Matt Tavares Books

Early Reviews for THERE GOES TED WILLIAMS

2012-01-26T05:30:00.000-08:00

A couple nice reviews for There Goes Ted Williams: The Greatest Hitter Who Ever Lived...

"Following his outstanding Henry Aaron’s Dream(Candlewick, 2010), Tavares has written an equally stunning book about anotherBaseball Hall of Famer....Williams’s charisma dominates the illustrations, fromthe very first one of a scrawny boy swinging under the palm trees of a SanDiego playground, to his final trip around the bases at Fenway. Due attentionis also given to Williams’s distinguished military career, which he approachedwith the same determination to dominate as he did hitting.... This is aglorious tribute to a baseball legend and a complicated human being."

and this from Kirkus:

"Williams was a complex and difficult personality, butTavares chooses to focus on these larger-than-life heroics, telling ofWilliams’ desire to be the best at everything he attempted and the joy he feltwhen he accomplished his goals. The language is rich in imagery, with short,action-packed sentences.... Commanding watercolor, gouache and pencilillustrations depict Williams in action as a boy, a major-leaguer and a Navypilot. Tavares captures him well in his Red Sox uniform, with his unique swingand home-run trot."

The book comes out in three weeks. So far, so good!

By the way, you can still enter to win a free copy!

THERE GOES TED WILLIAMS in The Horn Book Magazine!

2012-01-25T06:05:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite gifts this past Christmas was a subscription to The Horn Book Magazine. I just got my first issue yesterday, and it was truly an honor to see a really nice review of There Goes Ted Williams, along with my illustration of Ted Williams on a combat mission during the Korean War. Here's a peek:

And here are some quotes from the review:

"Tavares’s present-tense narrative lends drama and immediacy to the all-smiles-and-heroics biography, and the watercolor, gouache, and pencil illustrations depict Williams as large as a double-page spread can hold. On one spread, Williams’s head, torso, and baseball bat, in typical homerun swing, consume the available space. Turn the page, and an F9F Panther fighter jet all but flies out of the book.... Published in time for Fenway Park’s centennial celebrations, this full-of-life biography will be a hit with young baseball fans." -The Horn Book Magazine

Not too shabby! But the real gem of the January/Febraury issue of The Horn Book Magazine is the incredible cover art by Sally Mavor. I got to see the original art when I met Sally at the Connecticut Children's Book Fair in November, and seeing it in person really made me appreciate how much work must go into making art like this. It's mind-boggling, and truly amazing...

To learn about Sally's process, read this.

By the way, you can still enter to win an advance copy of There Goes Ted Williams, here!

THERE GOES TED WILLIAMS book giveaway!

2012-01-24T05:45:00.000-08:00

My next book, There Goes Ted Williams: The Greatest Hitter Who Ever Lived, comes out just three weeks from today! I have a few advance copies, and thought it would be fun to give one away.

To enter, just leave a comment on this post anytime between right now and Friday night, January 27. In your comment, please answer this question:

Who do you think is the greatest hitter who ever lived?

Of course, if you don't know or don't have an opinion, that's okay too. Any comment enters you to win. No baseball knowledge required! (You can always just write "Ted Williams"!) Looking forward to seeing people's answers.

I'll announce the winner here on Saturday. I'll also post it on my facebook page and on twitter. So check back on Saturday to see if you won! And if you're on facebook and/or twitter and haven't liked/followed me, please do!

Thanks, and good luck!

First School Visit of 2012

2012-01-19T12:12:00.000-08:00

I just had my first school visit of 2012 today at North Beverly Elementary in Beverly, Massachusetts. It was so much fun presenting There Goes Ted Williams to a school full of serious Red Sox fans. Looking forward to heading back there tomorrow for four more presentations.

one of the many baseball-themed displays around the school

New Stars for Young Stars, recap

2012-01-17T06:27:00.000-08:00

On Saturday I was honored to be involved with an amazing event at Jillian's in Boston, called "New Stars for Young Stars", where kids from The Jimmy Fund Clinic got a chance to meet up-and-coming Red Sox players, as well as the new Red Sox manager, Bobby Valentine, starting catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia, and the one and only Pedro Martinez.

First there was a private gathering where about 50 kids from the Jimmy Fund Clinic and their families got to meet the players. Then there was a public event, which was packed. I signed books at both events. Candlewick Press kindly donated all the books, so every family from the Jimmy Fund Clinic got an advance copy of There Goes Ted Williams: The Greatest Hitter Who Ever Lived, and everyone attending the public event got a paperback copy of the new Fenway Centennial Edition of Zachary's Ball.

It was great to see so many people coming together for such a good cause. And it was amazing to see how much joy it brought to the kids and their parents, especially considering what they're all going through.

Here are a few pictures:

Before the guests arrived we got to meet the new Red Sox manager, Bobby Valentine. He signed baseballs for my girls.

On the car ride down, the girls practiced saying "Saltalamacchia". It came in handy when they got to meet him!

Pedro arriving, greeting a young fan

My daughters were playing at a pool table, when Pedro Martinez came up to them and said "Can I play too?" They just stared at him as I fumbled for my camera. This picture is a few seconds later. Pedro is sitting down to sign autographs.

The players were lined up for a group photo, and Bobby Valentine started barking out situations, like, "Alright, two out, man on second..."

Me and Pedro! (you can see my 4yo daughter dancing in the background)

Then we headed out to the main room for the public event, where there were LOTS of people.

me signing Zachary's Ball

the front page of the Boston Globe from the day the Red Sox won the 2004 World Series, signed by Pedro Martinez! I already framed it.

The Night I Slept at Fenway Park

2012-01-12T05:53:00.000-08:00

This weekend I'm signing books at a wonderful event called New Stars for Young Stars, a fundraiser for The Jimmy Fund. It's a chance for kids to meet some of the rising stars in the Red Sox farm system, as well as their new manager Bobby Valentine, starting catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia, and one of my all-time favorite baseball players, Pedro Martinez. I am really excited to meet Pedro. I have so many great memories of watching him pitch, but this one might be my favorite:

It was the night before Game 3 of the 1999 American League Championship Series. The Sox had lost the first two games at Yankee Stadium, but now they were heading back to Fenway for game 3. Red Sox ace Pedro Martinez, the greatest pitcher in baseball coming off his greatest season, was set to face the greatest Red Sox pitcher of my childhood, Roger Clemens, now pitching for the Yankees. This was the first time the Red Sox and Yankees had ever faced each other in the postseason, and at the time this game really had that "once in a lifetime" feeling.

It was around midnight. I was at a party in Somerville, talking with some friends about the game, talking about how awesome it would be to be at Fenway for "Pedro vs. Roger". The game was sold out of course, but I had heard the Red Sox were going to make some tickets available at the Fenway ticket office on the morning of the game. I mentioned this, and someone suggested we head into Fenway right then to wait in line. A bunch of people liked the idea, but by the time the cab arrived, it was just me and one other guy. So he and I got in the cab and headed for Boston.

We arrived at Fenway around 12:30 am. There were already 117 people there. I know it was 117, because soon after I arrived, a man came up to me with a sharpie and wrote the number 118 on my hand. He was sort of the Mayor of this little world on Yawkey Way. This was his way of keeping order, and making sure the people who had waited here all night got first dibs on the tickets.

The Mayor of Yawkey Way, October 15, 1999

So we stayed there all night. By morning, there were probably 250 crazy Red Sox fans hanging out, taking turns heading into Kenmore Square for coffee and hot chocolate. It was a blast. Some people really came prepared, with beach chairs, sleeping bags, and food. Not me. At least I was wearing a jacket and a winter hat.

Me, with my pals 117 and 116, 115, etc.

Morning finally came.

Me in line. I look tired.

Around 9:00 am, the line started moving. I made it all the way to the front...

And I got two tickets! I called my dad, and he said he'd come in and join me. Then I went and took at nap at a friend's place.

My father at Fenway, before game 3 of the 1999 ALCS

The players warming up

The pregame ceremony

Pedro pitching!

Our view was a bit obstructed, but we had pretty awesome seats. And what a game! The Red Sox won 13-1. Pedro pitched seven innings and only gave up 2 hits while striking out 12. Clemens seemed rattled by the "Roger, Roger" chants, and was knocked out of the game with nobody out in the 3rd. I was exhausted, but it was a very exciting, exhilarating day. This was the only game they won in the series. I'm glad I was there to see it.

Behind the Scenes- Lady Liberty: A Biography

2012-01-09T05:00:00.000-08:00

Here's a behind-the-scenes look at the making of Lady Liberty: A Biography, where I talk about collaborating with Doreen Rappaport. This was originally part of a DVD Candlewick Press put together a few years ago called "Open Studios", which also featured my friends, fellow Candlewick author-illustrators Timothy Basil Ering and Peter H. Reynolds. Enjoy!

New THERE GOES TED WILLIAMS book trailer

2012-01-07T05:29:00.000-08:00

Here's the new book trailer for There Goes Ted Williams: The Greatest Hitter Who Ever Lived, featuring music by my friend, the multi-talented Dan Blakeslee.

If you haven't heard Dan's music, definitely check out his website. And if you're a children's book art director, check out his illustrations. Dan is a visual artist as well as a musician, and I think he'd make an awesome children's book illustrator.

Anyway, enough about Dan! Here's the new trailer. Enjoy! (And if you like it, please pass it along!)

The book comes out in a little over a month. I can't wait.

Upcoming Events

2012-01-06T06:15:00.000-08:00

With the release of There Goes TedWilliams: The Greatest Hitter Who Ever Lived a little over a month away, I've got some exciting events planned for this winter and spring, including two museum exhibits, a trip to the Tucson Festival of Books, and plenty of other fun stuff. A few events are still in the works, but here's what's confirmed so far. If I'll be in your area, come say hi! As more events get booked, I'll add them to the events page on my web site.

