In Brief: January 19

On Wednesday, former NBA star turned author Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was named a cultural ambassador by the U.S. State Department, responsible for promoting tolerance and understanding worldwide. Abdul-Jabbar’s appointment took place in a ceremony on January 18 with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton (video is available here). At the event, Abdul-Jabbar gave Clinton a signed jersey as well as a copy of his first-ever children’s book What Color Is My World? (Candlewick, Jan.), which explores the contributions of little-known African-American inventors. Photo: Michael Gross.

“My name is James, and I’m an addict. I can’t stop reading,” quipped bestselling author James Patterson at lunch on Wednesday’s opening day of the American Booksellers Association Winter Institute 7 in New Orleans. In a conversation with Cathy Langer, head buyer of Tattered Cover Book Store in Denver, and Bill Reilly, co-owner of The River’s End Bookstore in Oswego, N.Y., Patterson (who sponsors the ReadKiddoRead.com Web site and gives books to college-bound students through independent bookstores as part of his College Book Bucks program) discussed the need for parents to understand that it’s their job to get their children to read just as much as it is to teach them how to throw a ball. Pictured here (l. to r.) are: Reilly, Langer, and Patterson.

Author Robin LaFevers traveled up the West Coast last week for a pre-pub tour in support of her forthcoming novel Grave Mercy (Houghton Mifflin, Apr.), a historical fantasy in which 17-year-old Esmae discovers hidden, deadly talents while taking refuge in a convent in 15th-century Brittany. LaFevers visited with booksellers and high school students during the trip, including students at Capuchino High School in San Bruno, Calif., seen here. This week, LaFevers is attending the Winter Institute in New Orleans. Grave Mercy is the first book in the His Fair Assassins trilogy.

This past Saturday, author/illustrator Matt Tavares participated in a “New Stars for Young Stars” autograph-signing event in Boston organized by the Jimmy Fund, which raises money for Boston’s Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Several Boston Red Sox players, past and present, took part in the event, as did Tavares, who signed copies of his forthcoming picture book There Goes Ted Williams (Feb.) and the new edition of Zachary’s Ball, both out in February from Candlewick, which donated books for the event. Here, Tavares (l.) is seen with retired All-Star Red Sox pitcher Pedro Martinez. Photo: Aaron Washington.

Los Angeles–based author/illustrator Sunny Seki was in the city’s Little Tokyo neighborhood earlier this month for the Oshogatsu festival, a Japanese New Year’s Day celebration. Seki’s new picture book Yuko-chan and the Daruma Doll (Tuttle, Mar.) was released early for this annual event, and Seki signed copies of the book at Kinokuniya Bookstore. In the book, a blind orphan named Yuko-chan makes a discovery that ends up saving her village from its financial troubles.