Recently, an author held a school visit for a book-ish holiday, comics creators gathered for an event, an author closed out her book tour, an author-illustrator duo visited the National Portrait Gallery, a launch event doubled as a benefit, and collaborators gave a reading with a musical ensemble.
A ‘Roaring’ Good Time
Donna Lambo-Weidner (back c.) celebrated World Read Aloud Day on February 5 with a school visit to Nelda Mundy Elementary School, hosted at the Fairfield/Cordelia Library in Solano County, Calif. Lambo-Weidner presented her picture book There Are No Dragons in This Book, illustrated by Carla Haslbauer (NorthSouth), which encourages readers to look for dragons who are supposedly not in the book. Lambo-Weidner guided students in creating their own paper bag dragons (shown here) and gave a read-aloud.
Celebrating Black Comics
The annual Black Comix Day in San Diego took place over the weekend of February 15–16. First founded in 2017 by Keithan Jones, the free event showcases comics from Black creators. Here, Looking Glass Literary & Media agent Jas Perry (l.) joins in the festivities with comic creator Jason Reeves (r.).
Take Me Away
Author Megan E. Freeman recently hit the road to celebrate the release of her new middle grade novel Away (Aladdin). The companion to Alone! follows a group of children investigating the reason behind a sudden evacuation from their homes in Colorado. Freeman closed her tour with an event at the Silver Unicorn Bookstore on Valentine’s Day. Here, she signs copies of her book for a guest.
A Presidential Portrait
On February 15, author Sarah Albee (l.) and illustrator Stacy Innerst (r.), creators of the picture book The Painter and The President: Gilbert Stuart’s Brush with George Washington (Calkins Creek), attended the annual Presidential Family Fun Day event at the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C. The picture book traces the relationship between President Washington and portrait painter Stuart’s working relationship. Here, costumed characters of Washington and Thomas Jefferson joined the duo onstage.
Benefits and Books
Kerry Madden-Lunsford partnered with her hometown bookseller, Alabama Booksmith, for the launch of her new middle grade novel, Werewolf Hamlet (Charlesbridge), on February 11. The novel follows 10-year-old Angus who plans to stage the titular play while navigating a complex relationship with his werewolf brother Liam. The event, held offsite at Red Mountain Theatre in Birmingham, Ala., was also a benefit for the National Alliance on Mental Illness. Here, Madden-Lunsford (r.) appears with her former students Marie Sutton (l.) and Taylor Stewart (c.).
Let’s Hear It!
On February 23, Greenlight Bookstore and Lafayette Avenue Presbyterian Church in Brooklyn, N.Y. partnered to host Cheryl Willis Hudson (r.) and London Ladd (l.) for an event presenting their latest picture book, When I Hear Spirituals. The story follows a girl as she learns about African American history and spirituals. At the event, the creators gave a reading and art presentation, accompanied by the Lafayette Inspirational Ensemble, directed by Janis Russell.
