Full-circle Baghead

For Read Across America Day, Maryn Shilale dressed as Baghead. Check it out:

The extra cool part about Maryn dressing up as Baghead? Her gandfather was my high school art teacher back at Holy Name Central Catholic High School in Worcester, MA. Here's a picture of me in Mr. Shilale's art room back when I was 14:

And it was around that time when he assigned us a homework project where we were to draw a still-life of a paper bag, using only brown paper, white chalk and black Conte crayon. Being one who preferred his art to have a narrative, I cut a face into my paper bag and drew this:

And years later, that still-life assignment would inspire me to draw this:

And now his granddaughter has dressed up as Baghead! It doesn't get much cooler than that!

Melted down

It's been a week since Meltdown and 2012 proved to be yet another solid year with fantastic authors taking the stage. When G and I first thought about putting something like this together, we loved the thought of using our resources to connect our community with talented and engaging authors. What we didn't expect was that Meltdown, now in it's 4th year, not only connects our neighbors with these authors, but people from afar as well—some folks drove in from Boston and even further to attend. We also take great pride in showing off our community to the authors. We always try to get a good mix of locals (there are zillions of local residents with ISBNs) and out-of-towners to read from their books. And this year authors came in from New York, Philadelphia and even Los Angeles!

We also love connecting the authors with super-talented-local-hero-rock-star-morning DJ Monte Belmonte. Every morning on the week ahead of the Meltdown, Monte has a different author on his show. (Check the picture captions to listen to the archives.)

Here's a quick recap of last weekend's festivities:

Jeff Mack read from his hilarious Frog and Fly. Listen to Jeff talk on the radios here.

Eric Wight talked about (and drew) the fantastic Frankie Pickle. Listen to Eric on the radios here. 

Jane Yolen and Heidi Stemple got lots of little girls on stage and read from Not All Princesses Dress in Pink...in sparkly crowns. Listen to the mother-daughter team on the radios here.

Stand up comedian author Lisa Yee not only read, but acted out scenes from her books with an unsuspecting victim volunteer. Listen to Lisa Yee on the radios here.

John Bemelmans Marciano is continuing the Madeline legacy and he's so good, that when the tech failed, he narrated the confusion in perfect rhyme. "And then the screen went blue...and no one quite knew what to do." Listen to John on the radios here,

G and I love bringing everyone together. Unfortunately, my dearest wife is very shy and refuses to take the stage with me when I introduce each author. She did, however, join me on the radio. You can listen to that segment here.

And let's not forget about the awesome music-side of the main stage. That's all strung together by the incomparable Bill Childs. The Meltdown certainly wouldn't stand on the legs that it stands on without him. He's a neighbor and a friend and we have so much love for what he brings to our community. Which makes our hearts so incredibly heavy that he is moving far away. But knowing he'll be back to help with future Meltdowns makes us more than just a little ecstatic.

Here's a video clip of the Deedle Deedle Dees on stage, joined by Eloise the Great and Eric Wight on the sketchpad.

Speaking of Eloise the Great, you may know her from the below video. Have you seen the below video? Well, you should because it is awesome. And because it is helping a small town get a new library. To put it bluntly: it has no running water. It's time for it to join the 21st century and with your (and our) help, it will. I rallied some illustrator pals to participate in aSketch-a-thon to help raise some funds. Thanks to Jeff Mack, Eric Wight, Casey Girard and Scott Fischer for answering the call!

After the Meltdown is over, G and I host the authors at our home. It makes Gina so incredibly happy to cook for everyone. She puts together a little special something to tie in with each author's book. Guess who the below spread was for?

If you guessed Lisa Yee, then you are correct! Peepy didn't seem too amused by my behavior, though...

Are you ready for Meltdown 2013? Well, then we'll see you on March 30th! 
(It's always the last Saturday of March.)

