Both are based on the classic family poem–just Alaskanized!
‘Tis the season! I’ve been invited to read two of my classic children’s books–Alaskan Night Before Christmas and Musher’s Night Before Christmas–at a favorite Anchorage restaurant called Williwaw. It’s at 601 F Street, on the south side of Town Square.
On Friday evening, November 25, the annual AT&T Tree Lighting event will draw hundreds of kids and their families to the Town Square for carols, Santa’s arrival, and the flip of a switch to light the tree.
It’s simple–just pop across the street to SteamDot and Williwaw, and you can warm up with coffee, hot chocolate (free for kids under 12), a snack, and my reading. I’ll be on the Williwaw stage projecting the book’s artwork, which is timed for the “pages” to turn as I read. Come for the 5 p.m. reading of Alaskan Night Before Christmas, followed by Musher’s Night Before Christmas at 5:30, and a repeat of the two books at 6 and 6:30 p.m.
We’ll have a supply of both books on hand and will be ready to personalize one for your favorite kid or the whole family.
From Alaskan Night Before Christmas; illustration by Alan Stacy
Hey! It’s almost time for Trick-or-Treat Street in downtown Anchorage! If you’re headed down on Saturday, Oct. 29, be sure to swing by the 4th Avenue Market Place, where I’ll be reading my children’s books while showing movies of their illustrations. I’ll be reading every twenty minutes or so from noon to 4:00 p.m. in the Port View Room. Come and find me. I’ll be the talking scarecrow!
I grew up in a time when door-to-door trick-or-treating was one of the social highlights of a kid’s year. I’m so old that I watched It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown when it was new! With help from our creative Mom, we came up with our own costumes, like “witch,” or “hobo,” or “ghost” (note the absence of Disney-copyrighted characters). We held out pillowcases for goodies. Afterward, my brother and I dumped out our takes on the living room carpet and negotiated trades. Some mothers actually made and wrapped cupcakes, caramel apples, or popcorn balls. And not only were they safe for consumption, they were delicious. The whole neighborhood was lit up for the lanes of foot traffic. It really was that heady and innocent and fun.
Thank goodness for groups like the Anchorage Downtown Partnership and other business folks that keep innocence alive for this generation of children. Treat-or-Treat Street is more than a single street of merchants handing out candy. From C to L Streets, including 4th, 5th, and 6th Avenues, there’ll be lots of activities planned (and candy, too!). Here’s a partial list:
Skinny Raven Frightening 4K Run & Costume Contest
Visit Anchorage Haunted Log Cabin
Cookie Decorating at the Hotel Captain Cook
Join the Alaska MS Center for their annual zombie flash mob, goodies, and more!
APDEA Child Kinderprint ID in 4th Avenue Market Place
Anchorage Fire Department Haunted Fire Truck
Anchorage Police Department Cars & Candy
Ring the Bell and get a Sneak Peek inside the Anchorage Trolley
Free Kid-sized Hot Chocolate for kids in costume!
Author Tricia Brown readings in the Port View room of the Market Place
Store Discounts
Yes, I’ll have copies of all my books available for purchase, too. See you there!
I’m getting ready to skip off to the 16th Library of Congress National Book Festival in Washington, D.C., next week. (Okay, actually I’m flying, flying, flying for many hours, from Alaska time to Eastern, from 54 degrees to 90 degrees.)
And I can’t wait! Of course I’ll be doing some gawking as an out-of-towner, and wouldn’t you know it, Saturday, September 24, is the dedication of a brand-new, hard-won addition to the Smithsonian Institution: the National Museum of African American History and Culture. President Barak Obama will be making a dedication speech with former President George W. Bush in attendance. Dare I squeeze out into the crowd on the Mall? Absolutely. It’s historic!
I’m proud to represent our state’s Center for the Book at the nation’s “Bookfest.” A colleague and I will man a booth in the Pavilion of States, where we’ll field questions (mostly about Alaska) and hand out free stuff. They tell me that we can expect to be mobbed and, please, try to not set out the best freebies all at once. (Reminds me of Halloween candy rationing.)