2012	There Goes TedWilliams: The Greatest Hitter Who Ever Lived Events
January14	11:00-2:00NewStars for Young Stars VII, at Jillian's on Lansdowne Street inBoston. Presented by theJimmy Fund Council of Greater Boston, this Boston Red Sox autograph-signing event provides aunique and memorable opportunity to meet and greet Red Sox players,including the Greatest Red Sox Pitcher of All Time, Pedro Martinez!Tickets start at $150 and VIP tickets are $250. All proceeds from the2012 event will benefit the Jimmy Fund and Pedro Martinez and BrothersFoundation. Ted Williams was the single most influential person in helpingtoraise money for The Jimmy Fund in its early days. So I amthrilled for this event to be my very frst book signing for There Goes TedWilliams. The book doesn't actually come out until Fenruary 14, butCandlewick Press is donating books so every kid from the Jimmy FundClinic gets a free copy.
Febraury3- May 6	Exhibit: "Picture This: 90Years of Storybook Art" Art exhibit at The WenhamMuseum in Wenham, MA, featuring original artwork fromnearlya century of classic books including work by Leo Leonni, TashaTudor, and illustrations from my books Zachary's Ball and The GingerbreadPirates.
February14	Releasedatefor ThereGoes Ted Williams: The Greatest Hitter Who Ever Lived, Zachary's Ball: FenwayCentennial Edition (to bereleased simultaneously in hardcover andpaperback), and HenryAaron's Dream (now available in paperback!)
March 10	Tucson Festival of Books,University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 1:00-2:00pm, "Bats, Balls and Gloves: Great Sports Heroes" panel discussion withPhil Bildner, Kadir Nelson, and Matt Tavares,followed by autograph session. 3:00-3:30- readingof There Goes Ted Williams: The GreatestHitter Who Ever Lived in the "Storyblanket" area, followedby autograph session. 4:00-5:00, "SheWrites, We Drew: A Story of Two Illustrators and One Author" paneldiscussion with Doreen Rappaort,Kadir Nelson, andMatt Tavares, followed by autograph session.
March 11	Tucson Festival of Books,University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 10:30 am, book signing for There Goes Ted Williams: The GreatestHitter Who Ever Lived at the Candlewick/Kids Center booth
March 17	Barnes and Noble, Newington,NH, book signing for There Goes Ted Williams: The GreatestHitter Who Ever Lived, part of book fair for Wells Elementary School. Time TBD
April5-May 27	Exhibit:"ThereGoes Ted Williams: Matt Tavares and Arthur Griffin" Come see the original artwork from my book, There Goes Ted Williams: The GreatestHitter Who Ever Lived,atthe Griffin Museum ofPhotography in Winchester, MA. This exhibit will feature theoriginal illustrations from my book, alongside spectacular historicphotographs of Ted Williams, taken by Arthur Griffin during TedWilliams's rookie season in 1939. I'm really excited for this! Come tothe launch party and opening reception on April 12 (details below)!
April12	3:00-5:00 pm, WinchesterAuthorfest, signing There Goes TedWilliams at the Winchester Town Hall, Wincehster, MA
April12	7:00-8:30 pm, BOOKLAUNCHPARTY! for my book, ThereGoes Ted Williams: The Greatest Hitter Who Ever Lived, and opening reception for the"There Goes Ted WIlliams: Matt Tavares and Arthur Griffin" exhibit, atthe Griffin Museum ofPhotography in Winchester, MA. Free admission, everyone welcome! Book sales handled by my hometown independent bookseller, Book Ends
April21	2:00pm,book signing at WenhamMuseum in Wenham, MA, part of the Picture This: 90 Years ofStorybook Art exhibit
April22	3:00pm,book signing and artist talk at the Griffin Museum in Winchester,MA, part of the exhibit, "There Goes Ted Williams: Matt Tavares andArthur Griffin". I'll sign books, and do a presentation about themaking of ThereGoes Ted Williams.
May20	2:00pm,presentation and book signing for There Goes TedWilliams at the Louis T.Graves Memorial Library in Kennebunkport, Maine, part of the PascoLecture Series.
June5-6	Georgia Conference onTeaching Writing and Reading, Perry, Georgia

Come Meet Pedro Martinez and Support The Jimmy Fund!

2012-01-03T05:24:00.000-08:00

Spring Training is still a couple months away, but you can get your Red Sox fix at an amazing event taking place at Jillian's in Boston on Saturday, January 14, 11:00 am to 2:00 pm. It's an autograph-signing event called "New Stars for Young Stars", a unique chance to meet up-and-coming Red Sox players, as well as their new manager, Bobby Valentine, starting catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia, and the Greatest Pitcher in Red Sox History... Pedro Martinez!

Oh, I'll be there too, signing There Goes Ted Williams: The Greatest Hitter Who Ever Lived and Zachary's Ball. But who cares! Pedro Martinez will be there! PEDRO MARTINEZ!!

Ted Williams was involved with The Jimmy Fund from the very beginning, and he was the single most influential person in helping to raise money for the Dana Farber Cancer Institute. So I'm thrilled for my very first book signing for There Goes Ted Williams to be a fundraiser for the Jimmy Fund. The book doesn't actually come out until February 14, but Candlewick Press is donating advance copies so all the kids from The Jimmy Fund Clinic will get a free signed copy of my book.

Tickets start at $150 and VIP tickets are $250. All proceeds from the 2012 event will benefit The Jimmy Fund, and Pedro Martinez and Brothers Foundation.

Visit the Jimmy Fund website to order tickets.

Ted Williams, Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb, Lennie Merullo, and me

2011-12-29T11:46:00.000-08:00

Here's a little behind-the-scenes story from my book, Oliver's Game:

The man who posed for me as Grandpa Hall actually played for the Chicago Cubs in the 1940's. His name is Lennie Merullo, and he was the starting shortstop for the Cubs the last time they made it to the World Series, in 1945!

I originally just wanted to interview Mr. Merullo, but once he started talking, I realized he was exactly how I pictured Grandpa Hall- just the right age, and overflowing with amazing stories about his days as a big league ballplayer. So I asked if he'd pose for me, and he did. Mostly he just kept telling stories, and I took pictures.

One of my favorite stories he told was about how he managed to accumulate an incredible collection of three game-used baseball bats that had belonged to Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb, and Ted Williams!

Here he is, in the fake baseball card store I built in my basement:

After the book was done, I was doing a school visit in Reading, Mass. I didn't know it, but Lennie's grand-daughters were students at the school, and he decided to pay me a surprise visit. And he brought something with him- a bag with three baseball bats in it!

They weren't in any sort of protective cases, just 3 old wooden bats in a canvas bag, like he was heading to the field to hit some fungoes. He let me hold the bats, and even swing them. It was pretty surreal to know I was swinging bats that Ted Williams, Ty Cobb, and Babe Ruth actually used in games. Here are a few pictures:

Lennie Merullo, his family, and me, with Ted Williams's bat and Babe Ruth's bat

This was years ago, and looking at these pictures, I'm not completely sure which bat is which. I think this was the Ted Williams bat, since the handle is a bit thinner:

me with Ted Williams's bat

And I think this is the Babe Ruth bat. Or maybe it's the other way around. Either way, what a thrill! I bet there aren't too many bats like this out there, that you can just pick up and swing.

me with Babe Ruth's bat

Fenway Memories: The Derek Lowe Poster Incident

2011-12-28T08:14:00.000-08:00

Now that Christmas is over, and we're less than 50 days away from the release of There Goes Ted Williams and the new Fenway Centennial edition of Zachary's Ball, I thought I'd turn my attention toward baseball, and start sharing some of my favorite Fenway Park memories here on my blog.

This first one is from 2001, when the Massachusetts Teachers Association used my book, Zachary's Ball, on promotional materials for their Red Sox Reading Game. Posters and bookmarks featuring Red Sox pitcher Derek Lowe reading Zachary's Ball were distributed to every school in Massachusetts, and kids could enter to win tickets to a Red Sox game, just by reading a few books. (I've got some exciting news to share about this program, but I'll save that for later...) The poster was also printed as a full-page ad in the Boston Globe. This was my very first book, and as a lifelong Red Sox fan, this was all extremely exciting for me.

blurry photo of the 2001 Mass Teachers Association Red Sox Reading game poster, featuring Derek Lowe and Zachary's Ball

To top it all off, one night that spring, the MTA gave out 10,000 posters to fans at a Red Sox game. I got to participate in a pre-game event where Derek Lowe read a few pages of the book, then I did a book signing at the souvenir store during the game. The signing only went until the 6th inning or so, then I got to go watch the game. It was pretty cool to look around and see everyone with their posters. Until...

...Derek Lowe came into the game. He was the closer that season, and he was off to a shaky start. Earlier that evening, when he read Zachary's Ball, he started off by apologizing to the crowd because he had just blown two saves against the Yankees during a weekend series in New York.

So he came into the game and proceeded to blow a 2-run lead to Seattle. And the fans reacted the way you'd expect them to- they all started throwing their Derek Lowe posters onto the field. The posters were rolled up with a rubber band, so they flew surprisingly well. The game had to be stopped for several minutes while the grounds crew cleaned up the field.

Here's a picture. Notice the tiny white specs on the warning track. It looked like that all the way around the field.

Fenway Park, 2001. Fans litter field with Derek Lowe/Zachary's Ball posters.

Next time, I'll post a few pictures from the night in 1999 when I camped out at Fenway...

'Twas the Night Before Christmas... behind the scenes

2011-12-22T08:42:00.001-08:00

With Christmas fast approaching, I thought it would be fun to post some photos I took while I was working on illustrating 'Twas the Night Before Christmas (Candlewick, 2002). A lot of work goes into illustrating a book, and much of it takes places before the pencil ever hits the paper. Here's some of what I did to try to bring this story to life.

Every time it snowed during the winter of 2000-2001, I went outside and took pictures. To this day, when I see new-fallen snow, it's hard not to grab my camera. This one is of my backyard, back when I lived in Arlington, Massachuestts. Guess I forgot to put the patio furniture away...

I decided to set the story in Beacon Hill, in Boston, since the buildings in that neighborhood were from the right time period. I spent some time wandering around Beacon Hill, and settled on The Nichols House Museum as the perfect setting. For one, it's a beautiful building. Plus, it's a museum house, so it looks much the same as it looked back in the 1800's. And most importantly, there's a lawn outside! I realized that I needed a house with a lawn, because of the line, "When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter".

One day I headed into Boston right after a snowstorm and got some great pictures that really helped me envision how I wanted my book to look.

This is the point of view I decided to use for the scene when Santa is landing on the roof.

Same view, different snowstorm.

They even let me inside!

When I draw people, I usually find real people to pose for me. Oftentimes I pose myself, because I know what poses I need, and I'm always there. When I was trying to decide what the narrator should look like, I kept picturing him as my friend, author M.T. Anderson. So I asked him to pose for me, which he did. He was such a good sport about it, and he did an amazing job. This was back before he was a National Book Award winner. I bet he doesn't do this sort of thing anymore!

Tobin Anderson kindly posing as the narrator in 'Twas the Night Before Christmas, while my then-girlfriend, now-wife Sarah works as lighting technician. I'm sort of the director at this part of the process.

I wanted to make sure Santa looked really good in my book, so I went right to the big guy himself. He took a few minutes out of his busy schedule to pose for me. Fortunately he was at the mall, so I didn't have to go all the way to the North Pole (good thing, because I didn't have any money!).

My wife, Sarah, remembered that there was a barn full of old sleighs and wagons at the horse farm where she used to work when she was in high school. So we took a road trip up to Maine, and found this amazing red sleigh, which I used as the model for Santa's sleigh:

sidenote: I used a slightly altered version of this sleigh in Over the River and Through the Wood

I set up this fake Christmas tree in my basement, with nineteenth century decorations. It was up for about a year. It got really dusty.

Sarah and I were on vacation in New Orleans when I found this great model reindeer. Sure, I probably could have found it at a store in Boston, but I bought it. His antlers mostly survived the plane ride. I would hang him in front of my drawing table while I was drawing.

And my mother-in-law's cat, Oscar, kindly agreed to pose as the cat.

Happy Holidays, everyone! Thanks for reading my blog.

-Matt

THERE GOES TED WILLIAMS book trailer

2011-12-20T05:39:00.000-08:00

I put together this short book trailer for my upcoming book, There Goes Ted Williams: The Greatest Hitter Who Ever Lived. Enjoy!

The book won't be available until Febraury 14, 2012, but you can pre-order it now from a local bookstore!

new batch of Gingerbread Pirates!

2011-12-19T06:35:00.000-08:00

Arrrr, mateys! There are a whole lot of Gingerbread Pirate cookies being made these days! If you make your own crew, please send me a picture at matt@tavaresbooks.com or post it on my facebook page, and I'll post it here sometime before Christmas.

Here's this week's swashbuckling batch of homemade gingerbread pirates:

Ted Williams, Arthur Griffin, and me...

2011-12-16T06:56:00.000-08:00

I've got some very exciting news about my upcoming book, There Goes Ted Williams. But first, a little background...

One day during the 1939 baseball season, acclaimed photographer Arthur Griffin spent a couple hours at Fenway Park, taking pictures of lanky Red Sox rookie, Ted Williams. Griffin took several rolls of pictures using his usual 35mm black and white camera, but he also brought along a new 4"x 5" view camera, because Eastman Kodak had asked him if he would test out their newly-created color film.

