It may have been a drizzly morning, but it didn’t dampen the mood and prep for what would be yet another abundantly successful 2016 Princeton Children’s Book Festival. This being my fourth year attending, with each festival I’ve become a more seasoned veteran, leading to my being that much more organized.

Last year was the first year I’d figured out, before hand, which books I was going to buy because there’s a “pocketbook problem” when you “buy on the fly.” If I hadn’t narrowed it down, I would’ve given into purchasing ALL the books I wanted! Having had that color-coded (tents), numbered (tables) strategy in place, I executed the same thing this year, only this time my charts were even more refined to help the day go as smoothly as possible. And, yes, I know how persnickety I am with such things  😉 . Also, I have to include my standard apology for the “less than clear” photos. There are only a few! 🙂

Once I had all books paid for, and post-its in each one for the authors and illustrators to personalize properly, I set sail into a sea of smiles, piles of books, cheerful chitchat and the all-enveloping energy of mutual appreciation between book creators and their fans. It helped warm the space till the sun showed up  🙂

I began in the “purple” tent (though the tablecloth looks more blue) and the first talent I came upon was none other than Patrick McDonnell whose work is seen everywhere. Many familiar titles with his “Mutts” are on the table, along with his popular Silly Wonderful You…

As you may be able to discern, Airlie Anderson had a very special pouch (baby) over her shoulders as she happily signed books (and offered merchandise) such as her new release Cat’s Colors…

It was a pleasure seeing Tracey West again and I was more than flattered (shocked!) that she actually remembered me! 😀 . This prolific author has over 200 books, including Pokemon Chapter Books!…

Some people are such a pleasure to be around and these two are just that. I was very happy when I saw their names on the list! Denis Markell and Melissa Iwai are husband and wife and have collaborated on picture books, but work separately, too. Denis’s debut Middle Grade novel Click Here to Start was recently released. It has such a wonderful voice and is doing very well 🙂 . And artistic Melissa continues with her picture books such as Goodnight Engines and Hush Little Monster, our purchase this year being Let’s Go to the Hardware Store. I just love how you also learn about tools, etc. as you go along  🙂 …

Adam Lehrhaupt will continue to be a “picture book” force to be reckoned with. His books keep rolling onto the shelves. This year I had him sign Please, Open This Book!  Two 2016 releases you may have seen are the ever funny (as all his books are!) Chicken in Space and I Will Not Eat You, and keep a lookout in 2017 for I Don’t Draw, I Color!…

It was fun getting to meet this very happy author, John Grant pictured here promoting his book Eureka! 50 Scientists Who Shaped Human History. I was very tempted to call him “Santa,” but refrained. I mean, really—look at that jolly smile, too!  🙂 …

Ame Dyckman, my pal and author of the New York Times’ Bestseller Wolfie the Bunny, smiled her infectious smile, then signed THREE copies of hers and Zachariah Ohora‘s Horrible Bear. Yep, the family “hit” this year  😎 . (Zach was sitting at the table to the left.) These two have become quite the duo with yet another future smashola, I’m sure, coming out in 2017/18: Read the Book, Lemmings! And as Ame so kindly informed me, on 2/14/17, her book You Don’t Want a Unicorn will be illustrated by Simpsons animator, and creator of Rory the Dinosaur, Liz Climo 😀 …

And now, we’re all going to pretend that this photo of Zachariah Ohora is from this year rather than last (he looks exactly the same  😀 ), because when I attempted to take one this year, his avid fans blocked the scene so I deleted it. Then I, a much older avid fan, got caught up in chitchat while he signed my copy of Wolfie (which I forgot to bring down last year) and the three Ame-signed copies of Horrible Bear and so forgot to snap another! * sigh * You should definitely check out Zach’s amazing work which includes his latest author/illustrator release: The Not So Quiet Library…

