Master of Ceremonies
Baseball-size hail didn’t dampen spirits during a parade last week in Abilene, Tex., featuring characters from William Joyce’s cache of children’s books. The parade launched the city’s third annual Children’s Art and Literacy Festival, held in conjunction with the National Center for Children’s Illustrated Literature in Abilene, which is currently running an exhibit called William Joyce: Guardian of Childhood. This year’s festival, which ran for three days, took its theme from Joyce’s picture books and movies. Over the course of the festival, the author spoke to more than 5,000 people at the historic Paramount Theatre and other venues throughout downtown Abilene.
In the Swing
At the recent Carnival Night for Kids held at Victorian Gardens in New York City’s Central Park, artists (l. to r.) Oliver Jeffers, who illustrated Drew Daywalt’s (The Day the Crayons Quit), Tad Hills (Duck and Goose Go to the Beach), and Brian Floca (Locomotive) gave out signed copies of their newest picture books. The event raised funds on behalf of the Coalition for the Homeless and also celebrated the 30th anniversary of the coalition’s Camp Homeward Bound, a sleepaway camp for homeless children.
Dream Team
Author Heather Mackey was joined by her two biggest fans—her children Simone (l.) and Jules—at the June 14 launch of her debut middle-grade novel, Dreamwood (Putnam). Mrs. Dalloway’s bookstore in Berkeley, Calif., hosted the event, where Mackey spoke to a crowd of more than 40 readers; copies of the book sold out.
Little Red Writing Cake
On June 14, author Joan Holub signed copies of her picture book Little Red Writing (Chronicle), illustrated by Melissa Sweet, at the Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art in Winston-Salem, N.C. The center surprised Holub with a cake, created by Simply Cakes in Cary, N.C., decorated to look like the cover of the book.
