September Hedge a gram

Happy September!

     This is Jan Brett with your September hedge a gram.  The next two months are all about you, the readers!   Although I am working on my book, Gingerbread Pals, I am also part of the team that plans the October book tour.  We (my husband Joe and me) have a big bus that will carry us all over the U.S. to small and medium sized towns and a few cities to talk about my book and sign copies of The Three Snow Bears.  I will be interviewed for the newspapers that are read in each town we stop in.  I am very excited about meeting some of the readers that have written or emailed me.  It means a lot to me that I can start each signing with a drawing and description of Baffin Island, the place we traveled to that give a setting for the story.  We will be making a stop at the Brookfield Zoo - it's about 1/2  way through the tour.  Because of our close look at their polar bear while it was asleep for a medical exam, I knew that a polar bear's tongue is more grey than pink!  At one point, baby bear sticks out his tongue, I could have easily made a mistake and made it pink.   I will be re-visiting some towns that I've been to before.  Amazingly I'll meet children that were toddlers last time I saw them and they will be reading chapter books!  I just heard from someone who wrote to me with one of my first "author" letters.  I've only heard from her once in the last 20 years since she first wrote when she was six.  I can't wait to meet her, now she has two young children of her own.  I still remember her first letter said "I like horses better that my parents", which can be taken in two ways. 
      If you haven't been to one of my signings, this is how it works.  Everyone is invited to my presentation and can have as many signed bookplates as they wish.  The bookstore gives out 275 free tickets to families and folks who would like to meet me, many also would like to take our picture together.  The bus pulls up at the bookstore and Hedgie is there to greet everyone.  I give a talk and do a drawing, and we present 5 free books to librarians from the community.  The first 100 people in line receive a free signed poster from one of my books.   I'm looking forward to meeting everyone and to talking about my new book.  It is very snowy and you see the snow bear family cozy in their parkas.  I did lots of research about Inuit clothes and I'll tell you all about it.
     I will really miss working on my paintings while I'm on the bus.  If feels sort of funny to not have them by my side, but I'll be creating a new Arctic coloring mural to share with everyone on my website.   Please stop by and learn about the creative field of children's book illustration and tell me all about your interest in drawing, writing or reading.
     I can't wait to meet you!

                           Best regards,

                              Jan Brett