I just received a letter that I wish I could share with my seventeen-year-old self

Man, to be able to travel back in time and share this news with seventeen-year-old me. I remember it so clearly, coming home after school that day in the spring of 1995. It was my senior year and I had all of my hopes and dreams hinged on an acceptance letter form Rhode Island School of Design. Hence, it didn't come. Waiting for me on the kitchen table was a slim envelope with the RISD logo emblazoned on it. It wasn't the welcome packet I anticipated, but the rejection letter I had feared.


After spending my freshman year at the Hartford Art School, I reapplied and transferred in to RISD as a sophomore. I earned my B.F.A. in Illustration and was proud.


Recently, another small envelope from RISD arrived on my doorstep. This one, an invitation to display my work in an upcoming show. And it bowled me over. I'll be a part of an exhibit entitled, RISD ICONS: A Legacy of Illustration from Rhode Island School of Design. I'll be featured alongside other alums, like Chris Van Allsburg, David Macaulay and Shepard Fairey. The show opens on Wednesday June 13th from 6-8pm at RISD’s Woods Gerry Gallery. 


Needless to say, I am flabbergasted.

Puppets for Equality (for puppets)

I'm proud to have leant a hand to this very important charity by creating artwork for the single "Felt Around the World".

Puppets deserve out respect. Puppets shouldn't be tossed on the floor.

And these puppets are giving all of the proceeds of their single to St. Jude Hospital. Check it out at www.handaid.org.

Jane Yolen and Heidi Stemple on the radios! (And at Meltdown! this Saturday in Northampton, MA!)

Visit Jane Yolen at her home, along with co-author and daughter, Heidi Stemple. And cheer them on this Saturday at The River's Family Music Meltdown and Book Bash! Listen to their interview here!

www.rivermeltdown.com

Where I went

Yesterday, I dropped my daughter off at preschool and then I travelled to Washington, Oregon, California, Nebraska, Arizona, Texas, Idaho, Colorado, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Florida, Virginia, Ohio, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Delaware, New Jersey, Alabama, New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Maine—at least that's what I can remember off the top of my head. And then when I was finished up with my book talks on the latest Lunch Lady book, I was home in time to tuck my daughter into bed.

I love living int he future.

Thank you to all who connected for the Virtual Book Talk for Lunch Lady and the Mutant Mathletes!

I'm not certain exactly how UStream's metrics work, but on average there were about 50 people signed in to watch each book talk. While I'm live, I can see who is signed in, but I'm not too sure how many people watched, but didn't sign in to chat. Most signed in from a classroom or library, however a few watched on their own. Averaging all of that out, there were about 40 sets of eyeballs behind each "live viewer". There is no way to know for certain, but this could mean that I spoke to about 14,000 young readers throughout the day. All from the comfort of my studio. I'm astounded that there is that much of an interest to watch me yap away about my books. But I can tell you with certainty—I'm incredibly grateful.

Here are a few pictures that I pulled from the Twitters and blogosphere.

Iowa

Georgia

Washington

Illinois

Texas

Mutant Mathletes, Marriage and Meltdowns

Ahead of this Saturday's Meltdown, I brought the whole family into the radio station with me to chat with Monte Belmonte, even my extremely shy wife.

You can listen in here!

LL7 events

I hope that you'll join me virtually on the day of Lunch Lady and the Mutant Mathlete's publication, but I also hope that you can stop by one of the below events and see me in person, too.


March 31, 10 am - 4 pm: Northampton, MA - Meltdown! The River's Family Music and Book Bash

April 12, 5 pm: Dallas, TX - Texas Rangers Hall of Fame Auditorium

April 21, 12 pm: Manchester, CT - Barnes & Noble Book Fair in support of First Book

April 22:  Boston, MA - Boston Comic Con, signing at the Friendly Neighborhood Comics booth

April 28: Albany, NY - Albany Children's Book Festival

April 30: Chicago, IL - International Reading Association convention, 11:30 - Children's Choice program, 2 pm - signing at Random House booth

April 30: Chicago, IL - Magic Tree Bookstore

May 1: Naperville, IL - Anderson's Bookshop

May 7: New York, NY - Hosting the Children's Choice Book Awards Gala

May 10, 4 pm: Haverford, PA - Children's Book World

May 12, Leesburg, VA - area public libraries

June 16: Arlington, MA: Fox Branch Library

June 23: Newburyport, MA - The Book Rack

June 24: Winchester, VA - The Shenandoah Literature Conference

July 12, 11 am: Lenox, MA - The Lenox Library

Always a good idea to check in with the venue and double check times.

