Word Up Community Bookshop had a “Mini-Festival” of children’s literature this weekend and it was so fun. I was there with many of my uptown illustrator and writer colleagues, from Dr. Ruth Westheimer (Roller Coaster Grandma) and Chris Raschka (Yo! Yes?) to Tracey Hecht (The Nocturnals) and Jerry Craft (New Kid).
Folding and smooshing…
The reveal!
Word Up had a bookselling tent as did Scholastic. There were prizes and free books, crafts, readings. The weather was wonderful and there was a great turnout!
I provided thinned tempera instead of ink–because its washable!
I was there making inkblots. Every kid got to make one inkblot at my tent, and judging from the diminishment of my stack of paper, I’d say 250 kids made inkblots: Beautiful.
Word Up Community Bookshop’s book tent. I was in good company with Museum Visit and Fairy House Color, Punch Out and Play Sets (Pomegranate Kids), Crow Made a Friend (Holiday House) and Inkblot: Drip, Splat and Squish Your Way to Creativity (Boyds Mill Kane)
A dad kindly took a picture of me in my tent before things got too messy and crazy 🙂
The kids made inkblots, and I hung them with clothespins to a line around the edge of the tent to be picked up later. Drippy ones got put on the grass under the table to dry.
I provided black, green, orange, yellow. Almost everyone wanted to use ALL the colors.
Festival organizer Veronica Liu, me, Jerry Craft and Julia Mallory
Look for Inkblot at Amazon or Indiebound:
Word Up is hosting Uptown Kid Lit—a mini-children’s book festival—in Inwood Hill Park! Come by for books, author readings and signings, story times, and FREE school supplies! #UptownKidLit #WordUpBooks