It was impossible not to brighten up when greeted by this happy bunch. Author Anna Raff (A Big Surprise for Little Card, The Wrong Side of the Bed) and illustrator Lori Richmond (A Hop is Up, Pax and Blue)  were assisted by two very helpful young gentlemen. I had the sneaking suspicion they were somehow related to Lori 😉 …

Kelly Light is ALways a pleasure to see. As it is with her plethora of fans, I can’t get enough of Louise, so I love that there will be yet a third addition to the series, the first two being Louise Loves Art and Louise and Andie: The Art of Friendship. An animator herself, she serves as International Ambassador of Creativity for The Chuck Jones Center for Creativity…

 

Much like Victor Frankenstein, author Paul Czajak is almost always involved in some sort of “monster”-ous act of creativity, only his Monster is not quite as fearsome as Victor’s. Nope, between costumes and parties and running for President of the United States, Monster’s a pretty busy guy and really needs his sleep!…

Lee Harper is another sweetheart and very talented author with many books including Woolbur and Turkey Trick or Treat. It was a pleasure getting to talk to him for a bit…

Brian Biggs‘ has a long list of books with natural appeal for little (and big) kids. Want to learn a bit about how the world works? Just pick up the “Tinyville Town” series and “Everything Goes” series!…

OK, I’m thinking if you haven’t heard of Skippyjon Jones, there’s a very strong chance you’ve been living under a proverbial rock. Judy Schachner has created an amusing, highly-imaginative cat who’s a chihuahua wannabe who battles “Banditos” hiding in his closet 😀 . The series is one among many Judy has created…

I moved on to the “red” tent where I found Chris Grabenstein, the talented and prolific author, and self-proclaimed “class clown” who’s worked with the likes of James Patterson, signing books including Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library and its sequel Mr. Lemoncello’s Library Olympics…

  

Another NJ SCBWI pal, the “black belt of rhyme” author, Corey Rosen Schwartz poses with her newest “Ninja” hit: Hensel and Gretel: Ninja Chicks, a worthy mate to the very successful The Three Ninja Pigs and Ninja Red Riding Hood…

A couple of years ago I was fortunate to “meet” Russ Cox in an ongoing, extremely popular and busy Twitter chat — #kidlitart. I’ve been in awe of his art ever since and so have many others, considering this impressive list of clients. I was SO excited when I saw he’d be at the festival! He generously worked his way down from Maine to spend time with us in Princeton, signing books he’s illustrated and his debut author/illustrator creation Faraway Friends. I’m grateful to call this man my “Faraway Friend” 🙂 …

David Ezra Stein is the author/illustrator of many familiar books, one of which is none other than the entertaining Interrupting Chicken! From their interaction, I’m guessing his young companion is a little Stein 😀 …

If you’re not yet familiar with the likes of Larissa Hopwood and Yvonne Kusters, also known as Lolly & Yoyo, I can tell you, after having met Larissa, she’s as bubbly and friendly as you would expect. Just check out their book Move, and the video. I dare you NOT to want to MOVE! 🙂 …

If you like historical fiction, Michaela MacColl may very well be the author for you. With titles like Always Emily (and Charlotte Bronte), The Revelation of Louisa May (Alcott), and the upcoming October-release Jane Austen-based book, Secrets in the Snow, I can’t help but “Ooooooo” in anticipation…

Greg Pizzoli doesn’t just win awards like the 2014 Theodor Seuss Geisel Award. He also creates books worthy of them! I’ve got several and have just added Good Night Owl to the pile 🙂 Another recent desirable (so funny) is Kelly DiPucchio‘s Dragon Was Terrible illustrated by Greg…

I couldn’t resist. I just had to show you a couple of pages (different spreads) from Dragon Was Terrible. It just cracks me up. I mean, really—this dragon snatches candy from baby unicorns!

