All things literacy — Authors, Books, Connections . . .

Saturday, November 21, 2020

Giving the Gift of Reading - Autographed Books

Readers Succeed

An autographed book given to a child accomplishes several things:

  1.  Gives the gift of reading, readers will be the leaders of tomorrow;
  2.  Honors an author/illustrator and helps connect the child to the  book's creator;
  3.  Says to the child, "you are special and this is a special book -- just for you."

Here are some books you may want to gift to a child - and some suggestions for obtaining an autographed copy just for the young readers in your life.

And index to this LONG post:

  • Jennifer Black Reinhardt
  • Don Tate
  • Michelle Edwards
  • Claudia McGehee
  • Jacqueline Briggs Martin
  • Jane Kurtz
  • Melissa Sweet
  • Peter H. Reynolds
  • Jane Yolen & Heidi Stemple
  • Jennifer Richard Jacobson 
  • Plus some General Sites

One of my favorite books this year is Playing Possum by Jennifer Black Reinhardt.  What fun it is to read about animals learning to cope with their anxieties, and in the process building friendships and empathy.  Situations many young readers will understand.  This book is a great book to share and smile over -- and beautifully illustrated.
Now just to find a stuffed possum or a sweet armadillo to hug while reading the book.

Playing Possum by Jennifer Black Reinhardt
Reinhardt, Jennifer Black. Playing Possum. (Clarion, 2020)
Getting an autographed book by Jennifer Black Reinhardt is as simple as calling Katy at Sidekick Coffee and Books in Iowa City, Iowa (phone: 319-569-1010).  Simply tell Katy or one of her store assistants that you would like an autographed copy of Jennifer's book, be ready to provide payment information, and the book will be in your mail.  
Great discussions about nocturnal animals; and just what causes a possum to play dead, or a myotonic goat to faint, and what prompts other defense mechanisms animals use. And be on the alert for facts that Reinhardt slips into the text such as the three-banded armadillo is the only armadillo that can roll up into a ball for protection. 
Reinhardt has authored/illustrated several other books that readers are sure to love.  Check out her website at http://jbreinhardt.com you may want more than one of her titles. 


A couple other favorites come from an Iowa native but now a resident of Austin, Texas, Don Tate.  Don has authored and illustrated a number of fantastic books.  This year two of his works has been released and they are ones you don't want to miss.

Tate, Don. William Still and His Freedom Stories: The Father of the Underground Railroad. (Peachtree Publishing, 2020) and 
Slade, Suzanne. Swish: The Slam-Dunking, Alley-Ooping, High-Flying Harlem Globetrotters. (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 2020)

Any reader interested in history will love learning about William Still and perhaps be motivated to learn more about this era.  Sports enthusiasts will find much of interest in Swish - a prelude to much of our sports history that has followed.  Pair an autographed copy of Swish with a basketball and your gift will be over the top.

Don Tate regularly visits Bookpeople - a book store in Austin TX which often holds book events for local authors - including Don Tate.  Contact Don via his webpage and ask if he might stop in to sign a book for you (you'll have to call Bookpeople and order a copy, and ask that it be autographed) or ask Tate if you could obtain a signed bookplate.   Contact Bookpeople at https://www.bookpeople.com/ - be sure to check their events page.  There may be an event that you are interested in utilizing to purchase other autographed books.  You can contact Don Tate from his website at https://dontate.com/contact/.


And of course not all great books were published in 2020 - and this column is intended to share favorites that may have missed your attention earlier - and to give you the ways and means to obtain an autographed copy for a special child.

Edwards, Michelle.  A Hat for Mrs. Goldman: A Story About Knitting and Love. Illustrated by G. Brian Karas. (Schwartz & Wade, 2016).
Edwards, Michelle.  Max Makes a Cake. Illustrated by Charles Santoso (Random House, 2014).

