This month, an online book club met in person; schools welcomed authors for visits; and an author held a launch event.
Picture This
On February 25, Mr. Mopps’ Children’s Books in Berkeley, Calif., hosted the Picture Book Club for Grown Ups for an in-person reading of members’ favorite picture books. The Picture Book Club is a monthly reading group started by Chronicle editor Melissa Manlove, who held Zoom sessions during the pandemic, in hopes of bringing publishing professionals together. The current iteration of the club is now run by Mr. Mopps store manager Clare Doornbos (not pictured) and Monica Wesolowska. Here, Wesolowska (top l.), Sandra Salsbury (front c.), Annie Barrows (top r.), literary agent Danielle Svetcov (front r.), and Picture Book Club members show their picks.
Introducing an Icon
Fifth graders at Rehoboth Elementary School in Rehoboth Beach, Del., welcomed author Michelle Meadows for a school visit on February 23 to present her new picture book biography, Jimmy’s Rhythm & Blues: The Extraordinary Life of James Baldwin, illustrated by Jamiel Law (HarperCollins). The book highlights Baldwin’s upbringing in Harlem and traces his career as a writer and poet.
Drawn Together
Hena Khan (r.) celebrated the release of her middle grade novel Drawing Deena (Salaam Reads) on February 5 with an event at Scrawl Books in Reston, Va. During a conversation with picture book author Saira Mir (l.), the pair discussed the importance of Muslim representation in children’s literature, followed by a q&a. The book follows tween Deena, who utilizes her artistic skills to help her family’s financial situation but struggles when her success causes friction in her friendships.
A Unicorn Universe
On February 27, Kamilla Benko presented The Unicorn Legacy: Tangled Magic (Bloomsbury) to students at Hawthorne Scholastic Academy in Chicago with sales by local bookstore the Book Cellar. Benko’s middle grade spin-off of The Unicorn Quest series follows apprentice Olivia at the Unicorn Academy as she tries to prove her sister Laurel innocent of unicorn poaching.