These color photos that Griffin took of Ted Williams back in 1939 are some of the most beautiful baseball photographs I've ever seen, and the very first color photographs ever taken of Ted Williams. It's amazing to see him in full color at 20 years old. You can tell why they called him "The Kid".

You my have seen some of these pictures without even realizing it. Remember this image of Ted Williams that graced the cover of Sports Illustrated after he passed away in 2002? This is one of the pictures Arthur Griffin took that day in 1939:

Fast forward to October of 2011. A family friend visited my parents, and brought a gift to pass along to me- two photographs of Ted Williams that had belonged to her husband, a childhood friend of my father's, who passed away recently. They didn't mean much to her, and she thought I might appreciate them, since she knew I had been working on a book about Ted Williams. Here they are:

I've got them up on my studio wall, and I just keep staring at them. Two 11 x 14 color prints, taken by Arthur Griffin that day in 1939, autographed by Arthur Griffin AND by Ted Williams!

I'm sure she could have gotten a lot of money for these treasures, and I'm blown away that she decided to give them to me. Here's a closer look at each:

I think this one is my favorite, because it captures Ted Williams so well. Even when he's posing with his glove, he's still working on his batting stance.

Or maybe this one is my favorite...

Getting this amazing gift gave me an idea. I was hoping to find somewhere in the Boston area to host a launch party for There Goes Ted Williams. Seeing these pictures made me think that maybe the Arthur Griffin Museum in my hometown, Winchester, Massachusetts would be the perfect place. I could sign copies of my book while people enjoy an exhibit of Arthur Griffin's amazing Ted Williams photographs.

To make a long story slightly less long... I sent an advance copy of the book to the Arthur Griffin Museum, and their response was so much better than I even hoped for. They don't just want to host a launch party. They want to host an exhibit of Arthur Griffin's 1939 photographs AND my original artwork from my book, There Goes Ted Williams!

So that's the exciting news! I'll have more formal promo materials as the date approaches, but for now, here are the details:

There Goes Ted Williams: Matt Tavares and Arthur Griffin
The Griffin Museum of Photography, in Winchester, Mass
Exhibit will run April 5 through May 27, 2012
Opening reception: Thursday, April 12, 7:00-8:30pm
Artist talk and book signing: Sunday, April 22, 3:00pm
(signed books will also be available at the opening reception)

Winchester's excellent independent bookstore, Book Ends, will be handling book sales at both events.

I'm really looking forward to this, and I'm so honored to know that my Ted Williams illustrations will be up on the wall with Arther Griffin's photographs. If you're anywhere near Winchester, Mass, I hope to see you at the opening!

illustration from There Goes Ted Williams: The Greatest Hitter Who Ever Lived, by Matt Tavares

For Aspiring Authors and Illustrators...

2011-12-14T07:18:00.000-08:00

As an author-illustrator of children's books, I hear from a lot of people who are trying to get started in the children's book business, but don't know where to begin. Sometimes they've written a story and they want me to illustrate it. Sometimes they just have an idea, and they want me to write and illustrate it (then we'd split the money, I guess...). Most often, they just want to start the process of trying to get published, but aren't sure what to do first.

Everyone's path to getting that first book published is different, but I thought it might be helpful to write a blog post to help point people in the right direction. Some of this is for author/illustrators, and some is just for authors (who aren't also illustrators). I hope it helps! If there's anything I missed, please leave a comment and I'll try to answer any questions you might have.

IF YOU WANT TO BE A CHILDREN'S BOOK AUTHOR, ILLUSTRATOR, OR BOTH:

For anyone hoping to break into the children's book business, whether you're an author, an illustrator, or an author/illustrator, the absolute very best place to start is to join the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators. I'm pretty sure it only costs $70 to join, so it's not a huge investment. You should do this right now. I will wait.

Welcome back! As a member of SCBWI, you now have access to tons of information about how to get your story published, including lists of publishers, what type of books each publisher makes, which publishers accept unsolicited manuscripts (for many publishers, you need to have an agent or they won't even read your story). They also have a list of agents accepting new clients, and online message boards where you can connect with other writers, illustrators, etc., and find answers to any questions you might have. Their web site is scbwi.org.

Another great reason to join SCBWI is their regional and national conferences, where editors and art directors from all the major publishers review manuscripts and portfolios. This is the only way for new authors and illustrators who don't have an agent to get their foot in the door with certain publishers.

For example, Candlewick Press, who has published most of my books, only accepts submissions from literary agents. But they always send their editors and art directors to SCBWI conferences. They see the SCBWI conference as a sort of filter. They know that anyone who has taken the initiative to join SCBWI and devote the time to attend a conference is serious about it, as opposed to when they tried accepting unsolicited manuscripts, some of which were scrawled on notebook paper, and most of which was not anything that would ever get published.

Some publishers do accept unsolicited manuscripts, and SCBWI provides you with a list of them too.

FOR ASPIRING AUTHORS (who aren't also illustrators):

If you've written a book and you're in the process of finding an illustrator, I've got good news! You can stop searching RIGHT NOW! Unless you are planning on illustrating it yourself, you should submit your story to publishers with no illustrations. Even if it's a picture book. It sounds crazy, but it's true.

A lot of aspiring authors waste valuable time searching for an illustrator, not realizing that publishers would prefer to have them submit their manuscript without any illustrations- which is actually a good thing, because you can skip right to the next step, trying to find a publisher who might like your story.

Here's how it typically works: the author submits the un-illustrated manuscript to the publisher, then if the publisher likes it, they offer the author a contract. Next, the publisher finds an illustrator that they feel is a good match for the manuscript, and offer the illustrator a contract. Usually, the author and illustrator never even meet, and everything goes through the publisher.

People often come up to me and tell me they've got a great idea for a children's book, and they want me illustrate it. Every illustrator I know has stories about their neighbor, or their second cousin, or their ex-girlfriend's mom, asking them to illustrate their unpublished story. I'm never quite sure what to say in these situations, because I know any answer will probably make them think I'm a jerk. But I guess it all boils down to this: Illustrators get illustration jobs from publishers, not from authors.

Maybe you wrote a great story, and maybe you think I would be the perfect illustrator for it. And maybe you're right. But if you send me your story, I can tell you right now that my answer will be "no". But not because I'm a jerk, and not because your story isn't any good (I haven't even read it!).

When I take on a new project, not only do I need to feel passionate enough about it that I want to spend seven to nine months working on it, but I also need to know that I'll be working with an editor and an art director who will help me make a great book, and I need to know that it will be distributed to bookstores and libraries, and it will have the support of a marketing department.

This is how I make my living. This is how I pay my mortgage and support my family. That's why I only take illustration jobs from publishers, who pay me an advance and royalties, and get my books into bookstores and libraries. So if you want me (or any other illustrator) to illustrate your story, first find a publisher, then tell your editor you think I'd be a good fit. And if they agree, they'll send it to me!

SOME MORE GENERAL ADVICE FOR ANYONE GETTING STARTED:

-Spend some time in the children's section at your localbookstore, so you can get a sense of what kind of book yours might be, and what publishers might be interested in such a book.

-Find some of your very favorite children's books, the ones you think are the greatest books ever made (For example, I might pick The Polar Express, or Make Way for Ducklings), and try to make your book BETTER! If your book isn't better than those books (and it probably isn't), try to figure out why. What do those books have that your book lacks?

Sure, you might fall short of your goal here, but it's a good way to improve your work and get the most out of yourself. And it's a heck of a lot better way to approach it than what I hear from a lot of people, who basically say, "Why isn't my book getting published? It's better than most of the crap out there!" Maybe it is. But if you start off your career by comparing your book to books you think are crap, I think you might be heading down the wrong path.

-Maybe this is obvious, but if you're an illustrator, you should set up a website with some samples of your best work. If an editor or art director is considering publishing your book, they're going to google your name. Make sure you have something impressive for them to see when they do. They might like your illustration style and want to see what else you've done. They might see the book you're submitting, and even if they aren't crazy about it, maybe your style is a good fit for a manuscript they're working on and you'll get your first book deal that way.

-As much as you have poured your heart and soul into this book you're shopping around, don't get too attached to the work you've already done. When Candlewick Press decided they wanted to publish my senior thesis (which ended up being Zachary's Ball), they told me up front that they saw it as a really good rough draft, and they wanted to rebuild the book with me. I ended up doing almost all new pictures and revising the story. I was 22 at the time, and some of the people I was working with had been making children's books for longer than I had been alive, so I listened and took their advice and learned a lot.

-One last thing that might sound obvious, but I think it's important to remember: your focus needs to be on making yourself the best writer and/or illustrator you can be. I think sometimes people get so caught up in the "trying to get published" part that they lose focus on the "working hard to become a really good writer and/or illustrator" part. Keep practicing, and keep getting better.

I hope this helps. Good luck!

Teachers' Choices, 2011

2011-12-13T05:37:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I got this nice shiny new sticker in the mail for Henry Aaron's Dream!

In case you can't read that shiny writing, Henry Aaron's Dream won a Teachers' Choices award! Thanks to the International Reading Association for this wonderful honor.

They also sent a pamphlet detailing the work of the award committee, and highlighting the winning books. The pamphlet featured this excellent logo designed by the amazing Chris Van Allsburg (same as on the sticker, but easier to see here):

I'd be thrilled to have my book honored in any way, but one thing I especially like about this is the fact that Henry Aaron's Dream won in the "Advanced Readers" category, for grades 6-8, ages 11-14. Henry Aaron's Dream is technically a picture book, but I really do think of it as a book for older readers, I'd say grades 3 and up. Nice to see that this group of educators thinks it can be used in classrooms for older students, even though it is a picture book.

Very cool to see my book featured alongside some great books by talented and accomplished authors like Laurie Halse Anderson, Russell Freedman, Gary Paulsen, and Mitali Perkins.

Here's the list of ten books in the Advanced Readers category, from the pamphlet:

I put the sticker on the copy of Henry Aaron's Dream that I bring to school visits:

Last two events of the season!

2011-12-09T05:30:00.001-08:00

It's been a busy fall, but I'm down to my last two events of 2011.

Tonight I'll be reading my Christmas books at Barnes and Noble in Newington, NH at 6:00, at an event called "The Polar Express Event with Matt Tavares and More!" The "more" part includes free cookies and hot chocolate!!

This is my 4th year doing this, and it's always a blast. After I read my books, a conductor will do a reading of Chris Van Allsburg's classic, The Polar Express, complete with music, cookies, and hot chocolate for all the kids.

Money raised during this event will benefit the Berwick Academy school library.

Here are a couple slightly blurry photos from last year's Polar Express event:

me reading The Gingerbread Pirates

The conductor taking a break from reading The Polar Exress, while Chris Cote plays holiday music

Then tomorrow morning at 10:30, I'll be signing my holiday books at my kids' favorite toy store, Animal Instinct in Ogunquit, Maine. If you're near Ogunquit, come make a day of it- you can meet Santa at the fire station at 9:30 then walk over to Animal Instinct for my signing.

There is a whole bunch of other fun stuff going on all day, part of Christmas-by-the-Sea. You can download a full schedule here.

I'll never get tired of...

2011-12-07T06:22:00.001-08:00

...walking into a school and seeing a bulletin board that looks like this:

It's pretty cool to think that anyone would take the time to decorate a bulletin board so they could count down the days until my visit. But the really great thing about this is that the papers you see are some of the essays written by students who won an essay contest the teachers held in anticipation of my visit.

I read all the essays (well not all the essays, just the ones on the bulletin board), and they were amazing. Some kids wrote their own sports stories, inspired by my baseball books. Here's a close-up of one essay that made my day:

The picture is a little fuzzy, so here are some quotes:

"This author made me like baseball and drawing. If I never heard his story I would not be interested to draw."

"When I was little Oliver's Game was my first book. I still have it."