Michelle Edwards books address common everyday events and passes time through the lens of the Jewish Calendar — In her title Max Makes a Cake - it is the traditional Matzo Cake - an easy to make Passover dessert but in this story Max is on a mission to bake a matzo cake for his mother’s birthday which falls on the same day.  In A Hat for Mrs. Goldman it is Sophia who helps Mrs. Goldman by making the pom-poms for the hats that Mrs. Goldman knits. But when winter comes it is Mrs. Goldman who doesn't have a hat so Sophia sets out the knit one for her friend - but it is lumpy and has holes.  But Sophia is a problem solver, and she does.  
This is probably the easiest method to obtain an autographed book.  Michelle has her books, ready to autograph, and for sale on her Etsy site.  You can also purchase cards, prints, and several of her earlier titles.  In addition to the titles mentioned above - don't miss Papa's Latkes - a perfect title for introducing traditions surrounding Hanukkah.
Check out Michelle Edwards's Etsy shop at  https://www.etsy.com/shop/studioscrawls/ and you will be delighted.


Another author/illustrator with her own Etsy shop is Claudia McGehee who has illustrated these two books and many others.  Check out her Etsy shop at https://www.etsy.com/shop/ClaudiaMcGehee .

Martin, Jacqueline Briggs.  Creekfinding:A True Story. Illustrated by Claudia McGehee.  University of Minnesota, 2017.
McGehee, Claudia. Where Do Birds Live? University of Iowa Press, 2010.
Creekfinding: A True Story takes place in Northeast Iowa and recounts the restoration of an ecosystem - when the creek is brought back so do the trout, the frogs, all the flora and fauna associated with the prairie setting.  Delightful inspiration for taking action where one can.  A great book for future activists.

Pair McGehee's Where Do Birds Live? with a pair of binoculars and enjoy sharing some birdwatching.  
Visit Claudia's Etsy shop:  https://www.etsy.com/shop/ClaudiaMcGehee and order autographed books and perhaps a print to frame.  Her illustrations are filled with nature.  The books and perhaps a print would be the perfect gift for a young one who might enjoy a spot of nature.


Jacqueline Briggs Martin is the author of Creekfinding: A True Story (see above) and if it is her autograph you wish to have - you can get that title and several of her other titles from one of her favorite spots, The Perfect Blend, in her hometown of Mount Vernon, Iowa. The little shop carries a fine selection of Martin’s books - Bim, Bam, Bop … and Oona among them.  Just call Ann Booth at the Perfect Blend (319) 895-6862 and arrange to pay and have an autographed book sent to you.  You can find information about all of Jacqueline's books on her website https://jacquelinebriggsmartin.com .


Martin, Jacqueline Briggs. Bim, Bam, Bop ... and Oona. Illustrated by Larry Day. University of Minnesota Press, 2019.

Bim, Bam, Bop ... and Oona is one of my favorite titles.  It celebrates creativity, friendship, and is a fun book to read and share with listeners -- the illustrations by Larry Day will inspire budding inventors and tinkerers and others who are good with gizmos and gadgets. Call Ann Booth at the Perfect Blend (319) 895-6862.


Jane Kurtz's book What Do They Do With All That Poo? continues to delight (and inform) young readers.  Imagine the fun in finding out that some animal's poo is square, white, or that other animals use their poo to mark their territory.  Jane has a close-by bookstore that will gladly sell you a book, and it's close enough that Jane can pop down to sign it.  Contact Jane from her website at https://www.janekurtz.com/contact/.  And after getting the go ahead purchase your book from her nearby store - Call Green Bean Books in Portland OR at 503-954-2354; or email them from their website at http://www.greenbeanbookspdx.com/contact-us.html and make your request. 
Or if you prefer check the illustrator's website (See below) - and then request a bookplate from Jane @ https://www.janekurtz.com/contact/ and you will have both signatures.

