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

WANTED!

I spent some time yesterday drawing quick portraits of a few of my daughter's teachers. They're going to be used on WANTED posters for an upcoming school event with an "old wild west" theme.

Here's my friend, Wild Bob Sprankle, baddest computer teacher this side of the Mississippi:

Early Reviews for THERE GOES TED WILLIAMS

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

From School Library Journal:

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

and this from Kirkus:

"Williams was a complex and difficult personality, but Tavares chooses to focus on these larger-than-life heroics, telling of Williams’ desire to be the best at everything he attempted and the joy he felt when he accomplished his goals. The language is rich in imagery, with short, action-packed sentences.... Commanding watercolor, gouache and pencil illustrations depict Williams in action as a boy, a major-leaguer and a Navy pilot. Tavares captures him well in his Red Sox uniform, with his unique swing and 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!

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!

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

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

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.