Happy Birthday Ted Williams

During his playing days, Ted Williams told everyone his birthday was October 30, because he didn't want to be distracted by a birthday during the baseball season. Throughout his career, his birthday was even listed wrong on his baseball cards. But it's actually today, August 30. So happy birthday to Ted Williams, The Greatest Hitter Who Ever Lived!

Here's the back of my dad's 1954 Topps Ted Williams card, which he gave to me when I was a kid, and I still keep VERY safe.

 

We Art Boston

Just wanted to spread the word about a great program I am honored to be involved with: We Art Boston, a fundraising event and auction featuring original artwork and books by over 40 beloved contemporary children's book illustrators, including Mo Willems, Barbara McClintock, Oliver Jeffers, David Macaulay, Melissa Sweet, Joe McKendry... the list goes on! All proceeds will benefit the Emergency and Trauma Fund at Boston's Children's Hospital.

I donated this illustration, from my book, There Goes Ted Williams:

As part of the We Art Boston fundraiser, I will be involved with two fun events: first I'll be joining my friends, award-winning illustrators Barbara McClintock and Joe McKendry, for a Stuffed Animal Portrait Party at Porter Square Books in Cambridge, MA on October 5. Bring your favorite stuffed animal, and we'll draw a portrait of it!

Then I'll be at the big event at the Rose Kennedy Greenway on October 20. There will be lots of fun family activities, bookmaking, book signings, live music, and all the artwork will be on display. I hope to see lots of people there!

Even if you aren't anywhere near Boston, you can still take part in the online auction, which kicks off on October 10.

Please spread the word!

New Stars for Young Stars event tomorrow!

At New Stars for Young Stars 2012, with Pedro Martinez. PEDRO MARTINEZ!!

Spring Training is still a month away, but you can get your Red Sox fix at an amazing event taking place at Jillian's in Boston tomorrow, Saturday, January 19, 11:00 am to 1:30 pm. It's an autograph signing event called "New Stars for Young Stars", a unique chance to meet up-and-coming Red Sox players like Ryan Kalish and Anthony Ranaudo, as well as 2-time World Series Champion, Doug Mirabelli, and many more. All proceeds from the event will benefit The Jimmy Fund.

I signed books at this event last year, and I'm truly honored to be a part of it again. Everyone in attendance will receive a copy of my book, There Goes Ted Williams, and I'll be there to sign them. 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.

In addition to autograph signings there is a buffet lunch, sports memorabilia sale, opportunity drawing, silent auction, and a bowling contest to help strike out cancer.  It's a wonderful event for a great cause.

Tickets start at $89 and VIP tickets are $250. All proceeds from the 2013 event will benefit The Jimmy Fund.

Visit the Jimmy Fund website to order tickets. 

You can check out my recap of last year's event here, or visit the Jimmy Fund web site for more info.

New Stars for Young Stars, 2012

The Original Art 2012

Just got some great news! There Goes Ted Williams was selected by the Society of Illustrators to appear in their annual children's book exhibit, The Original Art 2012! Woohoo!

The exhibit opens on October 25 at the Museum of American Illustration at the Society of Illustrators in New York City. It's always an amazing show, so if you are a fan of children's books and you happen to find yourself in New York City in October or November, definitely check it out!

 

 

Kennebooks Event Tomorrow!

One last stop on the Van Dusen/Tavares 2012 World Tour...

Tomorrow, Thursday, August 16 at 10:30 AM, Chris Van Dusen and I will be reading and signing our new baseball books at Kennebooks in Kennebunk, Maine. If you happen to be in southern Maine, come join us. Maybe I'll bring a wiffle ball and bat and we can having a little Team Tavares vs. Team Van Dusen wiffle ball game after the signing...

me and Chris at one of our baseball events this spring

Talking about Ted Williams on the radio

Yesterday I was a guest on The Bill Newman Show, on WHMP 96.9 in western Massachusetts, talking about There Goes Ted Williams. You can listen to it here. It's the July 10 show, and my interview starts about 8 minutes in. Enjoy!

Barnes & Noble event tomorrow!

I'll be reading and signing There Goes Ted Williams at Barnes and Noble in Burlington, Mass tomorrow, July 11, at 7:00 pm. A friend sent me this picture from the store. Looks like they've got plenty of books!

Two Museum Events This Weekend

an Arthur Griffin photograph and one of my illustrations from There Goes Ted Williams, on display at the Griffin Museum in Winchester, Massachusetts

I have artwork in two museum exhibits right now, featuring illustrations from my two Red Sox books- Zachary's Ball and There Goes Ted Williams. And I'll be at both museums this weekend!