My children’s book Charlie and the Blanket Toss, illustrated by Barrow’s Sarah Martinsen, was selected as Alaska’s choice to represent the 49th state in literature, so visitors can snap up copies at the Bookfest’s bookstore. Book TV will be covering the event, too, but I expect they’ll be after the big names like Stephen King and Kareem Abdul Jabbar this year.
Inside the Washington Convention Center, books-books-books.
September 3 marks my last day at Anchorage’s Downtown Market. It’s been a good summer–I’ve enjoyed spending every other Saturday talking with travelers who love Alaska and love books–just like me. Most of the customers were either beginning or ending their dream trip. I’ve shared the booth space with other members of the local Society of Children’s Books Writers & Illustrators. (Yes, a mouthful of a title, but a neat, creative group.)
Meanwhile, I’m getting ready for a full slate of events this fall. You can check my calendar for updates on upcoming trips to the Library of Congress National Book Festival in Washington, D.C., followed a month later by a visit to Minneapolis, Minnesota, and the annual Heartland Fall Forum.
Alaska’s pick for the 2016 National Book Festival
The D.C. trip is part of my role as an Alaska Center for the Book board member. With another colleague, I’ll be manning the Alaska booth in the Pavilion of the States, meeting people, handing out free items, and answering questions. I am honored that the Alaska Center for the Book chose Charlie and the Blanket Toss was chosen to represent our state’s literary contribution this year.
An unsung hero
A month later, I’ll be at the Heartland Fall Forum, a trade show is attended by members of the Great Lakes Booksellers Association and the Midwest Booksellers Association. I’ll be part of what they’re called the “Moveable Feast,” an opportunity to sign books and meet the folks on the front lines. I’m looking forward to telling some of them that Bobbie the Wonder Dog walked across their state back in the winter of 1923-24.
If you are a librarian, principal, educator, or an otherwise champion of children’s books, remember that I am available for school and library visits with two new books in 2016, both of them true stories about remarkable dogs: Bobbie the Wonder Dog and Zig the Warrior Princess. Let’s talk about setting up a half- or full-day visit with your students!
Cary Porter’s amazing illustrations were created digitally, using photographs as reference.
A teacher-writer friend of mine has a terrific blog, and following the release of Zig: The Warrior Princess, she interviewed me for details on how the book came together.
From a publishing standpoint, ZIG was unique–about as non-traditional as you can get. I was the author as well as the book developer, contracted to write the book as well as hire an artist, a book designer, a production person/print buyer, and get the book lined up for delivery to the site where they will be sold: the Husky Homestead in Denali Park, Alaska.
Do you want a copy signed by four-time Iditarod champion Jeff King? Just visit the Husky Homestead online store by clicking here. I hope you come to love Zig as much as I have!
Cary Porter holds the copyright on all of these images:
I’m happy to announce that hot off the press is Zig: The Warrior Princess, a new children’s book that I wrote with Iditarod champion Jeff King. The illustrator is the terrific guy who also produced the art for Bobbie the Wonder Dog. Recognize that gorgeous digital magic? It’s Cary Porter!
Denali Park resident Jeff King has covered hundreds of thousands of miles in his career as a mid- and long-distance musher, both in training and in actual racing. He’s won the 1,000-mile Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race four times, placing him in a rare club of mushers who’ve done it, too. But in all those years and trail-miles, he’s never had a dog like Zig, he told me. So, we planned a book that would tell children, in Zig’s voice, why she’s the Princess of the dog yard, but at the same time, she’s a WARRIOR on the trail, so intense and intuitive that Jeff says he’s never had such a talented sled dog.
Zig is not just another pretty face…and she tells an inspiring, true story for all adventurers!
If you’d like to pick up a copy, look for it wherever you buy books, but you can get Jeff to sign a copy if you click here to jump to Jeff King’s Husky Homestead (Where Sled Dogs are King!) store and order your copies.
Bobbie the Wonder Dog may have lived nearly a century ago, but he is still a big star in Silverton, Oregon. And now Silverton’s hometown dog is back in the national news with the release of a new book from WestWinds Press.