One of the many highlights for me was meeting Angela DiTerlizzi (yep, you’re right, she’s married to Spiderwick Chronicles‘ Tony DiTerlizzi). Angela hadn’t started out as a children’s book author. She had, in fact, been a successful make-up artist in film, TV and the music industry, having met Tony before either of their careers took off. I picked up a copy of Some Pets for family, but getting to hear her read it (unexpectedly, the following day at Books of Wonder), I bought a copy for me, too! In my next post I’ll share that happy Manhattan Adventure during which I also got to meet the book’s illustrator Brendan Wenzel…

Steve Light is another family favorite, his work bringing lots of joy with Have You Seen My Dragon? having been a first choice by my son and daughter-in-law’s nephew, Zach, for his birthday “read aloud” 🙂 This year Swap! and Have You Seen My Monster? were added to his collection. Being a Pre-K teacher, Steve is a natural in the world of KidLit, creating books galore; he’s pretty much all over the place! You can find him at KidLit TV and All the Wonders among other places…

And isn’t this cover gorgeous?! It’s one of Steve’s upcoming books:

Last year I bought Michelle Knudsen‘s Evil Librarian. This year I saw the eye-catching cover of the third in her Trelian series: The Mage of Trelian…

In my opinion, Matt Phelan‘s work is amazing. Previously I obtained Druthers. This year I got his acclaimed graphic novel Bluffton and was tempted by his new graphic novel which you can plainly see on display: Snow White…

Diana Murray has become quite the sensation with all the successful books she’s putting out. Two of my favorites are clearly seen here: City Shapes and Ned the Knitting Pirate with more coming next year!…

The “blue” tent beckoned and of course it would! Look who I found there! I can’t say enough about author pal, the multi-talented, lovely powerhouse that is Tara Lazar. It is safe to say she encompasses all that is good in KidLit 🙂 Her famous blog Writing for Kids (While Raising Them), through which she established PiBoIdMo (now moving to January—yay!!! and soon to be renamed!), has been a priceless source for aspiring writers and illustrators. Her creativity is boundless, which shows in her many books including this year’s purchases: Normal Norman and Little Red Gliding Hood 😀 …

My heart flutters every time I see Amelia Bedelia. Here she is with her second-generation author, Herman Parish having lovingly carried on the work of his aunt, Peggy Parish…

Meeting the spunky, gleeful and appreciative Isabel Roxas was SUCH a treat! Her books are something to behold. After all, when someone who’s gotten to illustrate Goodnight Songs, a book by the Margaret Wise Brown, you know the work is special. I got to enjoy watching Isabel fluently sketch the main character of Let Me Finish (author Minh Le) as part of her signature (you can see the close-up at the end of this post). I just LOVE when illustrators sketch!

I’ve heard nothing but great stuff about Rebecca Behrens recent release: Summer of Lost and Found. It was a struggle not buying this one this year, sooooo… 😉 …

Julia Denos is too sweet and friendly for words 🙂 Literally, from the moment she smiled and we began talking, I felt like we knew each other “forever.” Just look at all those covers. With her strikingly assorted illustration work, Swatch being just one, it’s as if her personality is splattered all over them! 🙂 …

Tor Seidler was raised in a storytelling atmosphere which naturally led him to eventually become a celebrated novelist, largely of literature for young people. As is evident by many of his titles and covers such as A Rat’s Tale and Gully’s Travels he is a man who loves animals! I think the cover of Firstborn is stunning 🙂 …

There’s something about seeing friend Beth Ferry behind a table at this festival, signing her books, that just makes me smile REALLY BIG 😀 I have cherished copies of Stick and Stone and Land Shark, and this year: Pirate’s Perfect Pet. Everything Beth creates is fun and on her website, you can even learn your pirate name! Mine is Leggy Salty Birdsnest! I wish I was “leggy,” I do love salt and we won’t discuss my hair, thank you very much 😉 …

Hazel Mitchell has many beautiful books, her newest one based on a real dog—Toby. He even has his own Twitter account! Granted, she couldn’t have him at the festival to sign his own books, so she had a stuffed stand in 🙂 …

