A Picture Book Club Virtual Event

Moonbow x Shelf Editions!

Exciting Announcement!

I’ve teamed up with Shelf Editions, an incredibly well-curated online children’s picture book shop. If you’re a fan of Moonbow’s recommendations, you’ll love Shelf Editions! It’s owned by the picture book author and illustrator Helen Hancocks. I felt an instant kinship with Helen when we “met” a couple of years ago. Helen lives in Lincoln, UK — we’ve never actually met in person, but if anyone would like to sponsor me on a trip to England, my schedule is wide open. Helen and I are both book-obsessed and moon-obsessed, so our friendship was basically inevitable.

Helen and I have a lot of fun things in the works for you! First up: we’re taking Shelf Editions Picture Book Club virtual.

Make sure you subscribe to Moonbow + Helen’s new Substack newsletter, Shelf Life, for future Moonbow x Shelf Editions announcements. I’ll also share more on Substack’s Notes.

The Event!

Join Helen and me to celebrate June’s full moon (the Strawberry Moon) by participating in a conversation about a few of our favorite moony picture books.

Why you should join us:

• To meet like-minded picture book lovers.

• To participate in a chat about picture books: from what a picture book is, who they are for, the forms they take, the artwork, the themes, and what we look for in a picture book.

• To get book recommendations from people who care deeply about getting high-quality, interesting books into children's hands.

• It’s free!

When & Where?

June 2nd at 11 am California time / 7 pm London time. Register now to attend on Zoom.

This is a fun, informal event. Helen and I will open the conversation to participants at the end to ask questions or to add their thoughts about the books.

The Books!

1. In the Half Room by Carson Ellis | Read about it on Moonbow

2. Chirri and Chirra, In the Night by Kaya Doi | Read about it on Moonbow

3. Moon Man by Tomi Ungerer (also available in Tomi Ungerer: A Treasury of 8 Books | Read about it on Moonbow

Check out Moonbow’s recommendations on Shelf Editions!

Unfortunately, Shelf Editions only ships within the UK. If you see a book you like or want to buy one of the book club books ahead of time, you can shop them on my Bookshop.org page, at your local independent bookshop, or check them out from the library.

Most likely, there won't be time to read all three books during the event. Please read the books beforehand if you can. This won’t run like a typical book club. Think of it as a casual chat between friends who want to share their thoughts, ideas, and interesting perspectives about picture books.

We encourage you to join us in the conversation. When it’s time for participants to ask questions and make comments, here are some things to think about:

• Which of these three books is your favorite and why?

• What’s your favorite picture book with illustrations of the moon? Or your favorite picture book about the moon?

• What do you look for in a picture book? And what is the very first thing that stands out to you when looking at a picture book?

• Do you judge a book by its cover? What makes a book stand out on a shelf? How does a book’s design affect the experience of reading it?

• How do the words and the pictures play with one another in these books?

• How does rhythm affect storytelling?

• How do you feel about ambiguous stories? Do you like them? Why or why not?

• What role does the moon play in each of these stories?

• Was there anything that surprised you about these books?

• Was there something you didn’t like about any of them?

You can also ask Helen about her process, art, writing, owning a bookstore, etc.

We hope to see you there!

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