Several pictures from Zachary's Ball are on display at the Wenham Museum in Wenham, Massachusetts. I'll be signing books there today, Saturday, at 2:00 pm. There will be lots of fun baseball-themed activities, and I hear they're going to raffle off a copy of Zachary's Ball signed by me AND Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia!

Tomorrow, Sunday at 3:00 pm I'll be doing a gallery talk at The Griffin Museum in Winchester, Massachusetts, as part of the There Goes Ted Williams exhibit. I was there for the opening reception a couple weeks ago, and it was a wonderful event. I hadn't seen the exhibit before then, and it was so cool to see my illustrations up there with Arthur Griffin's photographs.  That was more of a grownup event (my kids came, but it was after their bedtime so they got very tired...), but tomorrow will be perfect to bring the whole family.

And there's also an amazing Fenway Park exhibit at the Griffin Museum, so if you come to my signing, you can check that out too!

The Fenway Park exhibit, at the Griffin Museum in Winchester

Happy 100th Birthday Fenway Park!

To celebrate the 100th birthday of Fenway Park, I'm giving away a copy of There Goes Ted Williams, with an original pen drawing of Fenway inside (which I just drew a few minutes ago). Here it is:

To enter, just leave a comment on this post. Feel fee to share a Fenway memory if you want.

I'm also posting the giveaway on Twitter, so if you're on Twitter, please help me out and retweet it! Thanks.

Junior Library Guild Selection!

Hey, look what arrived in the mail today! Thanks, Junior Library Guild!

Late on deadline... must get back to work...

EXTRA! EXTRA!

There Goes Ted Williams in the Washington Post!

I always love Opening Day, and this year it was even more fun than usual, because with it came a flurry of new reviews of There Goes Ted Williams- including great reviews in The Washington Post, The Boston Globe, and The New York Times!

Here are some snippets from some recent newspaper reviews:

"Exhilarating... Tavares’s full-bleed spreads alternate with sepia-toned spot drawings, all beautifully arranged in this old-fashioned but evergreen tribute."
-The New York Times

"Kids will especially like that this wonderful picture book spends a lot of time talking about the childhood of the famous Boston Red Sox slugger.... an exciting and inspiring story."
-The Washington Post

"Tavares writes “There Goes Ted Williams’’ like a jazzy poem. There is musicality in every line, and in every full-color painting. The nostalgia of the paintings plays beautifully against the straight-up clarity of the prose."
-The Boston Globe

And a few new blog reviews...

"Matt 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."
-The Horn Book, "Opening Day" feature

"From the super talented author-illustrator of four other equally spectacular baseball-related picture books... comes the story of lanky Ted Williams... The figure he portrays in this gorgeously illustrated picture book is that of an American hero."
-Letter Blocks: The Barnes and Noble Parents & Educators Blog

"This is a stirring book about Ted Williams, but also about what makes baseball so great.  I love it! It's a home run."
-Shelf-Employed

"In There Goes Ted Williams: The Greatest Hitter Who Ever Lived, author/illustrator, Matt Tavares captures the passion, dedication, and magic that was Williams."
-Kid Lit Frenzy

Thanks newspapers and bloggers!

There Goes Ted Williams Art Exhibit Opens Thursday

Just spreading the word about this exhibit I'm really excited about.  If you're anywhere near Winchester, Massachusetts, I hope you can join me at the opening on April 12! Here are the details...

THERE GOES TED WILLIAMS: ARTHUR GRIFFIN AND MATT TAVARES

 

Ted Williams, photographed by Arthur Griffin during his rookie season, 1939

THERE GOES TED WILLIAMS: ARTHUR GRIFFIN AND MATT TAVARES

Opening reception: Thursday, April 12, 7:00-8:30pm
The Griffin Museum of Photography, in Winchester, Mass
Exhibit runs April 5 through May 27, 2012

An exhibit of Matt Tavares's original artwork from his picture book, There Goes Ted Williams: The Greatest Hitter Who Ever Lived, alongside Arthur Griffin's historic 1939 photographs of Ted Williams, taken during his rookie season with the Red Sox- the first color photographs ever taken of Ted Williams.

Matt Tavares gives a members talk on There Goes Ted Williams on April 12 at 6:15 PM, before the public opening. He also gives a gallery talk and book signing  at the Griffin Museum on April 22 at 3 PM.  

Book Ends of Winchester will be handling book sales at both events.