Debut author Melanie Conklin has definitely entered the KidLit World with a bang. As soon as I read the first few pages of her first book Counting Thyme, I knew I wanted it. As you can see, she’s passionate about books and was having an animated conversation with a young reader. I had some fun, along with Melanie, helping a girl decide to buy it and I’ll say it again—SMART DECISION! 😀 …

Gita Varadajaran teamed up with author Sarah Weeks (So B. It) to write their Middle Grade novel Save Me a Seat which I was hoping to fit on my “to buy” list this year. It WILL happen! 😀 Seated at the table with her is author Lauren Magaziner, a woman who not only studied in Edinburgh, Scotland (J. K. Rowling territory), but rode on the real Hogwarts Express! I’d say she’s got a real handle on fantasy 😀 She sits by quite a pile of her second novel: Pilfer Academy: A School So Bad It’s Criminal. I’m guessing by the end of the day these book stacks dwindled way down 🙂 …

Sure, you all thought Batman’s real identity was “Bruce Wayne,” right? Well, I’ve got news for you. It’s really Brian Lies! Not only does he have an amazing assortment of “Bat” books, he’s even got his own Batmobile! And from what he told me, it’s now more of a Gator-mobile in honor of his recent release: Gator Dad. Whether Brian doubles as a Superhero or not, he’s definitely a VERY Super Guy 🙂 …

The first time I read Julia Sarcone-Roach book The Bear Ate Your Sandwich, I was a fan. This woman’s got talent! I plan on catching up on all her books 😀 …

I finally hit the “yellow” tent. For the longest time, one guy I’ve hoped I could meet in person is another Twitter friend: the very funny, very lovable, very talented fellow supporter of “All Things KidLit”: the “rhyme time” author, Josh Funk! When it comes to writing for children, he’s got it covered. Seriously, he just did a “cover reveal”! That’s right 🙂 . In a KidLit TV Live video, not only did he read aloud his MEGA-HIT book, Lady Pancake & Sir French Toast, he showed us the cover of its sequel: The Case of the Stinky Stench! You have GOT to check it out, along with Pirasaurs and Dear Dragon, then next year: It’s Not Jack and the Beanstalk! …

I had no idea how lovely and personable author Claire Legrand would be. I had so much fun talking about books and things, including our mutual love of the Harry Potter series. I described my ideal Room of Requirement and it whet her appetite to actually have one 🙂 As I raved about the brilliance of The Cabinet of Curiosities, she told me that she and her editor loved the characters in one of its stories,“Quicksilver and the Stranger” (which she wrote, of course) so much, it was decided they deserved a novel of their own: Foxheart. I’ve got a funny feeling that’s one that’ll make its way onto my bookshelf, too! Claire has a wide array of books. Many—if not all—are now on my TBR (to be read) list! …

EVERY time I’ve run into author/illustrator Tad Hills, whether at these festivals or at the KidLit TV 1st Birthday Party (at which he conducted a charity event, ArtWorks for Youth), it’s been a joy. He’s as sweet and friendly as you imagine 🙂 You can feel that joy, too, when you read his  “Rocket” books (Rocket, R is for Rocket, etc.), “Duck and Goose” books or watch him at KidLit TV on STORYMAKERS and READ OUT LOUD…

When I got to Megan McCafferty‘s table, it had just been swarmed by a gaggle of elated fans, so I waited and caught her taking a bit of a breather. You can see what they were so excited about, along with so many others, seeing as her Jessica Darling’s It List series made its way to film!…

The first time I heard of Kelly Barnhill and her book was through the wonderful site “KidLit Reviews” hosted by Sue Morris. Between Sue’s review, the book’s title and its cover, I was smitten. Then, when I actually read the first chapter, I was completely head over heels and buying this book was a no-brainer. I don’t think Claire Legrand would mind me quoting her in that, when I was leaving and saw Kelly’s book on Claire’s table, we both drooled over the breathtaking cover, she clutched the book to her chest, and said “everything this woman writes is gold.” 🙂 Can you think of a better reason to want to read Kelly’s whole selection of fantasy books?! Not me! 😀 …