Frank Brazier poses with Bobbie in a publicity photo
In the winter of 1923-24, after Bobbie became separated from his family, he walked from Wolcott, Indiana, to Silverton, alone. With miscellaneous side trails and byways, he walked about 2,800 miles. Bobbie was a news sensation. Now Silverton sports a 70-foot mural dedicated to Bobbie, along with a statue of the collie mix, and a replica of his “Castle,” a heavy-duty doghouse originally built for Bobbie in 1924, at the peak of his fame.
Sweet Quincy served as a Bobbie lookalike for this year’s annual Pet Parade in Silverton, Oregon, Bobbie’s hometown.
I had the privilege of visiting Silverton during the days leading up to their annual Pet Parade, hosted by the Kiwanis on May 21. I was invited to visit three local schools for book presentations (which includes showing a little movie of the book illustrations as I read). I was happy to see faces light up when they recognized pictures of the mural and statue of Bobbie. And yet, the rest of the story, they hadn’t really heard. Well, they know it now! It was great to share this remarkable journey with a new generation, and the reaction to Bobbie’s nearly 3,000-mile walk was just the same it was in 1924: shock and amazement.
Thanks again to the descendants of Bobbie’s people, Frank and Elizabeth Brazier, for offering your support. Their great-grandsons Dana (and wife Donna) Crockett and Ron (and wife Chris) Crockett have been so encouraging. Thank you to Portland’s Cathy Marshall at KGW news, to Amy Wang at the Oregonian, and to Helen Raptis at AM Northwest for hosting us.
If you’re looking for a copy, check with your favorite bricks-and-mortar store, or go online to Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or ask for it by title and my name at your favorite independent bookstore. They’ll get it. I’ll be doing some signings around Anchorage in the coming months, too.
Illustrator Cary Porter (first-time daddy) and I appeared with Helen Raptis on her AM Northwest program in Portland.
Each year, the Musk Ox Farm in Palmer, Alaska, reopens for the summer season on Mother’s Day Sunday. That’s the day they introduce the new babies to the public. If you’ve never made the trip out, it’s just one short hour from Anchorage to Palmer. Such a great family day trip! On Mother’s Day 2016, I’ll be there, too, signing copies of The Itchy Little Musk Ox. Come by between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m., and say hi, or bring your own copy if you’d like me to personalize it. The Farm has a whole day of fun planned, so don’t miss it.
Check out the farm, its events, and amazing history by clicking here.
I spent couple of days with these two talented librarians at their Fairbanks schools, and then they kindly came around to Barnes & Noble for my signing. Thank you, Cindy and Carol!
I’m not a librarian, but I think so highly of them. These men and women possess a passion for reading, but more . . . they understand the way reading affects how children see the world and themselves. They are encouragers. Like me, they love the printed word, the look, smell, and feel of a book, but the mission is to get books of any form into the hands of children. But no matter the delivery, it’s content that’s key to opening young minds and stimulating the love of reading.
In a couple of weeks, members of the Alaska Library Association will meet in Fairbanks for their annual conference. Look for me in the Exhibitor’s Hall, representing Graphic Arts Books in their booth. I’ll have sneak-a-peek copies of Bobbie the Wonder Dog there, as well as other samples of what’s new for Spring 2016, and a whole catalog of other excellent books. If you’re at the conference, please stop by! Speakers include young adult authors Debby Dahl Edwardson and Matt de la Pena. They’re going to be sensational. For more about the Alaska Library Association and its annual conference, click AKLA.
Sled Dog Wisdom is back for a second edition in a bigger format that includes photos. Thanks, Epicenter Press, for reprising this collection of mushers’ stories and quotes.
When I first gathered the material for this book, I asked dozens of mushers, competitive and recreational, about the unique relationship between a musher and his or her sled dogs. I wanted to know, “What you have learned from owning and running sled dogs?” Some of them laughed at themselves; others took a more serious route. (The Zen of Mushing? Yeah, kinda.) Anyway, their answers were all over the place. You can order Sled Dog Wisdom at any of your favorite bookshops, in person or online. I hope you like it!