"When I grow up I want to be an author like you. I make my own books myself. I want to draw just like you. Everybody in my class says I am a good drawer."

I'm sure there are kids who read my books and aren't too crazy about them. But every now and then I see something like this, and it's a wonderful thing to know that there are kids who read my books, and for whatever reason something clicks, and it makes them want to read more books, and make their own books.

Stuff like this gives me such a boost when I'm sitting here in my studio, working on the next one.

Make your own Gingerbread Pirates!

2011-12-07T05:44:00.001-08:00

When I was working on The Gingerbread Pirates, my wife helped me out by baking lots of gingerbread men. You know, for research. Sure, I'll admit it, I ate a bunch of them. But I did decorate a few as Captain Cookie, Wavy, and Dots, and attempted to use them as models for my illustrations. (Though it didn't really work, because real cookies don't run, or climb, or show emotion. In the end, I just made up the pirates in the book.)

I've heard from a lot of people who have made their own gingerbread pirate crew after reading the book. If you want to give it a try, Candlewick Press put together a great story hour kit that includes a recipe for gingerbread cookies. It also includes and a nice coloring sheet, so you can make your own Gingerbread Pirates ornaments.

Have fun! Just follow that link and click on "Read to us! Story hour kit!"

Here are a few Gingerbread Pirate creations I've seen recently:

A pretty amazing crew! It'd be tough to eat these guys, especially after all they went through to run away from Santa...

These pirates were made by a class of preschoolers.

Their focus was not so much on accurately portraying the characters, but on covering the cookie with as much sugar as possible.

If you're not up for baking, you can also make some great Gingerbread Pirates out of construction paper. I saw these at a recent school visit. Pretty great, huh?

Man, there are a lot of peg legs in this crowd!

Or you can always just keep it simple and draw a picture. Here's a pirate my 4-year-old daughter drew after reading The Gingerbread Pirates.

Captain Cookie...

2011-12-06T05:19:00.001-08:00

...is hanging on my Christmas tree. Arrr!!

And I was very happy to see that he's on the big wall at Barnes & Noble again this year! Pretty cool to see The Gingerbread Pirates up there with Dr. Suess, David Shannon, and Charlie Brown (and Harry Connick, Jr... and Mike Huckabee...?) Go Captain Cookie!

We Are In A Dream

2011-12-05T07:36:00.000-08:00

Last month at the Connecticut Children's Book Fair, my daughters got to spend some time doodling in their journals with master doodler Mo Willems. My kids come with me to a lot of events, and they get to meet a lot of authors and illustrators, so I'm not sure they fully understand how completely awesome this was! I couldn't resist taking some pictures...

During the past couple weeks, inspired by Mo, my seven-year-old daughter has been working on writing and illustrating her very own Elephant and Piggie book. She worked really hard on it, and she did such a great job. Today we're sending a copy to Mr. Mo himself. Here it is:

We Are In A Dream, cover

We Are In A Dream, title page

artwork from kids

2011-11-29T05:44:00.001-08:00

One of the fun parts of being a children's book author-illustrator is getting mail from kids. Usually it comes in big batches, from an elementary school class that just read one of my books, or from a school I visited. It's always so cool to look at art made by kids, and it's very inspiring to know that the books I'm working on here in my studio will (hopefully) inspire kids to make art of their own.

Here are a few pieces of artwork I've gotten in the mail recently:

Over the River and Through the Wood, by Grace

Over the River and Through the Wood, by Celia

Captain Cookie, by Marissa

Captain Cookie with the sleigh from Over the River, by Anonymous

Mudball, by a different Anonymous

A picture of me doing a drawing demonstration, by Kaeden

New OVER THE RIVER Reviews

2011-11-23T06:00:00.000-08:00

With Thanksgiving just a day away, Over the River and Through the Wood has been getting some nice mentions lately. Here's a quick rundown of a few new blog reviews, with links to the full reviews:

"A stunning book of song with the feel of yesteryear. Beautiful matte pages with the slightest texture. Statelyred endpapers. Exquisite artwork... An ideal picture book." -Picture Book Reviews

"Matt Tavares has created a fantastic version of the song “Over the River and Through the Wood. The pictures of the snowy 19th century New England town and landscape are beautiful, setting the blues and grays of snow and horse with the vivid reds of the sleigh and brick houses. He’s livened these lyric illustrations also with a story of a dog sometimes teasing and sometimes chasing after the sleigh holding in his teeth a boy’s hat that had flown off in the wind.... It's a song and book everyone can enjoy." -Sing Books With Emily, the blog

"One read through Over the River and Through the Wood and readers will long for the pastoral life, to be swept up the side of a mountain by horse power, to hear the quiet of the woods settling deeply around. Beautifully done and so peaceful it made me yearn to be in it, Tavares's edition is just the thing to slow readers down and keep their thoughts centered." -Where the Best Books Are

"We are touched by the beautiful and detailed illustrations and the loving attention to each inch of the book." -Bellissima Kids

"Echoing the language of Child's time and sparkling with Norman Rockwell-like detail, the book may well carry your young readers - and singers - away into history in the rushing sleigh, in the snowy woods, and in the busy New England town, right beside the poem's characters and their spirited horse! -Great Books For Horse Lovers

Thanks to all the bloggers who took the time to enjoy my book and share it with their readers!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Barnes & Noble Book Fair recap

2011-11-22T05:30:00.001-08:00

I signed books at a book fair for Wells Elementary School at Barnes and Noble in Newington, NH last weekend. It was a wonderful event, with tons of people and some excellent performances by students and teachers. The book fair was organized by my wife, Sarah, and she and everyone in the WES PTSA did an amazing job. Here are a few pictures:

So many teachers made the trek to Newington to help out with the book fair. Here's computer teacher extraordinaire Mr. Sprankle on guitar and the one-and-only Mr. I on the banjo, entertaining the crowd with some excellent songs they wrote. One of my favorite lines: "Mommas, don't let your babies grow up to be readers. Because then they'll be smarter than you..." or something like that...

Then Mr. Sprankle had the kids laughing their heads off as he read and performed a few Elephant and Piggie books. Did I mention that Mr. Sprankle is awesome?

Tough to follow up Mr. Sprankle's hilarious read-alouds of Mo Willems books with my own reading of a 19th century poem, but that's what I did! I read Over the River and Through the Wood, and then did a drawing demonstration with a live model posing as a baseball player.

Later in the afternoon I did another reading and drawing, but this time all the kids were freaking out because they ALL wanted to be the model. So I told them all to sit still, and I drew EVERYBODY. Then they all wanted to keep the picture, so we had a raffle.

My daughter and some of her classmates also sang Over the River and Through the Wood, which was awesome.

Wish I got more pictures, but I was too busy signing books! It seemed like the whole town of Wells was there, and people bought armloads of books and raised over $1300 for Wells Elementary School! Not too shabby.

After the book fair, many of the participants drove up to Portland, Maine to watch the Wells High School football team win the State Championship game. Not a bad way to spend a Saturday!

Awesome Autographed Book Bag...

2011-11-21T08:09:00.001-08:00

One more little post about the Connecticut Children's Book Fair- my wife, Sarah, was carrying this canvas Wells Public Library bag with her for most of the weekend, and asked several of the authors and illustrators to sign it. By the end of the trip, it looked pretty awesome. Here it is:

On the front of the bag, clockwise from upper right: Walter Wick, Barbara McClintock, Alison Paul, Betsy Lewin, Ted Lewin, Sarah Weeks, Stephen Savage, Jane Yolen, Grace Lin, and Wendell Minor

And on the back: Heidi Stemple, Mo Willems, Tomie dePaola... and my daughter, Molly

Zachary's Ball, Fenway Centennial Edition

2011-11-18T06:22:00.000-08:00

Just got my first real copies of the new edition of Zachary's Ball, due out on February 14, 2012. Zachary's Ball was my senior thesis at Bates College back in 1997, and was my very first real book when it came out in hardcover in 2000.

It's only been available in paperback for the past few years, so it's really exciting to see it back in hardcover. It has a newly designed cover, a new author's note about Fenway Park (which will turn 100 years old in 2012), and an awesome quote on the back from Peter Gammons.

The new edition will be available in hardcover and paperback, and both versions will hit bookstores on February 14, the same day that There Goes Ted Williams comes out.

Here are a couple pictures of my first copies:

Over the River and Through the Wood news

2011-11-17T06:42:00.001-08:00

Over the River and Through the Wood was reviewed in The New York Times on Sunday! I went out and bought a paper copy, just to make sure they actually printed it. They did! Check it out- they even included a nice little color illustration:

I happened to be at the Connecticut Children's Book Fair on Sunday, so I asked Mo Willems to sign the awesome Knuffle Bunny illustration he did for the cover of the NYT Children's Books section. I think this will be going up on my wall:

Since a good review in The New York Times doesn't come along every day (or every year...), I decided to update my Over the River book trailer to include a nice quote from the review. Here's the new version:

Connecticut Children's Book Fair

2011-11-15T12:17:00.001-08:00

I just got back from an awesome trip to Connecticut and New York City. It was mostly a work trip- I was presenting at the Connecticut Children's Book Fair, then signing books at Books of Wonder in NYC and a meeting at Hyperion with my art director and editor, for the Helen Keller book I've been working on- but we sort of made a family vacation of it.

We all had a blast. I got to meet Tomie dePaola, Ted Lewin and Betsy Lewin for the first time, and I had a wonderful time hanging out with Grace Lin, Mo Willems, Barbara McClintock, David Macaulay, Wendell Minor, Alison Paul, Jane Yolen, Walter Wick, Stephen Savage... So many amazing authors and illustrators in one place. It was very inspiring, and made me want to get right back into my studio and make some books. I even met Al Jarreau in the hotel elevator (seriously!), but that's another story...

Here are some pics from the weekend:

We weren't sure how long the kids would last at dinner on Friday night, since it was after their bedtime. But they did great, thanks in part to the amazing Barbara McClintock, who entertained them with her remarkable paper-animal-making skills. She made this awesome little mouse for my 4-year-old daughter.

Grace Lin, covering my name and claiming Over the River as her own.

There were tons of books...

...and TONS of people.

I signed a bunch of books, met lots of nice people, and did a presentation about how I make my books.

My kids are HUGE Elephant and Piggie fans, so they were really excited to meet Mo Willems.

One of the highlights of my weekend was when Terri Goldich, curator for the Children's Literature Collection at the Dodd Center, gave Mo Willems and me a private tour of the archives, where they store original artwork and papers of some of the true legends of children's literature.

We got to look through some of James Marshall's original art. It was fascinating to see the original notes, book dummies, sketches, and paintings.

We also got to go through these file drawers, filled with original artwork by Richard Scarry. So cool.


It was fascinating to see all the steps that went into making illustrations back then, when printing technology was less advanced, and there were no computers.

We stayed for most of the day on Sunday, because I really wanted to see David Macaulay's presentation. It was definitely worth sticking around for. It really made me want to get right back to my studio and get to work.

Then it was on to New York City...

We stopped by the children's room at the New York Public Library, and got to see the original Winnie the Pooh stuffed animals. We had a great day in New York City, then hopped in the minivan for the long drive back to Maine.

To see more pictures from the Connecticut Children's Book Fair, visit their facebook page.

Happy Birthday, Lady Liberty!

2011-10-28T10:19:00.000-07:00

The Statue of Liberty is 125 years old today! Here's an illustration I did for the book, Lady Liberty: A Biography, of Sculptor Auguste Bartholdi waiting inside the crown during the big unveiling ceremony on October 28, 1886.

Baseball Night at Barnes and Noble!

