Displaying at Bay to Barkers

This Sunday, August 2nd, we rejoin the 12th annual celebration Bay to Barkers, sponsored by the Berkeley East Bay Humane Society. This year, dog owners from around the Bay will convene at the parking lot of the Golden Gate Fields horse racing track in Albany, CA. There they will walk with their pooches a mile (or more) to raise money on behalf of the good work of the BEBHS.

We first learned of this event back in 2006 when Immedium published The Year of the Dog, the first book in our Tales from the Chinese Zodiac series. We thought dog owners would appreciate our hero Daniel the dog - and we were right! Now that we have another dozen children's books under our belt, we're glad to share them with these animal lovers. Naturally proceeds from our book sales at the event benefit the BEBHS!

We'll be at table #52/53 (on the bay side of the rectangular event area), near the concession booth. Registration starts at 8:30 am and the event is from 10 am to 1 pm. Come out and enjoy (hopefully) a warm and sunny day by the bay and some friendly barking as well.

A Sunny Day in Carmel

Today, we stretched the outer limits of our day tripping, and headed south to scenic Carmel, CA, to teach another "how to make your own comics class" to interested youth.

Before arriving, we did some sightseeing and visited the Point Lobos State Reserve a little south of the town. Armed with a basic AAA map, it is easy to follow a few hiking paths through the forest to the undulating shore. There lie rocks streaked with webs of tidepools interspersed with pebbly beaches tucked into tiny coves. In the light mid-morning fog, there were a surprising number of travelers who scurried up and down the craggy coastline like the little crabs they were searching for. An impromptu picnic was in order, as seals barked from mysterious hideouts nearby.

Soon the haze would burn off, and yield a picture perfect postcard day, ideal for the bustling tourist trade in shopper friendly Carmel. The librarians were appreciative and prepared hosts who kindly saved a primo parking spot and called the police to watch our car on our behalf - most essential as street parking is now "electronically" monitored with a new $70,000 GPS enabled system where meter maids can take photos of your license plate and time you as your 2 hour limit expires. This branch is a cute nook dedicated to youth and a little oasis of the imagination amidst the galleries and restaurants. The kids (younger and older) were game as well, ready to draw and write and create their own fantastic tales before their various weekend and vacation plans. Next time, we hope to enjoy a long weekend in this little slice of heaven.

Menlo Park Library reserves a seat on Baltazar and the Flying Pirates

Today we received a most appealing invitation from the warm staff at the Menlo Park Library (California) to come read our upcoming book Baltazar and the Flying Pirates. Marke ye calendars for October 5th at 6:30 pm for a hearty family story time, arr!

They kindly informed us that the young readers down there really like their pirates, so they certainly have a deserving treat coming to them (as do the folk at the library in Pinole, CA on September 19th).

Meanwhile on the East Coast, illustrator Justin Roth is making his own dates to read this tall tale and show kids how to draw their own animated buccaneers. So far he's scheduled to present at the Children's Museum of Manhattan on September 27th and the Long Island Children's Museum on November 11th, with more venues to come.

The book is currently at the printer and due back in its finished glory later in August. This summer, countless families will enjoy their vacations at Disneyland, Great America, and Six Flag's - when they go back to school, they will relive their exciting memories with Baltazar!

In the meantime, we'll be sharing previews of the colorful cast and crew...so keep your eyes peeled on the fun just over the horizon.