A Sunny Saturday with Brooklyn Authors and Illustrators

The  Eighth Annual Children’s Book Fair at the Brooklyn Museum on November 15, 2014, was a great success, and a real privilege to attend.  The event took place in the Brooklyn Museum’s beautiful Martha A. and Robert S. Rubin Pavilion on the first floor, featuring books ranging from baby’s board books to young adult offerings, and all kinds of books in between — like The Crowded Kingdom and The Underground Labyrinth but also well-known children’s series, like the sweet Duck and Goose books by Brooklyn author and parent, Tad Hill.

We were honored to share a table with noted artist and illustrator Sophie Blackall, whose beloved drawings in the book series, Ivy and Bean, attracted fans both wee and grown.

As a first-timer, I was simply happy to participate.  But I was thankful for:

• The festival taking place inside.  We were blessed with a sunny Saturday but as it turned colder, I was happy for the shelter.
• A well-organized event staff, with festival volunteers taking care of all the setup and takedown.
• A “passport” activity that encouraged children to visit every table, which was a great way for attendees to meet known and lesser-known authors and illustrators as part of their experience.
• Brooklyn Roasters Coffee, which they roast right in our neighborhood and which the Museum conveniently served from a cart not far from the book tables.
• A steady stream of traffic — we were nearly out of books by the end of the day, and I had great conversations with several teachers and librarians about what children are reading nowadays and a pet topic: how to encourage more kid interest in science.

I thought I was going to have time to meet and speak with the other authors and illustrators, but the festival was packed and busy from 12:00 pm until 5:00, and even a mid-afternoon coffee was not enough to keep me “on” and on my feet beyond that.

A fond shoutout to all the friends who stopped by to say hello, who supported me in creating the marketing materials, and our wonderful neighbors who loaned us a button-making machine that helped my daughters and I make buttons as precious little giveaways for The Crowded Kingdom series.

I’ll leave you, my dear readers, with thumbnails of some of those button pictures, as it was truly a family endeavor, and my daughters (and inspirations for the Jada and Jinny characters of the books) helped with quite a few.

Thank you, thank you, Sallie Stutz, Nancy Trancho, Astoria Bank, and all the wonderful staff and supporters that made the Brooklyn Museum Children’s Book Fair possible.  Hope to see you again next year!