2011-10-19T05:48:00.000-07:00

The World Series starts tonight! To celebrate, join me and award-winning baseball writer/historian Mark Stang at Barnes and Noble in Saugus, Massachusetts tonight at 7pm. We'll be signing books and talking baseball. Should be a lot of fun!

Over the River events...

2011-09-30T06:33:00.000-07:00

My new picture book, Over the River and Through the Wood, is now available! So far so good- it's gotten some nice reviews, and already won an Oppenheim Gold Seal Award. Starting this weekend, I'll be visiting bookstores and libraries (and a museum) around New England signing, reading, and talking about it. If you can make it, please stop by and say hi! Here's where I'll be:

October1, 3:00pmBook Ends,WinchesterMA

October15, 10:00-12:00Children'sBookCellar, Waterville, ME

October19, 7:00pm Barnes & Noble, Saugus, MA

October22, 11:00amWaterStreetBookstore, Exeter, NH

October29, 3:00pmAndoverBookstore,Andover, MA

November5, 10:00am,Windham Public Library, Windham, ME,
part of FamilyFunLiteracy Day

November13, ConnecticutChildren'sBook Fair, Storrs, CT

November19, 10:00-12:00Wenham Museum,Wenham, MA

November19, 1:00-4:00pmBarnes & Noble, Newington, NH

December3, 10:30 am Kennebooks, Kennebunk, ME

December 10, 10:30-12:00 Animal Instinct, Ogunquit, ME

Over the River and Through the Wood comes out today!

2011-09-27T08:00:00.000-07:00

Visit Indiebound.org to find it at a bookstore near you!

Banned Books Week Online Auction

2011-09-15T05:55:00.000-07:00

I'm proud to have a piece of artwork up for bid RIGHT NOW in the Banned Books Week Auction. The auction is run by The American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression (ABFFE), the booksellers' voice in the fight against censorship.

Founded by the American Booksellers Association, ABFFE has been protecting the free expression rights of booksellers and their customers for over 20 years. ABFFE is a founding sponsor of Banned Books Week and the Kids Right to Read Project, a joint initiative with the National Coalition Against Censorship that opposes the removal of books from schools and libraries.

I originally donated this painting, an outtake from Henry Aaron's Dream, for the ABFFE silent auction at Book Expo America. But they set it aside along with 69 other works by some pretty amazing illustrators, so they could do this online auction.

The cool thing about this auction is that a) you don't have to be at BEA to bid, and b) all the bids start at the ridiculously low price of 99 cents! Even now, with only 1 day to go, I don't think any item has gone over $200. This is a rare opportunity to get a great deal on some original artwork by some of the best children's book illustrators in the biz. In this first group alone, there is work by Adam Rex, Paul O. Zelinsky, Rosemary Wells, Wendell Minor, Hans Wilhelm...!

Click here to see for yourself. Good luck!

Henry Aaron hitting his 715th home run

Over the River and Through the Wood trailer

2011-09-07T06:01:00.000-07:00

Watch me work! Hear me whistle!!

Over the River and Through the Wood will be available in bookstores on September 27.

Ted Williams and the Jimmy Fund

2011-08-30T05:49:00.000-07:00

Today, August 30, is the 93rd birthday of Ted Williams (although he celebrated it on October 30 during his playing days because he didn't want to be distracted during the baseball season). Today also happens to be the first day of the 10th annual NESN/WEEI Jimmy Fund Radio Telethon, which has raised a whopping $26 million dollars to help fight cancer, over the last nine years.

During his career, Ted Williams made countless unreported visits to the Jimmy Fund clinic, not just stopping by to say hi but actually staying and spending time with kids, helping them with their homework, talking about hitting, promising home runs and brightening their worlds. He was the single most influential person in helping to raise money for the Dana Farber Cancer Institute, which still thrives today.

What better way to celebrate the birthday of Ted Williams than to give to the Jimmy Fund today.


Ted Williams Jimmy Fund statue outside Fenway Park

Illustration from THERE GOES TED WILLIAMS copyright ©2012 Matt Tavares.
Reproduced by permission of the publisher, Candlewick Press, Inc.,Somerville, MA.

There Goes Ted Williams is a Junior Library Guild Selection!

2011-08-26T06:34:00.000-07:00

Great news- my upcoming There Goes Ted Williams: The Greatest Hitter Who Ever Lived is a 2012 Junior Library Guild Selection! The release date is still 6 months away, and it's very exciting to get some early positive feedback. You can check it out on the JLG website. Of all the books I've made, I think this one is my favorite. I can't wait for it to come out.

the cover illustration for There Goes Ted Williams, in progress

Ben Boos: In Memoriam

2011-07-14T06:50:00.000-07:00

I just got the terrible news that my fellow Candlewick author-illustrator Ben Boos passed away at the age of 40. I did not know Ben personally, but I feel somewhat connected to him because we had the same agent, the same editor, the same art director. And like me, he spent his days writing, drawing, painting, and playing with his kids. I followed his career, checked his blog every now and then to see what he was up to, and was always amazed by his talent. From the time I first saw his outstanding first book, Swords: An Artist's Devotion, in the Candlewick catalog, I marveled at his incredibly detailed, well-researched illustrations. The subtitle of that book was perfect, because you could tell by looking at his illustrations that he poured his heart and soul into them. You could tell it was a labor of love. His was the type of art that made me want to get right back to my drawing table and work harder. The type of art that makes me look closer and ask, "How did he do that?" Here's an example from Swords (Candlewick, 2008):

Ben will be sorely missed by his fellow writers and illustrators in the children's book community, even those of us who never knew him. Ben leaves behind a wife and four children, and my thoughts and prayers are with them. I will hug my kids a little bit tighter tonight.

Candlewick Press posted some thoughts about Ben on their facebook page, from the people who worked closely with him. And please visit the Ben Boos Memorial website to learn more about how you can donate to the Ben Boos Memorial Fund. The website also has a guestbook for those who would like to share memories of Ben or leave their condolences.

In Defense of School Librarians...

2011-06-25T11:18:00.000-07:00

I've been thinking about libraries a lot this week, partly because many of my friends in the children's book industry are in New Orleans right now for the ALA conference, and partly because I keep reading news stories like this one about school districts getting rid of their school librarians.

Karen Westerberg is the school librarian at Wells Elementary School, where my daughter just finished first grade. Mrs. Westerberg is an excellent school librarian, and an intergral part of the school. Last year, she almost lost her job due to budget cuts. Fortunately enough parents spoke up in her defense, and school district administrators found a way to make the budget work without firing her.

Across the country, more and more public schools faced with shrinking budgets and risings costs are making the decision to fire their full-time certified school librarians and replace them with parent volunteers or lower-salaried assistants. For Mrs. Westerberg's sake, and for my daughter's sake, I am extremely grateful that our school district did not make this same mistake. Her job is safe, for now.

Wells Elementary School is a great school. I could go on for hours about how amazing Ava's first grade teacher was, how the students there are treated with respect and kindness by teachers and administrators, or how much she loves going to school every day. But I decided to write this post about Karen Westerberg because I fear that her job won't be safe for long. I hope that if enough people speak in defense of school librarians, school administrators will find other ways to make their budgets work.

The main problem here, I think, is that to a lot of people, school librarians seem expendable. I mean, couldn't anyone sit at that desk and check out books? Wouldn't it make more sense to have parent volunteers shelve books for free? All you need are basic organizational skills and a rudimentary knowledge of the alphabet, right?

Wrong.

A full-time certified school librarian is not expendable. School librarians do so much more than shelve books and check them out to students. But somehow, much of what they do seems to go unnoticed, at least by the people who are making the misguided decision to fire them as a cost-cutting measure. There are plenty of studies out there that show a clear positive correlation between a strong school library program and student performance (this article links to some of them). But instead of repeating what's already all over the internet, I want to share just a few of the ways that one school librarian, Karen Westerberg, had a positive impact on my daughter's education this year:

-She always knew what my daughter's class was working on, and developed library-based projects and lessons to further enhance their classroom experience. She was directly involved with every major classroom project, including a research project on the Alamo, and an extended interdisciplinary study of the Oregon Trail which also included the classroom teacher, the music teacher, and the gym teacher.

-When my daughter chose the Aye-Aye (a rare funny-looking primate who lives in the rainforests of Madagascar) as the focus for her big end-of-the-year research project, Mrs. Westerberg helped her find resources in the library for her project. Every kid in the class chose a different subject, yet when I ran into Mrs. Westerberg in the hall on the last day of school, she knew exactly what my daughter had worked on and how she did with her research.

-She helped my daughter learn how to use the library, how to access information.

-She knows children's books. She knows where my daughter is in terms of reading level, and she knows just the right books to place into her hands that might grab her interest and help her not only to further develop her reading skills, but also help her learn to love reading.

-She made my daughter see the library as a fun, warm, welcoming place, filled with information and imagination.

These are just a few examples of how one school librarian impacted the education of one student. And my daughter wasn't getting any sort of special treatment here. This is what Mrs. Westerberg did for every single kid in the school. So to get a sense of her importance to the school community, multiply this about five hundred times.

Yes, she keeps track of what books come in and what books go out. She decides what books to put on display and she keeps her library looking nice. Parent volunteers could do most of that. But that's not what she went to library school for. She didn't get her MLS for being a good alphabetizer. She is a great librarian for all the other things she does.

The other day, author Patrick Ness received the Carnegie Medal for his book, Monsters of Men (published in the US by Candlewick). In his acceptance speech, he spoke of the importance of libraries. Here's a great quote from his speech:

"Knowledge and information – and by which I do very much include the internet – is a forest. And true, sometimes it's fun getting lost, sometimes that's how you learn some surprising things. But how much more can you discover when someone can point you in the right direction, when someone can maybe give you a map. When someone can maybe even give you a treasure map, to places you may not have even thought you were allowed to go. This is what librarians do."

This is exactly what Karen Westerberg did for my daughter. She gave her a treasure map, which has already led her to all sorts of amazing places. There are too many kids out there whose treasure maps have been taken away. Every great school needs a great librarian, and I am extremely thankful that my daughter's school has one. I wish every school did.

Book Giveaway! Zachary's Ball w/ Dustin Pedroia drawing

2011-06-16T12:14:00.000-07:00

signed hardcover copy of Zachary's Ball with original pen illustration of Dustin Pedroia

During school visits, kids often ask me who my favorite baseball player is. When I was a kid, I always had a favorite baseball player. The first "favorite player" I can remember was Jim Rice. During the summer of 1987, when I was 11 years old, I switched from Jim Rice to Mike Greenwell. I still remember the thrill of opening a new pack of cards and finding a 1987 Topps Mike Greenwell rookie card.

Now that I'm a grownup, I don't really have a "favorite player" the way I did when I was a kid. Back then I watched Mike Greenwell and tried to copy everything he did on the field. I wanted to play left field for the Red Sox when I grew up, just like Mike Greenwell. Now that I'm 35 years old and it's pretty clear that I'm not going to make it to the big leagues (although I'm still a half-decent slow-pitch softball palyer), I really just root for whoever happens to be on the Red Sox each season. But if I had to pick one favorite player these days, it's Dustin Pedroia.

I remember watching him play at Hadlock Field in Portland back when he was a AA player for the Sea Dogs. It's always fun to root for players I knew as Sea Dogs when they make it to the big leagues. And it's fun to watch a player who goes all out every second he's on the field. Even when he struggles, you know he's trying as hard as he can.

When I tell kids that Dustin Pedroia is my favorite player, I usually hear a whole bunch of kids say, "Me too!" So for this month's book giveaway, I drew a picture of Dustin Pedroia inside a hardcover copy of Zachary's Ball.

For a chance to win this book, just leave a comment below. Include your name and the answer to this question:

Who is and/or was your favorite baseball player?