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

 If you're interested, here's a longer post about how this exhibit came to be.

Road trip!

We're packing up the family minivan and heading down to New York City tonight for my signing at Books of Wonder tomorrow. Then it's on to Connecticut for an event at R.J. Julia Booksellers Sunday afternoon. If you're in NYC or the Madison, Connecticut area, come say hi! Both events should be a lot of fun. Here are the details:

Saturday, March 31	12:00-2:00 pm, book signing and talk at Books of Wonder in New York City. "Batter Up!" baseball event with Diane deGroat & Shelley Rotner (author and illustrator of Homer) and Audrey Vernick & Steven Salerno (author and illustrator of Brothers at Bat).
Sunday, April 1	3:00 pm, book signing at R.J. JuliaBooksellers in Madison, CT, for There Goes Ted Williams: The Greatest Hitter Who Ever Lived

FYI- there happens to be an Ivy and Bean event at RJ Julia on Sunday at 2:00, just before my event. So if your kids are Ivy and Bean fans, come early and stay for both!

New Events Added in NYC and Connecticut!

My kids at Books of Wonder, 2009

I'm traveling around a lot this spring, promoting my new picture book, There Goes Ted Williams: The Greatest Hitter Who Ever Lived. I just added two exciting events for the weekend of March 31-April 1, at two excellent independent bookstores- Books of Wonder in Manhattan, and R.J. Julia Booksellers in Madison, CT. Here are the details:

March 31	12:00-2:00, book signing and talk at Books of Wonder in New York City. "Batter Up!" baseball event with Diane deGroat & Shelley Rotner (author and illustrator of Homer) and Audrey Vernick & Steven Salerno (author and illustrator of Brothers at Bat).
April 1	3:00-5:00 pm, book signing at R.J. Julia Booksellers in Madison, CT, for There Goes Ted Williams: The Greatest Hitter Who Ever Lived

If you happen to be in NYC or Connecticut that weekend, come say hi!

And since I haven't posted this in a while, here's the trailer for There Goes Ted Williams: The Greatest Hitter Who Ever Lived.

Tucson Festival of Books

I'm getting ready to head to Arizona this weekend for the Tucson Festival of Books. I've never been before, and it sounds like an amazing event. If you happen to be one of the 100,000 people they're expecting to attend (!!), and you'd like to come to one of my sessions, here's my schedule:

Saturday, March 10

10:30-11:15 am signing copies of There Goes Ted Williams: The Greatest Hitter Who Ever Lived at the Candlewick/Kids Center booth

 

1:00-2:00 pm "Bats, Balls and Gloves: Great Sports Heroes" panel discussion with Phil Bildner, Kadir Nelson, and me, followed by autograph session.

3:00-3:30 pm reading of There Goes Ted Williams: The Greatest Hitter Who Ever Lived in the "Storyblanket" area, followed by autograph session.

4:00-5:00 pm "She Writes, We Drew: A Story of Two Illustrators and One Author" panel discussion with Doreen Rappaort, Kadir Nelson, and me, followed by autograph session.

Sunday, March 11

10:15-11:00 am signing copies of There Goes Ted Williams: The Greatest Hitter Who Ever Lived at the Candlewick/Kids Center booth

Time to pack!

Fenway Memories: Jason Varitek, Literacy Champion

With Red Sox captain Jason Varitek announcing his retirement last week, I thought I'd post a few pictures of another one of my favorite Fenway memories, the time I got to meet Varitek before a game at Fenway when we were both involved with the Massachusetts Teachers Association's Red Sox Reading Game.

If you're not familiar with the MTA Red Sox Reading Game... kids in grades K-8 in Massachusetts can enter by reading nine books (one for each position on the baseball field), and they can win some great prizes, like autographed baseballs and tickets to a Red Sox game.

In 2005, the MTA promoted the Red Sox Reading Game with posters and bookmarks that featured Jason Varitek reading my book, Zachary's Ball. My role in the program basically involved me going to two Red Sox games for free (it's a tough job, but someone's gotta do it...). I did a book signing at Fenway as part of their kickoff event in April, where I got to meet Jason Varitek, who spoke for a few minutes about the importance of reading. Then I did another signing at a game at Fenway in August, on the night when all the kids who won tickets got to go to the game. Of course, I'm happy to be involved with any program that encourages reading and literacy... but the Red Sox tickets are a nice perk!

And here's some exciting news- this year, the MTA Red Sox Reading Game posters will feature Red Sox first baseman Adrian Gonzalez reading my new book, There Goes Ted Williams! I'm thrilled and honored to be involved with this excellent program again.

