November is National Picture Book Month! And what a line up of events are planned! My new picture book Five Hungry Mice launches this month and will be debuted at the Western New York Children's Book Expo on Saturday, November 11, 2017 at the Buffalo Convention Center.
In addition, the sponsor of the Western New York Children's Book Expo, local children's book store Monkey See Monkey Do, has a whole week of events planned with authors and illustrators from all over the country! Check out the listing of events below.
I hope you can get out to one of these wonderful events and celebrate Picture Book Month! Be sure to share the love of reading with a child who you love and a lifetime of memories will be born. I'll be back in my next post with more details about the schedule of events for the Western New York Children's Book Expo next weekend.
Until then remember these words from Dr. Seuss:
"You can find magic wherever you look.
Sit back and relax,
all you need is a book."
Wanna find some great new children's books from the best authors and illustrators around? Then stop in to visit the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators Book Stop going on now till November 27, 2017.
It features hundreds of new books published in 2017 by SCBWI authors and illustrators including my Five Hungry Mice!
Just take a look at a sample of all the beautiful books you can discover!
And when you visit the pages of these authors and illustrators you can buy their books or comment to give them encouragement:) The more encouragement they receive the higher their books will rank, so please offer some love to those books you like the best! Just click on the link I provided above and browse and enjoy!
If you love picture books like I do, this is the place to discover the best gems and support hard working authors and illustrators:)
Enjoy!
Great News!
It's finally ready! After taking the summer to finish the artwork, (explains my absence from my blog) and working with my publisher this fall, we finally have Five Hungry Mice ready to go to press! My publisher and her book designer have done a fantastic job making my adorable mice look so beautiful in book format. It really looks fantastic and I can't wait for you all to see it in person.
It will be officially published and in stores in early 2018, but I have access to pre-published copies beginning in November for my followers who have been so patiently waiting! Just in time for National Picture Book Month. I will be selling the book and my other artwork at the following art shows:
11/11 Western New York Children’s Book Expo Saturday 10:00am - 3:00pm Buffalo Niagara Convention Center, Buffalo, NY
11/17-19 Rochester Museum & Science Center Holiday Bazaar
Fri 5:00 - 9:00pm, Sat 9:30am - 5:00pm, Sun 11:00am - 4:00pm
657 East Avenue, Rochester, NY
11/25 Local Author Book Signing
Saturday 12:00pm - 2:00pm
Buffalo History Museum, One Museum Court, Buffalo, NY
12/2-3 Roycroft Campus Art Show
Sat 10:00am - 5:00pm, Sun 10:00am - 5:00pm
31 South Grove St, East Aurora, NY
If you can't make a show you can order your copy at www.fivehungrymice.com
But that's not all!
Five Hungry Mice is also featured with hundred's of other great new titles at the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators' Annual Book Stop promotion that is running till November 27, 2017. You can find lots of new picture books by the best authors and illustrators. You should definitely check it out. Take a peek at just some of the beautiful books the Five Hungry Mice gets to be featured with...
Well, I better get back to the studio. I'm already working on another book for you all but you'll have to wait to hear more about that one. In the mean time come see me to get a copy of Five Hungry Mice or click on the link to the website.
TTFN!
Picture Book Month is an international literacy initiative that celebrates the print picture book during the month of November. The found the following information about National Picture Book Month on their website. The founders of this event are:
Dianne de Las Casas (author & storyteller) www.diannedelascasas.com,
Katie Davis (author/illustrator) katiedavis.com
Elizabeth O. Dulemba (author/illustrator) www.dulemba.com
Tara Lazar (author) taralazar.wordpress.com
Wendy Martin (author/illustrator) wendymartinillustration.com
These talented authors and illustrators put together their worldwide connections to make an event that celebrates the simplicity and beauty of the picture book. Here is a calendar of events they have planned and you can go to the website link I provided above to find out more.
I love what they have started because I feel picture books are so important, especially in our media driven society. We live in a highly visual world where we are constantly being bombarded with media messages, entertainment and immediacy. While it's fun and exciting, it is also overwhelming and creates a feeling of temporariness. Nothing seems to last, everything is constantly being updated and refreshed. Think of the impact this must have on our children. While I know children today are growing up in this media rich world, I also know that children need a sense of order, structure, and connectedness for healthy development. This is where I think the picture book is so important. A child can sit with a loved one and have that wonderful page turning experience of a beautifully crafted picture book and slow the world down. The picture book puts the child in control and they can chose to linger over a picture or speed to turn the page to see what happens next. Picture books offer numerous perspectives on the world, and can transport the reader to another time and place. They can be a safe haven where children can retreat from the "noise" of the media they are surrounded by every day.
So in our digital age, where people are predicting the coming death of print books, I feel picture books (the print kind) are needed more than ever. Read a picture book today and enjoy the respite! And if you are looking for a good one....I have a suggestion:) The Swing is launching this month, during National Picture Book month on November 16th! I can save you a copy if you e-mail me or comment on this blog post!
Read *Share*Celebrate!