You can just write the player's name, or share a whole story if you want. The winner will be chosen randomly, so don't feel like you have to have the best story. Looking forward to reading your answers! The contest runs until June 29 (it was originally June 30, but then I realized I'm going to be on an island on June 30, with no internet).

Thanks,

Matt

note: I'm hosting the book giveaway on my blog now, because apparently the way I was doing it before was against facebook's rules. Whoops.

Going once...

2011-05-24T05:56:00.000-07:00

Book Expo America, the big annual book industry conference, starts today in New York City. I won't be there this year, but one of my illustrations will be. I donated this painting of Henry Aaron hitting his record-breaking 715th home run to this year's ABC Children's Group at ABA Silent Auction--the most recent incarnation of the annual ABC event, now in its 17th year.

The silent auction takes place tomorrow night, Wednesday, May 25. There is some amazing artwork up for bid, by some of my favorite illustrators, like Matt Phelan, Mo Willems, John Rocco, Bryan Collier, Paul O. Zelinsky, Chris Van Dusen... the list goes on and on. You can see all the artwork here.

All proceeds from the auction benefit the new ABFFE Fund for Free Speech in Children's Books, which promotes understanding of the importance of free speech for children and young readers and provides support to the students, parents, teachers, librarians, and booksellers who fight the hundreds of challenges to children's books that occur in schools and libraries every year.

The auction is a ticketed event, but I've heard rumors of an online element later on. I'll keep you posted.

If you happen to be at BEA, stop by the Candlewick booth and check out my upcoming picture book, Over the River and Through the Wood (Fall, 2011). Thanks to Candlewick for posting this picture on facebook, so I can live vicariously through them as I sit here in my studio in Maine (middle shelf, far left).

MUDBALL book giveaway!

2011-04-25T08:37:00.000-07:00

APRIL BOOK GIVEAWAY!! In honor of the rainiest, muddiest month of the year, I'm giving away a signed copy of Mudball, with an original pen drawing of the main character, Little Andy Oyler, inside. Anyone who "likes" my facebook page between now and Friday, April 29 is entered to win.

A Lupine Honor Award for Henry Aaron's Dream!

2011-04-15T06:23:00.000-07:00

I was thrilled to accept the Lupine Honor Award for Henry Aaron's Dream yesterday, at the Reading Round-Up conference in Augusta, Maine. The award is presented by the Youth Services Division of the Maine Library Association, to recognize an outstanding contribution to children's literature of Maine.

The award is beautiful- a handmade, hand-painted piece of Maine pottery. Here it is:

Kiddo Award Sweepstakes

2011-04-01T05:36:00.000-07:00

Henry Aaron's Dream Book Giveaway

2011-03-21T06:01:00.000-07:00

BOOK GIVEAWAY!! This time I'm giving away a signed copy of Henry Aaron's Dream, with an original pen drawing on the title page, of Hank Aaron hitting his 715th home run. Anyone who "likes" my facebook page between now and Friday, March 25 is entered to win.

Henry Aaron's Dream won a Kiddo Award!

2011-03-11T06:00:00.000-08:00

Woohoo! Henry Aaron's Dream won a Kiddo Award! This new award was created by bestselling author James Patterson's organization, Read Kiddo Read, whose mission is to help make kids readers for life. The Kiddo Awards are meant to honor "the very best books of the year for getting kids absolutely addicted to reading". Henry Aaron's Dream was chosen as the winner of the transitional books category (books for ages 6 and up).

It is such an honor to win this award, knowing that it was voted on by so many people (nearly 5,000 in my category!)- including parents, librarians, teachers, and of course, kids! Thanks so much to everyone who voted, to James Patterson, and to Read Kiddo Read.

Read Kiddo Read put together this video which features the creators of the four award-winning books: Rick Riordan, author of The Lost Hero, which won the advanced readers category (for ages 10 and up), Lincoln Peirce, author of Big Nate: In a Class By Himself, which won the pageturners category (ages 8 and up), Eric Litwin and James Dean, creators of Pete the Cat, winner of the illustrated books category (ages 0 to 8), and myself.

And here's the full 2-minute video I sent in:

Book Giveaway!

2011-03-01T06:41:00.000-08:00

My first book, Zachary's Ball, came out 11 years ago today. To celebrate, I'm giving away this signed hardcover copy, with an original pen drawing of Ted Williams on the title page. Anyone who "likes" my facebook page between now and Friday, March 4 will be entered to win. If you already "like" my facebook page (thanks!), you can enter by "liking" this photo on facebook. Good luck!

March/April Horn Book Magazine cover

2011-02-25T10:17:00.000-08:00

Last spring I did a presentation at the Texas Library Association conference, as part of a panel on non-fiction books, alongside Marc Aronson, Viki Ash and Betty Carter. My presentation focused on illustrating nonfiction picture books. I was a little nervous, knowing that Marc, Viki, and Betty were all well-established experts in children's literature, and I'm still relatively new to this. But I focused on what I knew, didn't pretend to know anything I didn't know, and it went well. So well, in fact, that soon after the conference, The Horn Book Magazine asked if I would be interested in turning my presentation into an article for their magazine! (I think Marc Aronson and Betty Carter had something to do with this...)

Long story short, The UPS truck just pulled up to my house and delivered 6 copies of the March/April issue of The Horn Book Magazine, with not only my article inside it, but my illustration on the cover!

Here it is:

I still get excited when The Horn Book reviews one of my books, so to see my illustration right there on the cover is pretty incredible. I'm also extremely honored to have my article (entitled, A Reason for the Picture: Illustrating Nonfiction Picture Books) featured in this issue, alongside articles by some of the leading voices in children's literature, including Katherine Paterson, Marc Aronson, Steve Jenkins, Tanya Lee Stone, Elizabeth Partridge, Laurie Halse Anderson, Andrea Davis Pinkney, Leonard S. Marcus, Roger Sutton, Monica Edinger... the list goes on, and it's a pretty amazing list.

I'm honored to have my article and illustrations included in this issue, and looking forward to reading it!

2010 Cybils Award winners announced

2011-02-14T07:13:00.000-08:00

The winners of the 2010 Cybil Awards were announced this morning! Here's the full list of winners.

I admit, this is the first year I paid close attention to the Cybils Awards, and it was for completely selfish reasons- my book, Henry Aaron's Dream was chosen as a finalist in the nonfiction picture books category. My book didn't win (that honor went to Babrara Kerley's and Edwin Fotheringham's completely-deserving The Extraordinary Mark Twain (According to Susy)), but seriously it was such an honor to be picked as a finalist.

I'm amazed by how much time and energy children's book bloggers put into these awards, and also how much time and energy so many of them put into their blogs. For the most part, these are people who have full-time jobs, and some of these blogs must end up being the equivalent of a second full-time job. And for the most part, they're not getting paid for it, and unlike author blogs (including my own), there is no element of self-promotion involved. They just LOVE books. And to have my book recognized as one of the best of the year by a group so passionate about books is pretty awesome. So thanks bloggers! I'll be looking forward to the 2011 Cybils, even if my book doesn't make it to the finals.

Carol H. Rasco, one of the judges in the non-fiction picture books category, has a nice roundup of the winner and finalists on her blog today.

JFK Library Event

2011-01-21T07:18:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was the 50th anniversary of the inauguration of John F. Kennedy, and I was honored to be a part of the festivities.

I presented with Doreen Rappaport at the JFK Presidential Library and Museum in Boston, and it was a wonderful event. We had an audience of 200 enthusiastic 5th graders from Boston Public Schools. The JFK library generously bought a copy of Jack's Path of Courage: The Life of John F. Kennedy for every single student, which really helped make it a special day for everyone. We started off the day by signing all the books (close to 300 in total, including the ones we signed for the museum shop).

Doreen with a group of students, just before we started signing. Look at all those books!

brand new camera = lots of blurry pictures.

Doreen and me signing.

Then we did our presentation. Doreen went first, and spoke about her memories of the 1960 election, and about her inspiration for making this book about John F. Kennedy, then I showed a powerpoint presentation about how I made the pictures for this book. Then we answered questions. After that, the students did a choral recitation of excerpts from John F. Kennedy's inaugural address. They did a great job.

Our host at the JFK Library, Sam Rubin, kindly treated me and Doreen (and Doreen's husband Bob, and my wife and kids, and my parents...) to a delicious lunch. The chef at the museum cafe recreated the menu from the 1961 Inaugural Luncheon, so we got to eat just what JFK himself enjoyed for his first meal as president. As you might imagine, it was very good. Yum...

Then Sam gave me and my family a personal guided tour of the exhibits. This was definitely worth taking my first grader out of school for the day!

My 6-year-old daughter giving her inaugural address

Of all the information my daughters learned about JFK yesterday, their favorite part was hearing about how he carved a message into a coconut when he and his men were stranded on an island during World War II. So the highlight of their day came when they actually get to see "The Coconut".

The Coconut.

And after all that, I drove to Candlewick to deliver all the artwork for my book, There Goes Ted Williams: The Greatest Hitter Who Ever Lived. I always love visiting Candlewick, and delivering all the finished artwork for a book is one of the most exciting parts of the whole process.

Then dinner at my parents house, then back to Maine. Then to bed.

50th anniversary of JFK's inauguration

2011-01-13T06:23:00.000-08:00

Believe it or not, next Thursday, January 20, marks the 50th anniversary of the inauguration of President John F. Kennedy. There are going to be a lot of events going on around the country throughout the day, and I'm very honored to be a part of one of them.

Doreen Rappaport and I will be presenting together on January 20 at the JFK Library and Museum in Boston, MA, for a group of 200 students from Boston Public Schools. The best part of the event is that the JFK Library generously purchased books for every single kid! So not only will the kids hopefully learn something about JFK, but each student will also get to go home with their own copy of Jacks' Path of Courage, signed by the author and the illustrator.

The only down side is that the event isn't open to the public. But some of the other events are. Here's a full list of what else is going on that day.

Henry Aaron's Dream news

2011-01-03T05:42:00.000-08:00

Wow! Henry Aaron's Dream has been chosen as a 2010 Cybils Award Finalist! It's one of seven finalists in the nonfiction picture book category, chosen from a list of 112 nominated books. There were so many great nonfiction picture books in 2010, so I'm incredibly honored to know that a panel of judges would pick my book as one of the best of the year. If any of the Cybils judges happen to be reading this, THANK YOU!

Meanwhile, Henry Aaron's Dream is also a finalist for a Kiddo Award, and is doing really well in the voting so far. If you haven't voted yet, please do! (It's in the Transitional Books category)

Happy New Year!

Henry Aaron's Dream featured on WGBH

2010-12-23T05:46:00.000-08:00

I think of myself primarily as an illustrator, so any time another writer has nice things to say about my writing, it really means a lot to me- which is why I thought it was pretty awesome when Chuck Hogan (author of The Town) recommended my book, Henry Aaron's Dream, on last night's episode of Greater Boston.

The part about Henry Aaron's Dream is about 11 minutes into it, but if you have time, watch the whole thing for some great holiday book recommendations from booksellers and authors.

The Kiddo Awards

2010-12-08T17:50:00.000-08:00

Henry Aaron's Dream is a finalist for a Kiddo Award!

This new award, started by bestselling author James Patterson's organization, ReadKiddoRead, honors "the very best books of the year for getting kids absolutely addicted to reading." The finalists were chosen by a panel of children's book experts, and the winners are chosen by... YOU!

So head over to ReadKiddoRead.com and cast your ballot. Voting goes until February 15. Henry Aaron's Dream is in the "transitional books" category (and doing pretty well so far...).

And please spread the word!

