Don’t Quit Your Day Jobs

Picture book author Stephen Savage (l.) appeared at BookCourt in Brooklyn on January 16 for his new book, Supertruck (Roaring Brook/Porter). He was joined by his editor, Neal Porter. The two of them spoke about the process of creating the book and welcomed a special guest: NYC Department of Sanitation commissioner Kathryn Garcia. She arrived at the bookstore on a sanitation truck, sporting a Department of Sanitation vest, and read Supertruck aloud to the audience. She also gave Department of Sanitation vests to Savage and Porter, who donned them in style but (as far as we know), probably won’t be riding the sanitation truck anytime soon.

A Changing of the Guard

Friends and associates of the Eric Carle Museum celebrated H. Nichols B. Clark during the Carle’s Black and White Retirement Party on January 17. Clark, founding director of the museum and chief curator for more than 13 years, is stepping down. Ellen Keiter will be taking over Clark’s role. The party was also intended to raise money to acquire artwork from David Macaulay’s Caldecott-winning picture book, Black and White, for the Carle’s permanent collection. Here, Clark (r.) thanks author Norton Juster for his on-stage tribute. Sandy Soderberg, marketing manager at the museum, said: “Nick Clark built an amazing picture book collection for the world to enjoy for years to come. He is and always will be a champion for illustration.”

Star-Struck

Bestselling authors Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner traveled the U.S. – next stop, the galaxy – from January 5–13, stopping in seven cities (including Los Angeles, Coral Gables, and Washington, D.C.) to promote This Shattered World, the second book in their Starbound trilogy. Here, fans from Blue Willow Bookshop in Houston display their signed copies of These Broken Stars and This Shattered World. The authors also revealed the title of the final book in their trilogy to attendees at each of the events.

A Home-Grown Debut

Debut author Jenny Elliott celebrated the release of her paranormal romance, Save Me (Macmillan/Swoon Reads) at a launch party held at the North Spokane Library in Spokane, Wash., on January 17. Elliott signed copies of the novel for teenage readers eager to meet a local writer. Save Me is the second title on the crowdsourced Swoon Reads list.