Celebrate young readers at the Walker’s first ever Kids’ Book Fair! Listen to award-winning children’s authors share their work, catch demonstrations by illustrators, get your books signed, and create your own literary-themed artwork.
Free First Saturdays feature free gallery admission on the first Saturday of every month, plus performances, games, art-making, and kids’ films from 10 am to 3 pm. Family friendly food options are available or bring something from home to snack on in the lounge or in the Garden.
Authors and illustrators will be reading and signing books all day! Special guest Daniel Salmieri (Dragons Love Tacos, Those Darn Squirrels) will read from his new book Bear and Wolf.
The Walker Shop will feature a huge display of children’s picture books, board books, and story books for ages 0–12, including a range by the day’s featured authors and illustrators.
Eliza Wheeler
10:30 am
Eliza Wheeler is the author/illustrator of Miss Maple’s Seeds, which debuted on the New York Times Best Seller list. A 2017 Sendak Fellowship recipient, she has illustrated many children’s books, including The Pomegranate Witch (Denise Doyen), Tell Me A Tattoo Story (Alison McGhee), and the 2014 Newbery Honor book Doll Bones (Holly Black).
Phyllis Root
11:30 am
Phyllis Root has published fifty books for children, including Anywhere Farm, Ten Sleepy Sheep, and Plant a Pocket of Prairie. Her recent One North Star: A Counting Book won a 2017 Riverby Award, a Northeastern Minnesota Book Award, and a Midwest Booksellers Choice Award.
Mélina Mangal
12:30 pm
Mélina Mangal has authored a number of books and short stories for young readers, including biographies on award-winning authors such as Virginia Hamilton and Rita Williams-Garcia. Her debut picture book, The Vast Wonder of the World: Biologist Ernest Everett Just, brings the African American scientific pioneer to life in what Kirkus Reviews magazine calls “more than a story of triumph against the odds.”
Daniel Salmieri
1:30 pm
Daniel Salmieri is an award-winning illustrator of several children’s books, including the New York Times best-seller Dragons Love Tacos. He regularly creates illustrations for magazines and newspapers. Bear and Wolf marks his debut as an author/illustrator.
Art-Making: Playful Pop-Up Books
10 am–3 pm
Create a pop-up book inspired by your own short story in this activity led by artist Nancy Ariza. Use shapes and illustrations along with easy cuts and folds to bring dimension and excitement to every page.
Nancy Ariza is a local printmaker and educator whose work is inspired by children’s book illustrations and folklore. She is currently the Education and Community Programs Fellow at Highpoint Center for Printmaking, where she facilitates youth and adult workshops.
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