This week, Little, Brown employees have bragging rights; Kevin Henkes has a big book birthday; Neil Patrick Harris takes an onstage photo at ALA; the Young Readers Center at the Library of Congress celebrates expanded hours; Kate DiCamillo and Ann Patchett join forces at Winter Institute; and author-illustrator Clare Pernice talks words, pictures, and puppets.
A Winning Streak
Little, Brown staffers (from l.) Alvina Ling, Andrea Spooner, and Melanie Chang proudly displayed copies of their three consecutive Caldecott Medal-winning picture books: Finding Winnie by Lindsay Mattick and Sophie Blackall; Radiant Child: The Story of Young Artist Jean-Michel Basquiat by Javaka Steptoe; and The Adventures of Beekle: The Unimaginary Friend by Dan Santat. Radiant Child won the Caldecott for 2017.
Happy 50th!
Kevin Henkes celebrated the release of his picture book Egg at Anderson’s Bookshop in Naperville, Ill., on January 31. The book’s publication also marks a milestone for Henkes: it’s his 50th book – a fact not overlooked by the bookstore, which provided him with a cake just right for the occasion (baked by local bakery DeEtta's). Henkes is completing his Midwest tour for Egg, which will be followed by stops in Portland, Seattle, and the Bay Area.
In Closing…
Neil Patrick Harris delivered the keynote address at ALA Midwinter’s closing session on January 23. Harris, who currently stars as Count Olaf in the Netflix series A Series of Unfortunate Events, makes his middle grade debut with The Magic Misfits (Little, Brown) this fall. Joining Harris on the stage during the Q&A portion of the event were ALA attendees from Boston University’s School of Law: professor Ronald Wheeler and Shira Megerman, senior legal information librarian.
A Ribbon Cutting for Readers
The Young Readers Center at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., celebrated its new Saturday hours of operation on January 28 with a ribbon-cutting ceremony hosted by Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden. Also attending the event were guest authors Meg Medina and Erica S. Perl, who shared stories with guests and hosted arts and crafts activities.
A Power Duo
At last weekend’s Winter Institute, author Kate DiCamillo and author-bookseller Ann Patchett shared a moment after their panel discussion about writing and bookselling with fellow IndieNext list authors.
A Circus of Words and Pictures
Clare Pernice, author-illustrator of Circus Girl (Simply Read), took part in an event called “Small Events for Small People,” held at R.J. Julia Booksellers in Madison, Conn., on January 28. Pernice read from Circus Girl and spoke about the use of “words and pictures” in the book, before leading attendees in a circus puppet craft activity.