Allison Black has a link on her illustrator site to a “shop” page where you can purchase an autographed copy of What Do They Do With All That Poo?   Click on this link http://www.hip-hip.com/books. and you will be able to order an autographed copy of What Do They Do With All That Poo?  directly from Allison, with her autograph.  Consider asking Jane to purchase/send a bookplate if you want the book autographed by both Jane and Allison.

Melissa Sweet has many great books - these two are among my favorites, especially Balloons over Broadway: The True Story of the Puppeteer of Macy's Parade, but she has more recent titles, and older ones as well.  Check her titles out at https://www.melissasweet.net/.  To order an autographed copy of any titles that are available, simply contact her local bookstore, Print (Portland, Maine), and request an autographed title.  Be prepared to provide payment and shipping information.  Contact the shop at  https://www.printbookstore.com/

Get ready to celebrate creativity, ingenuity, curiosity, and just plan fun with the many books by Peter H. Reynolds.  Currently my two favorite titles are The Dot (Candlewick, 2003) and The Word Collector (Orchard, 2018).

The Dot has inspired an entire national celebration known as Dot Day.  But for me it was about inspiring the young artist in my life.  So since Reynolds is the owner of his own bookstore, The Blue Bunny Bookstore - it was an opportunity to order an autographed copy and add some creative inspiring additions to create a very special gift package.  

Books by Jane Yolen and Heidi Stemple are available at these three independent book dealers (They live in Massachusetts).
One of my favorites is Heidi's Counting Birds - Check out this blog post at http://bit.ly/countingbirds-stemple


Jennifer Richard Jacobson writes picture books and some dynamite early chapter books, and books for older readers as well.  Order signed copies from her local independent book dealer Print Bookstore.
Link up here to order Jennifer's books: 
https://www.printbookstore.com/jacobson

Twig and Turtle  (4 volumes - Series)

This Is MY Room! (No Tigers Allowed)

The Dollar Kids

Paper Things

Small as an Elephant

Andy Shane and The Know-It-All: 4 books in 1

Andy Shane (7 volumes - Series)

Learn more about the author Jennifer Richard Jacobson and her books at https://www.jenniferjacobson.com/




Hopefully these ideas will inspire some creativity on your part to obtain a special book for you to share with a young reader.  It always seems easier to recommend books for the primary reader - and less so as the reader becomes older and begins to refine their own preferences in reading.  For the older reader I suggest you ask directly - what are you reading these days?  What book would you most like to own?  Then go to work and develop a special gift - seek to get an autographed copy, or add items to enhance the interest the reader has expressed.  Or simply purchase the book and wrap it with love and hand it over.  The book is the star after all.
And if you do want an autographed book -- find a way, but do your research.  Try these steps:
If none of these three options do not pan out, you might politely contact the author through their website and ask if obtaining an autographed copy is possible.
  • Will they be autographing at a location where your could preorder a book?
  • Do they have a working relationship with a bookstore that will send out autographed copies?
  • Or if not either of these two, would they (the author/illustrator) be willing to autograph a book if you sent them one and sent return postage etc.  
And please always keep in mind that an author's or illustrator's time is valuable - an author such as the late Tomie dePaola or Beverly Cleary received so many requests that entire days would be consumed answering mail.  Always maintain thoughtfulness -- and important that you seek out avenues to obtain books that are promoted as being available to buyers.  


Sending the Book - WITH Return Postage
In these cases I always suggest that you purchase a flat rate USPS envelope sufficient to hold your book - ask the post office to create a label/postage and pre-affix it to the envelope.  The envelope should be addressed to yourself.  Fold the envelope and place it in another envelope along with the book for shipping to the author/illustrator.  Be sure to put a thank you note in the envelope and send it off to the address provided by the book creator.  
This allows the author/illustrator to simply receive the book, sign it, and pop it back into the mail as soon as convenient.
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1 comment:

  1. Nick6:23 PM

    Sidekick is so excited to offer signed and personalized copies of all Jennifer Black Reinhardt's books this holiday season! Please give us a call so we are able to help.

    ReplyDelete

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