BOOK LAUNCH PARTY ON MARCH 27 FOR "NEW SHOES" BY SARA VARON

I'm so excited to share that my friend, author and illustrator Sara Varon will be releasing her new book New Shoes on Tuesday, March 27, from 6:30-8:30 p.m. at Stories Bookshop located at 458 Bergen Street in Brooklyn.  Sara is going to be giving away some of her special monkey pins!
Come join in the fun!

LET'S HEAR IT FOR THE LADY GRAPHIC NOVELISTS!

I am pleased to introduce 3 great lady graphic novelists. Whether you are new to the world of graphic novels, or already a fan, please check out the exceptional work of Sara Varon, Cece Bell, and Katherine Jamieson.

Adults, if you  are skeptical about the role that graphic novels play in young people's literacy development, read what Scholastic has to say HERE.

First, there's Cece Bell and El Deafo.  I first came across Cece's work as an author and illustrator at the Eric Carle Picture Book Museum.  The book, Bee-Wigged, had a plot twist that made me laugh out loud and proceed to tell everyone I knew about it.  I was pleasantly surprised to learn that Ms. Bell had a graphic novel, El Deafo, out on the market.  The book, based on her own life, is about a hearing-impaired girl and her adventures with a giant hearing aid that is strapped to her chest.  Ms. Bell is receiving lots of positive reviews for El Deafo.

Next, there's Victoria Jamieson's Roller Girl.  (If you read and enjoyed the book Whip It or saw the Drew Barrymore-directed movie by the same title, you will love Rollergirl.  (Note to parents and educators:  While Whip It is more appropriate for teens and young adults, Roller Girl is better suited for grade and middle school-age children.)

One of the things I love best about Victoria's website is a Free E-Book called The Making of Roller Girl.  Very generous of Victoria to share all the details that went into the creative and technical process!

Last, but not least,  there's Sara Varon.  I encountered Sara's graphic novel, Bake Sale, at - very appropriately! - The Treats Truck Stop in Carroll Gardens.  The main characters of Bake Sale are best friends named Cupcake and Eggplant.  There's a section of the book that has recipes for sweets accompanied by Sara's delightful illustrations.

Here are some fun facts about Sara that I learned by meeting up with her at - where else? - The Treats Truck Stop!

• Originally from the Chicago area, Sara came to NY in 2000 to attend SVA's illustration program.
• Sara loves NY for its diversity, opportunities to interact with people, and find folks with similar interests.
• As a young person, she was a big doodler and loved making up characters.
• She used to work for NY Daily News Golden Gloves, which is where she met her husband, John.
• Sara loves baked goods and once took a cake decorating class.
• She loves all the aspects of putting a book together, and is good at sticking with a project until it is complete.
• Her dream is to get a DOG, specifically a shelter dog!

FROM THE AUTHOR OF ROBOT DREAMS COMES THE LOVELY AND WHIMSICAL BAKE SALE

 I was munching on a homemade chocolate chip macaroon at neighborhood joint The Treats Truck  Stop, when a book sitting on the counter caught my eye.  It was called Bake Sale,  and on the cover was a live eggplant and a live cupcake putting frosting on cupcakes together. 

Yes, that's right, the main characters of Bake Sale are an eggplant and a cupcake who are close friends.  The book is done in the style of a graphic novel, and at its outset we find Cupcake, the proprietor of The Sweet Tooth Bakery, getting ready to open his shop for the day. He opens for business, and in come some customers - a tomato and then a soda can.  Finally, his friend Eggplant comes to pick him up to go out for lunch and then to band practice.

Through the friends' lunchtime conversation, it becomes known that Eggplant is saving up to visit his famous chef and cookbook author Aunt Augustine in Istanbul.  When Cupcake learns that Turkish Delight, the greatest pastry chef in the world, is Aunt Aubergine's business partner, he develops an interest in making the mecca to Istanbul with Eggplant.

Dreaming of Turkish Delight, Cupcake starts to fall off his game.  He gets distracted at band practice, and loses his mojo as a bakery owner. Can he find his way back to his dreams? I'll let you read the book to find out the deets!

Here's what I loved most about Bake Sale:

• It's whimsical, but also has sweet and deep themes running through it
• The illustrations are excellent
• The main characters are food items, who sell food and go shopping for food and who take their pets to well-loved NY events such as Westminster Dog Show and Blessing of the Animals.  Unconventional pairings that work!
• The illustrations and recipes reflect the time Sara took to research bakery life and baked goods
• There are recipes you can actually use
• It confirmed my hunch that cupcakes are not just something for us to consume; they too have important dreams and deep emotional lives

For more information about author/illustrator Sara Varon, check out her site: 

* The author's publicist sent me a copy of Bake Sale at my request, with no guarantee on my part of a positive review.