Amazing Day at Fenway!

Thanks to the Massachusetts Teachers Association, I had an amazing day at Fenway Park on Saturday. I've been involved with the MTA's Red Sox Reading Game for several years. As a thank you, they honored me as a "Most Valuable Educator" during a pregame on-field ceremony. It's an honor I don't think I really deserve, but I wasn't about to turn it down!

After the pregame ceremony and a brief rain delay, my whole family got to enjoy the game from the grandstand right behind home plate. Even though the Sox came up a bit short with their late rally and lost 3-2, it really was a magical day. My kids even lasted all nine innings!

The Fenway photographer is going to send us some pictures of the ceremony. But for now, here are a few we got:

My daughter was so excited to be standing on the field at Fenway, she even took a picture of the dirt.

And so did I.

My name up on the screen, during the ceremony

!!!

The view from our seats. Pretty awesome.

Thank you, Massachusetts Teachers Association!

Thank you, Jackie Robinson!

On April 15, 1947, when Henry was thirteen,
Jackie Robinson played his first game 
for the Brooklyn Dodgers.
Finally, there was a black ballplayer
in the big leagues.

Henry's whole world changed.

-excerpt from Henry Aaron's Dream

Illustration from Henry Aaron's Dream, copyright 2010 by Matt Tavares, reproduced by permission of the publisher, Candlewick Press, Somerville, MA.

Fenway Park Photo Shoot

The Massachusetts Teachers Association asked me to do a photo shoot at Fenway Park on Saturday, to promote their 2013 Red Sox Reading Game. I said yes, because it's an awesome program that promotes literacy at every school in Massachusetts- and because any time anyone invites me to Fenway, I'm there! It's pretty amazing to be inside the park when almost nobody is there.

Renowned photographer Rick Friedman was kind enough to shoot a few author photos for me after the MTA shoot was done.  I'll post those once I have them, and I'll post details about the Red Sox Reading Game once it's up and running. For now, here are a few snapshots from the photo shoot...

And there was this cool moment- I heard them rehearsing Jackie Bradley Jr.'s first-ever Fenway Park introduction. I'm sure this moment will get some loud applause this afternoon:

Happy Opening Day! Play ball!

Book Ends Event on Sunday!

Just wanted to spread the word that I'll be reading and signing my new book, Becoming Babe Ruth, at Book Ends in Winchester, Massachusetts on Sunday, March 24, at 2:00 pm.

Winchester is my hometown, and Book Ends has supported me and my books from the very beginning, so its always a lot of fun going back there. Play ball!

BECOMING BABE RUTH in The New York Times!

Woohoo! Check it out:

And here's the online version, which has a nice slideshow featuring Becoming Babe Ruth and some other great new sports picture books. Huzzah!

Fifteen Years Ago Today...

Fifteen years ago today, on February 13, 1998, I walked into the old Candlewick Press office, on Mass Ave in Cambridge, for the very first time. This was the day I found out that Candlewick wanted to publish my book, Sebastian's Ball, which I had written and illustrated as my senior thesis at Bates College. This was the day my dream of being a children's book author-illustrator came true.

There were a few milestones in the months leading up to February 13, 1998, like when I met my agent, Rosemary Stimola, in June of 1997. Or when Rosemary emailed me in early February saying that "something was happening" with Candlewick, but she "still had a bit to go".  But fifteen years later, I think of that meeting at Candlewick on February 13, 1998, as the day my career as an author-illustrator began.

I realize this anniversary probably means way more to me than it does to anyone reading this. But I just wanted to use this semi-public forum to say a great big THANK YOU to all the great people at Candlewick who I've had the pleasure of working with during these past fifteen years.

And hey, look at all these books we made together!

Zachary's Ball, 2000

'Twas the Night Before Christmas, 2002

Oliver's Game, 2004

Mudball, 2005

Jack and the Beanstalk, 2006

Iron Hans, 2007

Lady Liberty: A Biography, 2008

The Gingerbread Pirates, 2009

Henry Aaron's Dream, 2010

Over the River and Through the Wood, 2011

There Goes Ted Williams, 2012

Becoming Babe Ruth, 2013

I won't ramble on any longer, because I'm busy working on my next Candlewick book RIGHT NOW!

Publication Day for BECOMING BABE RUTH!

Woohoo! This comes out today!

Find it at your local bookstore, or any of the usual places online.

For more info, visit my website.