ReadBoston Event Tonight

2010-12-06T08:11:00.000-08:00

Upcoming Events

2010-12-03T08:32:00.000-08:00

I'll be reading and signing books at a few fun events around New England in the next few days:

This afternoon (Friday, December 3) I'll be reading and signing at Barnes and Noble in Portsmouth, New Hampshire from 4 to 6 pm.

Then tomorrow (Saturday, December 4) I'll be at Jonathan's in Ogunquit, Maine from 1 to 3 pm, for a Holiday Tea fundraiser for Young Maine Readers, a wonderful organization that provides a book in the mail every month to kids in York County (including my two daughters), from birth to age 5.

And on Monday night, December 6, I'll be schmoozing with Mayor Menino in Boston for the Boston Hometown Authors Reception at the Hotel Commonwealth, from 5:30 to 7:30 pm, a fundraiser for ReadBoston. Come meet the mayor, get some books signed by a whole bunch of Boston-area authors, and help a good cause. Tickets are $30, and complimentary beer, wine and hors d'oeuvres will be served.

November 22, 1963

2010-11-22T07:49:00.000-08:00

Perhaps the greatest challenge I faced while illustrating Jack's Path of Courage: The Life of John F. Kennedy was deciding how to illustrate the page that deals with his assassination. I tried a few different ideas, but ultimately I decided to let Doreen Rappaport's well-chosen words tell the tragic news of his death, and I focused my picture on the last moments of his life, when he looked so young, vibrant and happy.

Kansas City recap

2010-11-19T06:24:00.000-08:00

Last week I went to Kansas City to do a couple presentations about Henry Aaron's Dream. Here are a few pictures from my trip.

First I visited Lewis and Clark Elementary School in Liberty, MO, just outside of Kansas City. I presented to a group of 200 4th and 5th graders. I did a presentation about Henry Aaron's story, and about how I made the book. The librarian's husband is a big baseball memorabilia collector, and she borrowed some of his treasures to put together this great display of Henry Aaron memorabilia, along with some of my books. Very cool

another picture of the Henry Aaron display

It's always amazing to arrive at a school and see a big huge sign welcoming me!

After the school visit it stopped raining for long enough for me to walk around a bit. I stayed in a section of Kansas City called the Plaza, which was very nice. It had Spanish architecture, which I didn't expect in Kansas City. This is a picture of a rather surreal moment, when I noticed this beautiful bell tower and wondered what it was. Just then, the bells in the tower began playing "Something" by the Beatles, and I realized that the building was a Cheesecake Factory. Interesting...

Next I had a wonderful lunch with a great group of librarians from the Kansas City Public Library: April Roy, Kim Patton, Crystal Faris, and Helma Hawkins. We joked about some web site they had seen of "awkward photos with authors", so we decided to take one ourselves. Not very awkward, but definitely blurry!

After lunch I headed over to Reading Reptile, which is an amazing children's book store. It's one of those places where there's something interesting to look at everywhere you look.

This picture doesn't do it justice, so if you're in Kansas City, you should go to Reading Reptile to see it for yourself.

Next I visited the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, which was amazing. If you're a baseball fan and you ever find yourself in Kansas City, you should visit this museum. The exhibits are every bit as impressive as those in Cooperstown. Here's a picture of the bronze statue of Rube Foster.

A Jackie Robinson bat

and a nice display about Henry Aaron's time in the Negro Leagues

My favorite part of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum was the Field of Legends, an impressive group of bronze statues arranged on a baseball diamond. It was very moving to walk on the field past Satchel Paige, Josh Gibson, Cool Papa Bell, Buck Leonard and other Negro League legends.

Now and then an announcer's voice would call all the names in the starting lineup, and from the field the statue of Rube Foster could be seen beyond the outfield fence, watching the game.

Satchel Paige

One more picture of the Field of Legends


Next up was Family Fun Night at the Kansas City Public Library, where I did a presentation on the making of Henry Aaron's Dream. We had a very nice group of families, and I had a great time. Everyone in Missouri is so nice!

This was all in one day. Looking back, I see why was so tired by the end of it! Still, I found the strength to walk over to Jack Stack BBQ and get some dinner. And I'm glad I did, because it was one of the most spectacular meals I've ever had. Wow.

talking about Jack's Path of Courage on '207'

2010-11-06T04:27:00.000-07:00

"The Author in You" tv show

2010-10-27T10:05:00.000-07:00

During a visit to Rock Springs Elementary School in Lawrenceville, Georgia last spring, GCPS-TV filmed this segment with me for their show, The Author In You. There are some interview questions from students, some snippets of my presentations, and footage of me throwing out the first pitch at a AAA Gwinnett Braves game (I thought I threw a strike, but in the video it looks a little high). Enjoy!

And check out their web site to see other episodes.

Jack's Path of Courage is in stores, right... NOW!

2010-10-26T05:43:00.000-07:00

Find Jack's Path of Courage: The Life of John F. Kennedy at a bookstore near you, or on Amazon.

New York City

2010-10-25T06:38:00.000-07:00

I'm back in Maine after a great weekend in New York City. On Thursday night I attended The Original Art show at the Society of Illustrators, and had a great time seeing lots of friends and checking out some amazing artwork. It's always so interesting to see the art in person and see the different ways people work. Some of the originals are gigantic, some are the size of the book (I always work at the same size of the book). I noticed that more and more artists are using elements of traditional media combined with digital, which I guess isn't a big surprise. The best part of the exhibit was being able to hang out with so many illustrator friends I don't see very often. Writing and illustrating books is a very solitary job much of the time, and I get such a creative boost from being able to spend time with other people who are doing the same kind of work that I'm doing. I always forget to take pictures, but I did get a few:

my friend Dan Santat accepting his Silver Medal

The amazing Eric Carle accepting his Lifetime Achievement Award

My Art Director at Candlewick, Kristen Nobles, and me standing in front of my cover illustration from Henry Aaron's Dream

me and my Henry Aaron's Dream illustration

...and one more.

The best time to actually see the artwork was after most of the crowd had left. The show is up until November 24, so if you get a chance, go see it!

Then on Saturday I had my first signing for Jack's Path of Courage: The Life of John F. Kennedy, at Books of Wonder. As always, they put together a great event, with the creators of five new picture book biographies, including Sean Qualls, Bryan Collier, and Javaka Steptoe, all on hand to talk about their work and sign books. It was great talking with all the authors and illustrators, and I got a copy of Dave the Potter signed by Bryan Collier- an amazing story, and a beautifully made book. Here are some pictures from the Books of Wonder event:

a display of all the books

my daughters were excited to find some of my other books there too

my camera died toward the beginning of the Books of Wonder event, but here are a few from the panel discussion.

Now, back to work!

Picture Book Biographies event at Books of Wonder

2010-10-15T05:33:00.000-07:00

Children's Book Illustrators exhibit, recap

2010-10-04T07:06:00.000-07:00

On Saturday I attended the opening reception of the Children's Book Illustrators exhibit at the Brush Gallery in Lowell, MA. Will Winslow, the curator of the exhibit, did a marvelous job organizing the event. It was a great day.

First there was a panel discussion with a nice big enthusiastic audience, where Will moderated and David Macaulay, Kelly Murphy, and I talked about our work, our creative process, the book business, and whatever else came up.

Then we signed books until there were no more books left to sign, then a reception in the gallery. Christopher Bing missed the panel discussion because he was busy signing copies of his spectacular new version of Little Red Riding Hood down at NEIBA in Providence. But he made it to Lowell in time to sign a bunch of books during the reception. After the reception Will took all the artists and our spouses (or in my case, my entire family) out for a wonderful dinner.

One of the many highlights of the day for me was a surprise guest- my elementary school art teacher, Barbara Gagel. She lives in Santa Fe now, so I was not expecting her to walk into the gallery! Turns out she's friends with the curator and when she heard about the exhibit, she decided to surprise me and come to the opening. She was an amazing teacher who did so much that wasn't necessarily part of her job (like taking me on several trips to the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston), and it was really a thrill to have her there. It was also great to have my parents there, and some friends from Candlewick, and other friends and fellow illustrators. What a day!

The exhibit is up until October 24, so if you're anywhere near Lowell, MA, you should check it out.

There wasn't much opportunity for picture-taking (I wish I got some pictures of David Wiesner's artwork from Sector 7 and Christopher Bing's amazing illustrations...), but I did get a few:

some of David Macaulay's originals

more David Macaulay

Kelly Murphy's original artwork

I had four pictures in the exhibit- one from Jack's Path of Courage, two from Lady Liberty, and one from Henry Aaron's Dream.


same illustrations from a different angle

me and David Macaulay

Kelly Murphy, David Macaulay, Matt Tavares, Christopher Bing

upcoming events for Jack's Path of Courage

2010-09-27T06:43:00.000-07:00

Now that the publication date for Jack's Path of Courage: The Life of John F. Kennedy (written by Doreen Rappaport, illustrated by me, published by Disney-Hyperion) is less than a month away, I thought I'd start spreading the news about a couple fun events I have planned.

First, on Saturday, October 23, I'll be at Books of Wonder in New York City, from 12:00 to 2:00, part of the "Picture Book Biographies" event, along with Sean Qualls, Bryan Collier, and an amazing lineup of award-winning authors and illustrators. The authors and artists will present their picture book biographies, take questions from the audience, and sign copies of all of their books.

For details, go to the Books of Wonder event page.

Then on Saturday, November 6, I'll be at Book Ends in Winchester, MA, 2:00-4:00 pm. I'll present Jack's Path of Courage: The Life of John F. Kennedy, show some some sketches and talk about my experiences working on the book, answer questions, and sign books.

For details, visit the Book Ends event page.

Award news for Jack's Path of Courage: The Life of John F. Kennedy

2010-09-23T10:15:00.000-07:00

Good news- Jack's Path of Courage: The Life of John F. Kennedy, written by Doreen Rappaport and illustrated by me (Disney-Hyperion, October 2010) won't be in stores until October 26, but it already won an Oppenheim Gold Seal Award!

Children's Book Illustrators Exhibit at the Brush Gallery

2010-09-23T09:59:00.000-07:00

The Children's Book Illustrators Exhibition is now on display at the Brush Art Gallery & Studios (Lowell, MA), until October 24, 2010. Please note the updated and definitive lineup of artists: Christopher Bing, David Macaulay, Kelly Murphy, Matt Tavares and David Wiesner.

Opening reception: Saturday, October 2, noon-2 pm
Meet the illustrators, and book signing: Saturday, October 2, 1-4 pm

first reviews for JACK'S PATH OF COURAGE

2010-09-23T08:30:00.000-07:00

The first reviews of Jack's Path of Courage: The Life of John F. Kennedy are in! So far, so good:

From School Library Journal:
"[Rappaport's] descriptive narration is spiced with memorable quotations and Tavares’s larger-than-life illustrations. The realistic paintings portray the different periods in JFK’s life with depth and detail, capturing his emotions, courage, and sovereignty while remaining true to this unique time in history.... This beautifully illustrated and gracefully told story serves as a superior introduction to our 35th president."

From Publisher's Weekly:
"As with these collaborators' Lady Liberty, the striking cover of this picture-book biography features a closeup portrait of the subject, all the more compelling in this instance with the omission of any type.... Tavares's light- and shadow-infused paintings balance lifelike portrayals of Kennedy with renderings of dramatic events, notably a Japanese destroyer ramming Kennedy's PT boat during WWII and the planting of the American flag on the moon. An evenhanded, graphically stirring biography."

And from Kirkus:
"A striking cover close-up of Kennedy (with the title information on the back of the jacket, à la the author's Martin's Big Words, illustrated by Bryan Collier, 2001) introduces the reader to this biography of the 35th president of the United States.... The handsome and vivid illustrations pop."

