CCBA Gala; Read Every Day; TCAF!

The next two weeks will be some of the busiest and most exciting of the year! On Monday, I'm attending the Children's Choice Book Awards, as SMILE is a nominee in the 5th-6th grade category. Voting is now closed, but I only have to wait a couple of days to find out the winner. Cross your fingers for me! I'm pretty excited to attend the gala, as it's hosted by my kidlit friend Jarrett Krosoczka, and guests include LaVar Burton, R.L. Stein, and a gaggle of literary superstars!

Thursday, I'll be at the Scholastic headquarters from morning till night in support of their Read Every Day. Lead A Better Life. literacy campaign.

I was one of twelve illustrators asked to interpret the theme, and the day's events will include a group signing at the Scholastic Store from 3:30 - 5 PM, which is open to the public, followed by the unveiling of our twelve pieces of art and the kickoff of a charity auction to benefit the literacy organizations Reach Out and Read and Reading Is Fundamental. I could not be more thrilled and honored to be a part of this campaign. To think that I could be included in a small group of illustrators including Mary GrandPre, John J. Muth, Jeff Smith, and Norman Bridwell is...well, I'm speechless!

Once the artwork has been revealed, limited-edition posters of each piece will be available through Scholastic. I'll share the link here when I have one, as well as the image itself!

The next day, I'm driving to Toronto for one of my favorite small press comic shows of the year: TCAF! You can read about my TCAF schedule of events in its own blog post, right here!