Sketchbook Saturday

Drawn at gate C19 on 3/22/12.

Listen to Jeff Mack on the radio and come see him at Meltdown! on March 31st!

Our good pal Jeff Mack will be joining us for Meltdown! 2012 and we couldn't be more pumped. His new book, FROG AND FLY, is hysterical.

Listen to Jeff chat with Monte on the radios here and be sure to cheer him on at JFK Middle School on March 31st! A full schedule of the day's events can be found here.

LL7 Virtual Book talk on Tuesday, March 27th!

The time is almost here for the Mutant Mathletes! In just under a week, the latest Lunch Lady comic will be made available to the world! When Hector, Dee and Terrence join the Thompson Brook mathlete team, they have more than tough equations to contend with. Fortunately, our lady in yellow keeps close tabs on her kids and she's there to save the day when it needs saving!


I hope that you will all join me in my studio via UStream.tv/channel/StudioJJK on the day of the book's publication on March 27th. I'll be going live every hour on the hour from 10 a.m. EST to 3 p.m. EST. This time around, I'll also have a special evening edition at 7 p.m. for public libraries, book clubs and anyone else who may not be able to tune in during daytime hours.


Full information and tips on how to connect successfully with a group of students can be found on my website here: http://www.studiojjk.com/LL7virtualbooktalk.


I look forward to answering your questions and teaching you how to draw Lunch Lady and Betty! Also, as a special treat to those connecting, I'll be providing a link to exclusive behind-the-scenes content, which you can use with your students to learn about the revision process.


Want a copy of the latest Lunch Lady (or any of the previous books) autographed and personalized? Order them through my local bookshop here.

Reading Rockets

You can bring authors right into your classroom via the zillions of interviews available from Reading Rockets. They've recently posted an extensive interview with me. The interview is broken up into short clips, perfect for the young reader eager to learn more about how I wrote Lunch Lady and what I was like as a kid.


You can watch the videos on Reading Rockets' website here!

Or you can choose to peruse their YouTube channel here.

Enjoy!

Watch the 2011 Children's Choice Book Awards Gala

Voting for the 2012 Children's Choice Book Awards will soon go live! I'm delighted to be returning as host for the gala on May 7th. (Which YOU can attend! Tickets are available here. Check out the list of presenters: Marc Brown, Jack Gantos, Mary Pope Osborne, SE Hinton! And best part - tickets benefit Every Child a Reader.)

What kind of evening will be in store? Well there is a fancy cocktail reception, delicious food and a dessert spread that will make you drool. But the highlight of the evening comes when the awards are handed out. And now you can watch last year's awards ceremony here!

Watch the full playlist here.

Get excited!

Sketchbook Saturday

Sleeping passenger:

Friday - Of Wine and Words - a fundraiser for the Reading Connection

To all of my friends in the DC/Northern VA area who like supporting good causes and enjoy a swanky evening out: this Friday, I will serve as the Literacy Honoree at the Reading Connection's Of Wine and Words fundraiser. It will be a great way to sample fare from the area's top chefs, get a book signed and help a very worthy cause. Plus—there will be cocktail waitresses dressed as lunch ladies. I REPEAT: THERE WILL BE COCKTAIL WAITRESSES DRESSED AS LUNCH LADIES! 


What more do you need? See you there!


It all goes down at the Boeing Conference Center, 1200 Wilson Boulevard, Arlington, VA. For more info and to purchase tickets, click here.


