From the picture book, THE MUKLUK BALL, written by Katharine Johnson and illustrated by me!. “All autumn Karhu swayed, glided and whirled with his new friends.” —Katharine Johnson, Minnesota Historical Society Press. #Cozytober #Drawlloween2021 #drawlloween #witch #ChildrensBooks #scbwiARTober #kidlitart #artistsoninstagram #amillustrating #portfolio #work #multimedia #artistontwitter #Cozytober is a month-long art prompt during October.
The Loft Wordplay Festival-May 2019
Last weekend (May 11-12, 2019) was packed with amazing speakers, workshops, books, food trucks and more. I had lots of fun at our book signing with several other fabulous Minnesota authors and illustrators in the Children’s Expo Area E. We are looking forward to next year’s event!
From Left to Right: Alicia Schwab, Yvonne Pearson, Amanda Huneke, Quinette Cook, and Rebecca K. S. Ansari
School Visits
Alicia Schwab does school visits! I read my books to the students and we make up and perform our very own "Bear Hug Twist" dance from THE MUKLUK BALL, by Katharine Johnson and illustrations by Alicia Schwab.
In March 2018
and Jeanette Bradley put launched this very informative survey on
“Transparency in Pay for Author and Illustrator School Visits”
. It was featured in the September 12the, 2018 issue of the Pro Insider (a publication for PAL "Published and Listed" members os SCBWI.) I have also been learning all about school visits from this blog and from Emma Walton Hamilton's
.
Inspiring children to learn and grow is really fun! I look forward to reading and dancing with the kids in schools in the near future.
Steger Mukluk Encore Book launch
We are so pleased to be going back to Steger Mukluk store in Ely, MN February 9th, 2019 at 11 am! Author Katherine Johnson and I will whoop it up with our fans in Ely, MN this weekend. In the bold north, not only are we not afraid of winter we celebrate it. There will be lots of activities in the region celebrating the Winter Festival. On February 16th, there will be a Mukluk Ball at the Grand Ely Lodge. And on February 9th, there will be a Mukluk Ball at the Hygge Festival in Grand Marais, MN. Come read, dance and get a signed book at our book party, Steger Mukluks, 33 East Sheridan St., Ely, MN 55731
Books for Breakfast
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| photo: Kristin Johnson |
The Red Balloon Bookshop - Book Party!
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| Event link |
Author, Katharine Johnson and Illustrator, Alicia Schwab present The Mukluk Ball picture book
Red Balloon Bookshop
891 Grand Avenue, St Paul, MN 55105
Book reading, book signing and fun activities!
Pioneer Press Article — The Mukluk Ball
link to article
New books provide teachable moments for young readers – and fun!
by Mary Ann Grossmann
PICTURE BOOKS
“The Mukluk Ball” by
Katharine Johnson, illustrated by Alicia Schwab (Minnesota Historical
Society Press, $16.95.) Put this “up north” picture book at the top of
your Christmas gift list. It is one of the most joyful tales (tails?) of
the season. Karhu, the bear, tells his owl friend Zazaa that this is
the year he’s going to the Mukluk Ball, Finn Town’s liveliest winter
event. But he has to earn money to buy mukluks, so he picks blueberries
and sells them at the Blueberry Festival. It’s $2 “for a PAW-ful” that
comes with a real bear hug.
Karhu
laces up his mukluks and learns to dance; Millie twirls him in a polka;
Mary Ann the librarian shows him the boogie-woogie, and Inga the
folksinger teaches him the chachacha. But Karhu has a problem. The ball
is in January and he can’t stay awake. So he takes a nap snug in his den
until Zazaa wakes him to go to the ball, where the Finn Hall band plays
and Karhu “twirled and whirled, twizzled and spun” until he fell asleep
on Inga’s shoulder. It takes the Shagawa Square Dancers to take him to
their bus and then he is pulled home on a dog sled.
Back home, Karhu snored and dreamed of dancing. His toes tapped in time to the music of the Mukluk Ball.
Author
Johnson says she wears mukluks all winter in Cloquet. Illustrator
Schwab, who lives in Minneapolis, calls this a super fun project for
which “I danced and listened to a lot of music to fall into the rhythm
of the book’s illustrations.” Her colorful, muscular pictures leave no
doubt this is a northern Minnesota story, from the log cabin-style
buildings to Karhu’s den (with a round window), rabbits tobogganing, and
happy dogs pulling the sleeping bear on the sled. Even the endpapers
are covered with colorful floral designs and different pairs of mukluks.
There’s lots of hugging and happiness in this book that will make
readers of all ages smile.
Johnson and Schwab will launch their book at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 17, at Red Balloon Bookshop, 891 Grand Ave., St. Paul.