In Brief: September 23

Hamming It Up—for Dr. Seuss

Dr. Seuss’s Green Eggs and Ham is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, and this week Random House launched a video contest for those who, like Sam-I-Am, love ham (green or otherwise). Through November 3, entrants are invited to submit videos of themselves enacting a scene from Green Eggs and Ham to the contest's Web site. The grand prize is $2,000 in cash, a year’s supply of Ham I Am! products, a framed 50th Anniversary Green Eggs and Ham print, and a flip camera; 10 runners-up will receive $100 gift cards from the National Pork Board.

Author Kirby Larson recently visited Third Place Books in Lake Forest Park, Wash., to launch her new book in the Dear America series, The Fences Between Us, about 13-year-old Piper Davis, who lives in Seattle just as the U.S. enters. The book is part of Scholastic’s revival of the series, which initially ran between 1996 and 2004. The Fences Between Us is joined by reissues of three Dear America titles this fall; additional books, both new and reissued, are planned for 2011. Here, Larson is seen with Brooks Andrews, the son of the pastor who provided the inspiration for the book and the basis for the character of Piper’s father. Photo: Matt Wyatt.

Writer Liz Kessler, who lives in England, recently visited the U.S. for her second book tour, in support of the most recent book in her bestselling Emily Windsnap series, Emily Windsnap and the Siren’s Secret (Candlewick, Apr. 2010), as well as the upcoming Philippa Fisher and the Fairy’s Promise (Candlewick, Oct.), the third book to star that heroine. Kessler visited the Decatur Book Festival and appeared at bookstores in Atlanta and Nashville; here, Kessler shows off the Emily Windsnap poster promoting her event at Davis-Kidd Booksellers in Nashville. There are currently more than 1.3 million Emily Windsnap books in print in the U.S.

Last week Rizzoli Bookstore in New York City hosted a launch party for Modern Fairies, Dwarves, Goblins, and Other Nasties: A Practical Guide by Miss Edythe McFate (Knopf, Sept.). Despite the subtitle, the book—a collection of eight cautionary stories about contemporary encounters with faeries—was actually written by Lesley M. M. Blume and illustrated by David Foote (seen here at the event). Attendees got their copies of the book signed and were treated to cookies decorated with Foote’s artwork from the book. Photo: Stephen Kosloff.

Earlier this week, the Walters Art Museum in Baltimore opened an exhibit dedicated to the intricate photographs, constructions, and artwork of Walter Wick, creator of the popular I Spy and Can You See What I See series. “Walter Wick: Games, Gizmos & Toys in the Attic,” which runs through January 3, contains Wick’s photographs, models he created for his books, and interactive installations, such as the one seen here. Additional information about the exhibition is available on the Walters Art Museum Web site.