Harry Bliss, when he isn’t playing hockey, is making jokes. Sometimes, he turns them into cartoons. Bliss’s career has ranged from illustrating children’s books to numerous New Yorker cartoons and covers. His job, he says, is “not simply illustrating the words,” but trying to “move the story forward visually.” In his collaboration with Scott Menchin, Grandma in Blue with Red Hat, a young boy offers up his grandmother for a museum exhibition. This charming book will lead readers of all ages to ask: “What is art?”
Barney Saltzberg has fashioned a career of illustrating and writing nearly fifty books for children. Beautiful Oops is one of his many titles. His newest creation, Inside This Book, features three siblings crafting their own books and learning about their creative processes. He doesn’t limit storytelling to the page, either. The author, who admits that he wanted to be John Lennon when he was growing up, has released four CDs of music for children, with titles including “Crazy Hair Day” and “Where, Oh, Where’s My Underwear?” He also works with the US State Department Cultural Exchange Program.
1:30 p.m. Illustration workshop with Harry Bliss ($15 per person)