Horn Book Magazine Holiday High Notes

The Horn Book Magazine came out with its annual list of recommended new holiday books, and The Gingerbread Pirates made the list!

Henry Aaron's Dream

I just got my first real copy of my next book, Henry Aaron's Dream (Candlewick, January 2010). Here it is!

first day of school

I've heard a lot of people say that having a new book released is like sending your child out into the world. Well, I have a new book that comes out today, and I started my day by watching my little girl get on the school bus for her first day of kindergarten. I'm proud of The Gingerbread Pirates, and I hope it does well and all, but after watching that school bus drive away, I have to say that having a new book released is nothing at all like sending your child out into the world. Not even close.

The Gingerbread Pirates Tour

The Gingerbread Pirates comes out on September 8, and Kristin Kladstrup and I will be spending some time this Fall traveling around, signing books, reading to kids, and eating lots of gingerbread men! So if you like books, cookies, Christmas, pirates, or all of the above, come see us! It's rare to get the author AND the illustrator together in the same place, so this should be lots of fun!

Here's where we'll be:

September 19 2:00-4:00 pm. Talk Like A Pirate Day! G. Willikers in downtown Portsmouth, NH (I need to practice for this one. So far I just know "arrrrr", "matey", and "swashbuckling".)

September 20 3:00 pm launch party and book signing at Book Ends in Winchester, MA
(we're working on getting The Gingerbread Construction Company bakery involved. Yummmmm.)

October 24 time TDA, at The Blue Bunny in Dedham, MA

November 22 11:00 am book signing and story hour at Barnes & Noble in Portsmouth, NH

December 5 2:00 at The Wenham Museum in Wenham, MA, as part of their annual Gingerbrad Express event.

Worst Book Review Ever?

I wonder how many book reviewers have ever been tempted to write something like this:

"This is an irreviewable performance, because the nonsense we encounter in perusing it, is insufferable."

Ouch.

The review is from the 1766 edition of "The Critical Review", for a book entitled "The Life of John Buncle, containing various Observations and Reflections, made in several Parts of the World, and many extraordinary Relations, Vol II", which, incidentaly, is available on Amazon, some 243 years later. I am oddly curious to read it.

(See attached image of review #40. Somehow it seems more scathing in ye Olde English)

Monhegan

Here's a painting I did last week while I was on Monhegan Island. It's watercolor on 300 lb cold press arches paper, about 8"x10".


watercolor, 8x10

The Gingerbread Pirates

I got my first real copy of my next book, The Gingerbread Pirates, written by Kristin Kladstrup, illustrated by me. Here it is!