If you’ve ever been curious how a book is made—not written or illustrated, but physically put together—this feature from the New York Times does a great job of explaining the whole process. I learned a lot!
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2022/02/19/books/how-a-book-is-made.html
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Having a book launch party in quarantine means doing things a little differently than usual.
(If you’d like to learn how this video was made, click here. Hint: the secret ingredient was Legos!)
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Happy to announce that my newest book, Do Not Eat The Game!, is now available at fine bookstores everywhere. You can order your own copy from the links below, and if you do, I’ll send you a custom bookplate with your very own unique monster to put in it! Just click here to find out more.
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Such a fun week of school visits last week at South Side, Waterman, York, Pavilion, and Elba Elementary Schools. Thanks to everyone involved for making them so special. If these are to be my last visits of the school year, it was a nice way to finish up.
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My newest book, Do Not Eat the Game, just got a wonderful review from Kirkus! Look for the book in stores on May 1.
Board games, much like playtimes, take two or more players to make everything go right. Schoolkids need a helping hand as they move from solo to social play—especially in a screen-oriented world—and McElligott here guides them along. Illustrated in a game board-style layout and written in the imperative style of game instructions, this clever book externalizes kids’ worst playtime impulses in the form of literal monsters. Readers first encounter a small child laden with a big, multicolored game box. When the family’s gray terrier wanders out of the room, the kid lets a pink, furred monster in through the window to serve as a substitute playmate. Things begin well enough, but, as a crowd of monsters accumulates and overwhelms the protagonist, the loyal pup returns to scare them off. Unfortunately, the furry fiends abscond with the game board, then refuse to give it back. Undaunted, the enterprising kid handcrafts a decoy game that distracts the thieving horde with explicitly naughty directives—throwing pieces, munching the board, and so on—enabling the retrieval of the board. Once the monsters realize good fun is contingent on good sportsmanship, they apologize and rejoin the game. By the amicable ending, readers have discovered the basics of fair play: abiding by the rules, waiting your turn, respecting your competitors, winning (and losing!) gracefully, and, per the titular mandate, abstaining from conspicuous consumption. This book requires two or more readers—the more participants, the merrier. (Picture book. 5-8)
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Becky Fogarty hand-sews interactive felt versions of picture books, then animates them. She created this amazing Bean Thirteen interactive book, and when I saw it, I had to find out how she did it.
Becky calls her felt creations quiet books, and her particular style has handles on top and a buckle or velcro closure around the middle for quick and easy portability. She creates the animations show what the pieces do, and what the pages might look like when you play with them.
Becky has been sewing since she was little, but started making the felt books three years ago as tactile alternatives to electronic screens for her son. Now, Becky has found that adults love the books as much as the kids do, and she’s made several books for adults, each one custom to their likes and interests. Follow her on Instagram at @quietbooksbybecky
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Two wonderful author visits last week to Lynnwood and Forts Ferry Elementary schools. I really am a lucky man.
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An amazing trip to Malone, NY last week to visit a bunch of schools in the North Country. Check out the life-sized Mad Scientist Academy gate, the wall of robot Nicoles, the 3D Bean Thirteen shirt, and so much more. Talk about making a visiting author feel welcome!
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Finally home after visiting a week of schools in Oneida and Guilderland, New York. Thanks to everyone for making a tired author feel so welcome!
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In my travels I visit a lot of elementary schools. Sometimes they even send me home with a T-shirt!
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