It seems Sarah Beth Durst is not only the author of The Queen of Blood, her latest teen/adult release, but it seems to be she’s a “Queen of YA, MG and Adult”! Bookstore shelves are lined with her books! When browsing about, I’m always drawn to their titles and covers, one being her 2015 Middle Grade novel: The Girl Who Could Not Dream…

Another prolific writer of historical fiction present at this (and last) year’s festival was Steve Sheinken. He picks such compelling subjects, one example being Lincoln’ Grave Robbers, that they’re pretty much irresistible, much like that little face smiling above the stack of books. I didn’t ask, but I’m willing to bet—seeing as they have the same face—Steve must be his dad 😀 …

There’s no explanation, other than mere coincidence, that just like last year, Jessica Olien turned out to be my last “author signing” visit of the day. Though I wasn’t under the same pressure, it was still nearing the end of the event when I got to her, and as is my way, I totally reminded her of the insane lady (me) rushing around like a mad woman to get the last few books signed last year (Shark Detective). She remembered lol Anyway, it was great talking to her again and it seems being last isn’t always a bad thing! Jessica signed Blobfish for my daughter-in-law Suzanne’s class (she’s a teacher) and was kind enough to give me her last inflatable Blobfish (see him on the left there?) 😀 😀 😀 😎 Yay! And for sure, I’m really looking forward to her 2017 release of Adrift 🙂 …

As timing would have it, about lunch time a few authors I wanted to see weren’t at their tables, so I returned later on, hoping I’d find who I’d missed. Luckily, I did! Having tightly adhered to my limited “to buy” list, I knew I wasn’t able to purchase Jen Hill‘s Diana’s White House Garden this time around, but I wanted to meet her and get a pic for the blog. I’m SOoooo glad I did! We had such a great conversation, having discovered we were both from the same county in New Jersey and were familiar with so much of the area. Getting to know Jen was a perfect way to end my table rounds…

Two authors I love and got to see and sign books were Dan Yaccarino and Lauren Castillo. For whatever reason, I don’t have pics of them, SO—I’m posting from previous years again lol If I don’t, I simply won’t feel like this post is complete.

Every time I see Dan (pic from 2014), he’s got a smile and usually—a new book! His most recent release, I Am A Story was another family favorite. We got two copies 😀 …

Lauren loves variety (pic from 2015). Not only does she write and illustrate books of many kinds, like City Cat, Nana in the City, Twenty Yawns and The Reader (this year’s choice), she has a new hairstyle every time I see her and she ALways looks beautiful! This year was her shortest haircut yet and I CAN’T SHOW YOU! * sigh * Trust me, it fits her, but then again, I think anything would 🙂 …

I’m also disappointed I was so caught up with making my way around to all the tables that I hadn’t taken a pic of the incredible Princeton Public Library and JaZams Bookstore staffs. The authors and illustrators are the “rock stars,” but without the librarian/bookseller “roadies,” there’s no show. I must mention and thank Alice, first and foremost, for her generous efforts helping with my book purchases. I couldn’t have accomplished what I did without her help 😀 😀 😀

With that said, here are the many gems I collected throughout the day…

Books my family ordered:

Books I already owned that I got signed:

And the new hoard, most of which are birthday gifts to me. Yep, my boyfriend and family enabled me to buy most of these, just as they did last year 😀 . A GIANT “THANK YOU” for these treasures:

And for the finale, the thing that warms my heart every time. The part of all this that adds that special, magical touch to every book (click on image to enlarge):

I hope you’ve enjoyed your vicarious visit to this ABSOLUTELY SPECTACULAR event 🙂 So, what do you think?!