Jack's Path of Courage: The Life of John F. Kennedy, book trailer

2010-09-10T10:17:00.000-07:00

THE EYEWITNESS REPORTS Auction is up and running!

2010-09-01T11:23:00.000-07:00

Bid now on some great (and cheap!) original artwork by some of the best children's book illustrators in the biz, like Grace Lin, Scott Magoon, Dan Yaccarino, Anna Alter, and of course Dan Santat, who threw this whole impressive fundraiser together. Here's the cool poster that Dan made to promote the auction, with a list of all the talented illustrators whose work is featured in the auction: (Click on the poster to check out the auction)

And here's my painting that's up for bid, of a giant frog chasing helicopters:

Wow!

2010-08-26T12:36:00.000-07:00

I got this package from my editor at Candlewick today.

Inside was a copy of Henry Aaron's Dream...

and a note that said "Check out the front end paper".

Wow!

Jacks Path of Courage: The Life of John F. Kennedy

2010-08-18T10:45:00.000-07:00

I just got my first real copies of Jack's Path of Courage: The Life of John F. Kennedy (Disney-Hyperion, October 2010). Here it is, front and back:

826LA fundraiser

2010-07-12T11:29:00.000-07:00

I spent the morning painting a giant frog leaping across Manhattan, devouring helicopters. It's for a fundraiser for 826LA, organized by illustrator/graphic novelist/international man of mystery Dan Santat. Here it is:

Alabama Camellia Children's Choice Book Award

2010-06-07T07:37:00.000-07:00

Good news- Henry Aaron's Dream is a finalist for the Alabama Camellia Children's Choice Book Award! Very exciting to know that kids all over Alabama will be reading my book, and learning about a great Alabamian, Henry Aaron. Remember kids, vote early and vote often! (Kidding, kidding.)

Ogunquit painting

2010-05-27T07:03:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, I took the morning off from working on my book and painted this picture of the view from the bridge to Ogunquit Beach. It's watercolor, about 7" by 20".

The Horn Book Magazine Summer Reading list

2010-05-21T08:15:00.000-07:00

Children's summer reading recommended by The Horn Book Magazine (including Henry Aaron's Dream!)

Going once...

2010-05-18T06:24:00.000-07:00

On the evening of May 25, the Association of Booksellers for Children will hold their annual silent auction of children's book art during Book Expo America in New York City. Money raised in the auction is used to fund projects that support independent booksellers. It's always a fun event, and it's even more amazing this year because David Wiesner is the keynote speaker.

Since I have two books coming out in 2010, I donated two pieces of artwork. If you're planning on attending the auction, keep your eyes open for them! The first one is a painting I did for Henry Aaron's Dream (Candlewick), of Henry Aaron hitting his record-setting 715th home run. In the end, I decided to include a full page of his career stats in the book instead of this illustration. But even though it didn't quite make it into the book, hopefully it will earn a few bucks for independent booksellers and look nice on someone's wall. Here it is:

My other donation is a sketch from my upcoming collaboration with Doreen Rappaport, Jack's Path of Courage: The Life of John F. Kennedy (Disney-Hyperion, October). It's a pencil sketch I did for the page in the book that discusses Kennedy's bold and ambitious goal of landing an American safely on the moon before the end of the 1960's. One interesting side note to this picture- this auction is being held on May 25, which is the anniversary of the day Kennedy announced this plan to the nation, May 25, 1961. Here's the sketch:

I also included a signed proof of the final illustration. Not sure if this will be out on display at the auction, but here it is:

first pitch, Pawtucket Red Sox @ Gwinnett Braves, 5-4-2010

2010-05-10T07:17:00.000-07:00

Gallery Show: "Children's Book Illustrators"

2010-04-26T09:46:00.000-07:00

This upcoming art exhibit is still several months away, but I'm really excited about it so I want to start spreading the word:

The Brush Art Gallery and Studios presents "Children's Book Illustrators", a group show featuring seven contemporary children's book illustrators:

Chris Van Allsburg, David Wisener, David Macaulay, Beth Krommes, Christopher Bing, Kelly Murphy, and Matt Tavares

Brush Art Gallery and Studios, 256 Market St., Lowell, MA 01852
Exhibit runs September 19 - October 24, 2010
Reception, book signing and artists' talk on Saturday, October 2

I'd be excited for this exhibit even if I wasn't one of the featured artists. It's an incredible honor, and somewhat surreal, to be included in this group of illustrators, alongside some of the true masters of children's book illustration. I just hope all the artists can come to the reception, so I can meet them in person.

Now I just need to decide which four illustrations to include in the exhibit...

Award News

2010-04-23T08:23:00.000-07:00

Susan Stevens Crummel and Janet Stevens accepting the Bluebonnet Award at the Texas Library Association conference in San Antonio last week

I just got home from my trip to Texas, where I attended the Texas Library Association conference and visited 4 schools. Lady Liberty: A Biography (written by Doreen Rappaport, illustrated by me) was on the Bluebonnet Award list, and it was amazing to see how many of the librarians I met (pretty much every single one of them) knew about Lady Liberty because it was a Bluebonnet book.

One of the highlights of my trip was attending the Bluebonnet Award luncheon, where Susan Stevens Crummel and Janet Stevens did a fantastic stand-up routine as they accepted the Bluebonnet Award for their book, Help Me, Mr. Mutt.

And now I found out that Lady Liberty is a finalist for a couple other state book awards-the Buckeye Children's Book Award in Ohio, and the South Carolina Book Award. And on top of that, Mudball is a finalist for the 2011 Monarch Award in Illinois. All three of these awards are chosen by kids, so it's very cool to know that a whole bunch of kids in Illinois, Ohio, and South Carolina will be reading (and hopefully voting for) my books!

foreign editions

2010-03-15T06:34:00.000-07:00

a couple cool things I got in the mail last week-

a new edition of Jack and the Beastalk, translated into Catalan, published by Vicens Vives Press, entitled, "En Jan i Les Mongetes Magiques". Strange to see my illustrations in a book that's designed so completely differently than the book I made with Candlewick:

and a special paperback UK edition of 'Twas the Night Before Christmas, published by Walker Books:

Sneak Peek: Jack's Path of Courage: The Life of John F. Kennedy

2010-03-11T05:53:00.000-08:00

I got the f & g's for my next book, Jack's Path of Courage: The Life of John F. Kennedy, written by Doreen Rappaport, illustrated by me. If you don't know what an "f & g" is- it stands for "folded and gathered". Before the real books are printed, all the pages and the jacket are folded and gathered together so the publisher can start showing it to booksellers and librarians, and so the editor, art director, author and illustrator can look it over for anything that needs to be changed. For example, the red needs to be toned down a bit on the jacket. He's supposed to have a tan, but it looks more like a sunburn.

The book comes out in October. Here's a sneak peek:

talking about Henry Aaron's Dream on '207'

2010-03-10T08:32:00.000-08:00

Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast

2010-02-25T05:26:00.000-08:00

I'm enjoying some delicious virtual breakfast this morning with one of the best children's book bloggers in the biz, Jules at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast. How she manages to work full time, have a family, and keep up this amazing blog with such in-depth features packed with so many images, I do not know. Here's the link to the interview.

San Jose pictures

2010-02-17T05:55:00.000-08:00

Candlewick Press put together a 5-city book tour to promote Henry Aaron's Dream, made up of 5 separate trips. I just went to San Jose, and I'll be going to San Antonio/Dallas, Orlando, Atlanta, and Cooperstown.

Here are a few pictures from my trip to San Jose.

My first night there, I did a presentation at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Library in San Jose, as part of an exhibit called Pride and Passion: The African-American Baseball Experience. Here's a picture of part of the exhibit:

The next day I did a presentation for 400 3rd, 4th and 5th graders, then a signing at Hicklebee's, which is an awesome independent children's bookstore. Check out this great display they set up right inside the entrance:

After my signing, they asked me to find a spot anywhere on the walls or doors and sign it. Looking around thye room, I found signitures and drawings by pretty much every author and illustrator you can think of. Drawing a picture on a wall with a sharpie is a little tricky, and I messed up a bit on the face, but here's what I did:

Notice the door to the left of my picture. See anyone you recognize?

That night I had a delicious dinner with some Candlewick people and fellow Candlewick author Laura Amy Schlitz, then we all headed over to the author reception at the ABA Winter Institute, where Laura and I signed copies of our new books and met hundreds of booksellers. It was a pretty amazing event.

The next morning I tagged along with Lura Amy Schlitz and her editor (and my editor on Lady Liberty: A Biography) Mary Lee Donovan, for Laura's stock signing at Hicklebee's. It was such a fun place, I wanted to go back and wander around a bit. I was delighted to see that the display of my books was still there (I thought maybe they'd take it down as soon as my signing was over).

After Laura's signing, we had lunch with a group of librarians, then the three of us (Laura, Mary Lee and I) took a tour of the Winchester Mystery House, which was a very strange place. Long story, but basically the house's owner was instructed by ghosts that she needed to keep building the house and never stop, so that's what she did. Construction continued, 24 hours a day for 38 years, until she passed away. A sad story, really, but an interesting place.

Not sure if they always look like this, but the clouds in San Jose were amazing.

That evening, we had dinner with a great bunch of booksellers, then the next morning I headed back to Maine.

Next trip: Orlando.

Hangin' with the Doodlebops

2010-01-05T06:16:00.000-08:00

Cleaning my studio the other day, I came across this picture of me, my daughter, and the Doodlebops, backstage at the 2007 Boston Globe Children's Book Festival.

Sometimes my job is very strange.

And here's the ad that ran in the Boston Globe promoting the event. This is when I realized I should probably have a full-color author photo.

Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast

2009-12-21T05:16:00.000-08:00

A nice review of The Gingerbread Pirates, and some kind words about illustrators Richard Scarry, Petr Horacek, Gail De Marcken and me, from the excellent children's book blog, Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast.

Indiebound bestseller list

2009-12-10T07:34:00.000-08:00

Good news: The Gingerbread Pirates made the Indiebound bestseller list! It just made the cut, at #15 in the Children's Illustrated category.

New Indie Bookstore in southern Maine

2009-11-19T06:56:00.000-08:00

Join me this weekend in Kennebunk, Maine to welcome a great new independent bookstore, Kennebooks, to the southern Maine community. It's a 3,500 square foot space with 11,000 books, but it also has the comforts of home- a wood stove, a couch, a front porch. And their knowlegable staff can help you find just the right book. Especially if you happen to be looking for a book about pirate cookies who come to life in Christmas Eve...

I'll be signing copies of "The Gingerbread Pirates" at 10:30 this Saturday, November 21, and there will be other fun stuff going on all weekend as part of their Holiday Open House. Hope to see you there!

new studio

2009-11-17T05:38:00.000-08:00

I spent yesterday morning rearranging my studio. Before yesterday, when I worked digitally I just put my monitor, laptop, and wacom drawing tablet on a drawing table, which was fine but a bit awkward. But now that I'm going to be working digitally more (just for sketches at this point, all the pictures in my books are still done with traditional media like paint, pencil, paper, etc.), I decided to make the computer setup a bit more permanent, and a lot more comfortable.

I got a corner computer desk and replaced the keyboard section with an 18 x 24 portable drawing table. Here's how it looks now, with my old drawing table and paints on the left, and my new computer/monitor/drawing tablet on the right:

Horn Book Magazine Holiday High Notes

2009-11-03T05:26:00.001-08:00

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

2009-10-26T17:54:00.000-07:00

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

2009-09-08T06:40:00.001-07:00

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

2009-08-31T14:21:00.000-07:00

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.

Monhegan

2009-07-21T17:03:00.000-07:00

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

2009-07-09T12:45:00.000-07:00

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