an art demo for the audience, drawing Phil from Phil Pickle, written by Kenny Herzog, which she illustrated.