More info on The Reading Connection:

Since 1989, The Reading Connection has provided books and reading mentors to children of at-risk families in northern Virginia and Washington D.C. The need is great: Over 60% of low-income families have no children’s books in their homes. Experts say reading aloud is one of the best things we can do for kids' success; that children need to hear 1,000 stories read out loud before they can learn to read for themselves.
From the original Read-Aloud program providing books and reading mentors for kids in homeless shelters, The Reading Connection's programs have expanded to cover children in transitional and affordable housing.  We now address the literacy needs of parents and send books through the mail.  Our reach has grown to over 1,300 kids who receive 9,000 new books each year. 

Sketchbook Saturday

Go figure - two kids keeps you incredibly busy. Between the chaos of a toddler, a baby and a book deadline, I haven't been able to sketch much. But I recently had a rare occurrence. . . I found myself at a coffee shop by myself. Sketching ensued.

Re-Seussification Project

Some weeks ago, Betsy Bird issued a challenge: re-illustrate Seuss in the style of another artist. My deadlines were piled high, but I couldn't resist. So I give you, "Lyle, Lyle Croc in the Hatodile".

Check out all of the super-fun results at the Fuse #8 blog.

LL7 Virtual Book Talk - One month from today!

We are one month away from the release of Lunch Lady and the Mutant Matheletes! I hope that you will virtually join me in my studio as I give free book talks I will be giving all day via UStream.tv/StudioJJK! 

Live book talks happen every hour on the hour from 10 a.m. EST to 3 p.m. EST. There will even be a special evening edition at 7 p.m. for public libraries, book clubs and bookstores!

For specific details on this special virtual event, please click here.

Today at 4 PM, I'll be on Sirius XM's Kids Place Live

Later today, I'll be interviewed by a young cartoonist and I'll be making a big announcement to those who are tuned into channel 78 on their satellite radios. See you at 4! Well, er... hear me at 4!

Scholastic Book Club chat on Wednesday night at 8 P.M.

Get your keyboards fired up to ask me the hard-hitting questions you've always wanted to ask. While the chat will be text-based, I'll also be sharing some behind-the-scene images as well.

It all happens on the Scholastic Book Clubs' Facebook page here!

LL in Scholastic Book Clubs!

Starting this month, you'll be seeing Lunch Lady and the Cyborg Substitute in the Scholastic Book Club! Needless to say, I am ecstatic. My work has never been featured in the Scholastic Book Club and I'm delighted that Lunch Lady will be my first book to make it to the club! Look for it in the "Lucky" edition, on the cover of the catalogue of all places!

And check it out, the lady in yellow is also featured in Scholastic's February book talk video:



I'm over the moon. On February 22nd, I'll be chatting live with readers on Scholastic Book Club's Facebook page from 8-8:30 pm. See you then!

Travel through space and time and attend last year's National Book Festival

The Library of Congress has posted a whole bunch of videos on their website. Attend all of the authors' sessions by clicking here!

Nothing beats finding a well-worn copy of your book at a library!

Dad Labs

Back in December, I was interviewed by my pals over at DadLabs.com. Because of all the chaos a new baby brings to the home, I'm only getting around to posting this here now.

Head over to DadLabs.com and find a treasure-trove of resources for the dad in your life!

PF in NJ

I had a great few days down in River Edge, NJ last week visiting with the kids at Roosevelt and Cherry Hill. Kids made awesome art projects, wrote great stories and even punked themselves out in anticipation of my arrival.

Check out these guys:

They rule the school!

And check out this great article on Patch.com!

Charlotte Award nomination - a video response to kids' questions

I'm honored to have Lunch Lady and the Cyborg Substitute nominated for a Charlotte Award in the 3rd - 5th grade category. The Charlotte Award is administered by the New York State Reading Association and the winning books are selected by the kids themselves!

I was emailed a bunch of questions by some inquisitive young readers. Instead of typing up the answers, I fired up the old movie machine and sent a video.

You can watch that video over on the Charlotte Award blog. (And if you're sharp-eyed, you can spot art from LL8 on the studio wall.)

Thank you to all of the NY state reading teachers and students!