Photo Recap--Our Event with Andy Rash at the Shorewood Public Library

I'm out of town for a few days, but that didn't stop me from scheduling an event the night before leaving. It was Andy Rash at the Shorewood Public Library, to promote the new Bob Balaban middle-grade novel, The Creature from the Seventh Grade: Boy or Beast. First we got to watch Balaban's trailer, interviewing himself. Only of him was dressed as a dino. I have to get a speaker attachment for my laptop.

Rash talked about what it was like to get this gig working with the well-known actor. Not exactly "with", I guess, as most folks know that in the children's book world, writers and artists don't often collaborate on projects. They stay sort of separate, unless it's one of those cases like Colin Meloy/Carson Ellis or Kevin Henkes/Laura Dronzek, where the artist and illustrator are married. Hard to keep them apart in that situation.

So Rash thought about what Balaban would have looked like in the seventh grade, as the author noted that he called on his own childhood to write the book. Then Rash had to figure out what Balaban would have looked like in the seventh garde if he were a big scaly dinosaur.

Then Andy drew several kids as monsters. They were all quite spooky. And then he signed our copies of Ten Little Zombies, with some great zombie illustrations.

Before, I left, I had a peak at the Goodnight Moon Room, which once was displayed in the Schwartz Book Nook in Whitefish Bay and then the Schwartz Bookshop in Shorewood.

Our next event at the Shorewood Public Library is John Flanagan on Thursday, November 8, 6:30 pm. Flanagan is known for The Ranger's Apprentice and The Brotherband Chronicles. Should be an exciting evening.