(If you missed it, I wrote a post a few months ago about the year Derek Lowe was the spokesman, called The Derek Lowe Poster Incident.)

Jason Varitek reading Zachary's Ball

A thank you gift I received from the nice folks at the Massachusetts Teachers Association- the copy of Zachary's Ball used in the photo shoot, signed on the cover by Jason Varitek! It says "To Matt, Jason Varitek, #33, 2004 World Champs!" So cool!

As a thank you gift to Jason Varitek, the Massachusetts Teachers Association presented him with a print of one of my illustrations from Zachary's Ball, during a pregame ceremony at Fenway.

Ted Williams and Randy Riley

Hey look, it's Chris Van Dusen and me on 207, talking about our new baseball books, There Goes Ted Williams: The Greatest Hitter Who Ever Lived (by me) and Randy Riley's Really Big Hit (by Chris)!



Which reminds me... this is just a few days away!


OPENING DAY! A Book Launch Celebration with Chris Van Dusen and Matt Tavares
10:30 AM on Saturday, February 25 at  Kennebooks in Kennebunk, Maine
We'll read our new books, answer questions, and sign books. There will be ballpark food and plenty of fun baseball-themed stuff for everyone to do. Come dressed for the ballgame, in your favorite Red Sox gear (or Yankee gear, if you must). It should be a lot of fun.

Chris and I will be doing a mini-tour of some of our favorite independent bookstores around Maine and New Hampshire. So if you can't make it to this one, maybe we'll see you at one of the other events!

THERE GOES TED WILLIAMS available today!

My new book, There Goes Ted Williams: The Greatest Hitter Who Ever Lived, is now available in stores! Hooray!!

Here's a little preview courtesy of Google books, with links to a few places where you can buy it, like your local independent bookstore, Amazon, or Barnes and Noble.

And here is the book trailer:

Today also happens to be the release date of the new Fenway Centennial Edition of Zachary's Ball (released simultaneously in hardcover and paperback) and the new paperback edition of Henry Aaron's Dream! Huzzah!

new Fenway Centennial Edition of Zachary's Ball, with snazzy new cover design and new author's note about Fenway Park

Henry Aaron's Dream, now available in paperback

OPENING DAY! with Chris Van Dusen and Matt Tavares

For anyone who happens to be in southern Maine...

Please join me and my friend, the amazing Chris Van Dusen (illustrator of the Mercy Watson books, author-illustrator of The Circus Ship), at Kennebooks in Kennebunk, Maine on February 25, as we celebrate the release of our brand new baseball books, which happen to come out the same day.

Here are the details:

OPENING DAY! A Book Launch Celebration with Chris Van Dusen and Matt Tavares
10:30 AM on Saturday, February 25 at Kennebooks in Kennebunk, Maine
We'll read our new books, answer questions, and sign books. There will be ballpark food and plenty of fun baseball-themed stuff for everyone to do. Come dressed for the ballgame, in your favorite Red Sox gear (or Yankee gear, if you must). It should be a lot of fun.

Chris and I will be doing a mini-tour of some of our favorite independent bookstores around Maine and New Hampshire. So if you can't make it to this one, maybe we'll see you at one of the other events!

For a full list of all my upcoming events, please visit the events page on my website.

207

Yesterday my friend, the incredibly talented Chris Van Dusen and I were interviewed by Kathleen Shannon for the tv show, 207. The segment will air on February 16 on Maine's NBC affiliate, WCSH-6, a couple days after our new books come out.

Since Chris and I both have books coming out on the same day, and both books are published by Candlewick Press, and both books happen to be about baseball... we thought it would be fun to do some events together. So we've got a little tour planned at bookstores around Maine and New Hampshire.

Once all the details are squared away, I'll post the whole list of dates. But if you happen to be in southern Maine, mark this one on your calendars: 

Book Launch Celebration with Chris Van Dusen and Matt Tavares

Febraury 25 at Kennebooks in Kennebunk, Maine at 10:30 am.

Join us as we celebrate the release of our new baseball books,  

There Goes Ted Williams: The Greatest Hitter Who Ever Lived (by me) 

and Randy Riley's Really Big Hit (by Chris). 

Hope to see some of you there! In the meantime, I feel like we need to come up with some sort of name for this tour. The Van Dusen/Tavares Home Run Trot? Hmmm... If you have a suggestion, please leave a comment!

Chris Van Dusen, me, and Kathleen Shannon on the set of 207

Chris and me with our new baseball books