This week, Jack Gantos shares some writerly wisdom; stars come out for Holly McGhee and Pascal Lemaître’s picture book release; readers sail away with Barbara Joosse; Little Golden Books celebrates a big birthday; Sarah Mlynowski’s family members get into character; and author-illustrator Don Tate shows what he’s made of.
Writing Chops
Author Jack Gantos hosted a writing workshop at the “Kids & Teachers Read & Learn” booth during the National Book Festival on September 1 in Washington, D.C. Gantos’s workshop, which drew a large crowd of kids and adults, offered tips from his new book, Writing Radar: Using Your Journal to Snoop Out and Craft Great Stories (Farrar, Straus and Giroux).
When Reading Meets Advocacy
Author Holly McGhee (second from l.) and illustrator Pascal Lemaître (second from r.) celebrated the launch of their picture book, Come with Me (Putnam), which carries a message about making a positive impact in the world, on September 7 at Rizzoli Bookstore in Manhattan. Author and TED speaker Julie Burstein (far r.) moderated a conversation with McGhee, Lemaître, and actor Matt Dillon (center). Both Dillon and actor Sam Waterston (far l.)—who closed out the event—serve on the board of the advocacy organization Refugees International, which supported the event, along with the Consulate General of Belgium.
Storytime at the Museum
Author Barbara Joosse held a storytime event at the Museum of Wisconsin Art in West Bend, Wis., on September 9. Joosse read from her newest book, Sail Away Dragon (Candlewick), illustrated by Randy Cecil, to a group of engrossed readers.
Stay Golden
The Book Industry Guild of New York hosted a panel at the Random House offices in New York, on September 11, in celebration of the 75th anniversary of Little Golden Books.
Leonard S. Marcus (l.), historian and author of Golden Legacy: The Story of Golden Books, delved into the publisher’s history and its pivotal role in “the revolution in democratizing children’s publishing in America.” Diane Muldrow, editorial director of Golden Books and author of Everything I Need to Know I Learned from a Little Golden Book, reflected, “It’s truly been a gift to be the caretaker of this brand for so long.”
A Very Important Date!
Sarah Mlynowski kicked off her three-week tour for the latest title in her Whatever After series, Abby in Wonderland, on September 10 at the new Books of Wonder location on Manhattan’s Upper West Side. In keeping with the Alice in Wonderland theme, guests were treated to a tea party and had the chance to meet guests like the Queen of Hearts (Sarah’s daughter Chloe, l.) and Alice (Sarah’s daughter Anabelle, r.). The event marked the store’s unofficial opening; Mlynowski was the first guest author.
Strong as Tate!
Don Tate celebrated the release of Strong as Sandow: How Eugen Sandow Became the Strongest Man on Earth (Charlesbridge) at BookPeople in Austin, Tex. Eugen Sandow was a Victorian strongman who became known as “The Father of Bodybuilding.” Joining Tate at the event was a guest strongman who performed for the audience. Here, Tate—who used to be a bodybuilder himself—demonstrates his own strongman talents.
