“Jan Brett's Winter Wonderland Tour with Prairie Lights Books" at the Davenport Public Library's Eastern Avenue Branch -- December 2.
Saturday, December 2, 10 a.m. - 1 p.m.
Davenport Public Library Eastern Avenue Branch, 6000 Eastern Avenue, Davenport IA
Beloved for her colorful, detailed depictions of a wide variety of animals and human cultures ranging from Scandinavia to Africa, children's-book author Jan Brett will visit the Davenport Public Library's Eastern Avenue Branch on December 2, her area appearance courtesy of Prairie Lights Book occurring in tandem with the grand opening of the library's new Enhanced Children’s Area.
With her many book titles including The Mitten, The Hat, and Gingerbread Baby, Brett has adapted or retold traditional stories such as the Gingerbread Man and Goldilocks and has illustrated classics such as The Owl and the Pussycat. Brett's earliest book in the Library of Congress online catalog was published by Atheneum Books in 1978: Woodland Crossings, with 43 pages of text by Stephen Krensky and drawings by Jan Brett Bowler. Its catalog covers 13 books she created from 1978 to 1984, all but one as an illustrator with another writer. (That one was the self-illustrated picture book Fritz & the Beautiful Horses, published by Houghton Mifflin in 1981.) Beginning with 1985's Annie & the Wild Animals, Brett created numerous picture books as writer and illustrator, and recent works include The Turnip, Gingerbread Christmas, The Mermaid, The Snowy Nap, and The Tale of the Tiger Slippers.
At the Eastern Avenue Branch on December 2, Brett's tour bus will be parked in the library’s parking lot beginning at 9 a.m., the vehicle famously wrapped in artwork from her books. Hedgie, Jan’s favorite friend from The Mitten and The Hat, will be visiting the library as well, and families are invited to have a photo taken with Hedgie, as well as to photograph themselves next to the bus. At 10 a.m., Brett will lead a 20- to 30-minute drawing presentation in the meeting rooms before moving to the new Children's Area for a book signing. Prairie Lights Books will have plenty of books to purchase to accommodate everyone at the event, and will do her very best to sign all the books that time permits. Special signed bookplates featuring her artwork will also be on hand, and families will receive a free signed Jan Brett poster while supplies last.
Additionally, Saturday's celebration will include activities and cookies in the children’s area and a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 9:30 a.m. for the Davenport Public Library’s Grand Opening of the Enhanced Children’s Area. The new space includes interactive nature-themed kiosks and wall panels that promote imagination and early literacy skills. The Davenport Public Library will also welcome representatives from Davenport's German American Heritage Center for a presentation on German Winter Holiday Traditions, an event taking place in the meeting rooms at 11:30 a.m.
For more information on Jan Brett's Winter Wonderland Tour with Prairie Lights Books, call (563)326-7832 and visit DavenportLibrary.com.
