| A superb graphic storytelling of a classic Latin American folktale showcases the invisible labor of women and the contributions of Indigenous cultures. Blancaflor, The Hero with Secret Powers , a visually-stunning graphic novel, is garnering rave reviews and just landed on Evanston Public Library’s coveted 101 Great Books for Kids List! LEARN MORE "Splendidly designed" —The New York Times Watch these two women talk "girl power" and what it means to let yourself take up space. Author-Librarian-Blogger Betsy Bird with author Nadja Spiegelman in a 3-minute excerpt of their Facebook Live event "A female-focused lens infuses the classic tale with new energy.” —Publishers Weekly BOOK BLOGGERS & REVIEWERS: REQUEST A REVIEW COPY! Virtual visit with 130 5th grade students in the Washington, DC area was a HIT! Illustrator Sergio García Sánchez (left) tuned in from Spain and Author Nadja Spiegelman (right) tuned in from New York to talk about Blancaflor to 5th grade classrooms at Sargent Shriver Elementary School, located just outside of Washington DC. Thanks to An Open Book Foundation for organizing and hosting the event AND for donating a copy of Blancaflor to every student to take home and keep. García-Sánchez drew live using the program Procreate Each class sent special requests for body parts on the ogre, who ended up with 7 arms, 5 legs, 2 tongues, a large nose, a halo, wings, and a tail. 'Twas a Trilingual Event There was something magical about the conversation effortlessly weaving in and out of three different languages with García-Sánchez speaking in Spanish, French, and English and Spiegelman speaking in French and English, plus a wonderful translator to make sure everyone was keeping up. So Many Questions??? The students were full of questions about the writing process, the story, and about the creators. A few of our favorites: How many minutes did it take you to write the story? Was there anything you left out of the book? Were the characters based on anyone you know in real life? To which Spiegelman referenced her mother, Françoise Mouly to whom she dedicated the book, and García-Sánchez referenced his grandmother who is depicted in one of the characters. We were so happy to share Blancaflor with so many amazing students. THANK YOU to An Open Book Foundation! CONTACT US TO ARRANGE A VIRTUAL AUTHOR VISIT Perfect for on-the-go readers: TOON has eBooks! Your favorite award-winning TOON books are now available on the epic! app for kids and through Overdrive for getting e-books through your local library. If you don't see them, be sure to ask your local library! Enjoy the Halloween weekend and shout out to our favorite costume EVER! This young reader hit it out of the park with their version of Stinky by Eleanor Davis. If you're still planning your costume, why not dress as your favorite TOON character? Tag us on Instagram ( @toonbooks ) with any TOON-inspired costumes! |
A superb graphic storytelling of a classic Latin American folktale showcases the invisible labor of women and the contributions of Indigenous cultures. | |
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"Splendidly designed" —The New York Times | |
Watch these two women talk
"girl power" and what it means to let yourself take up space.
| |
Author-Librarian-Blogger Betsy Bird with author Nadja Spiegelman in
a 3-minute excerpt of their Facebook Live event
| |
"A female-focused lens infuses the classic tale with new energy.” —Publishers Weekly | |
Virtual visit with 130 5th grade students in the Washington, DC area was a HIT! | |
Illustrator Sergio García Sánchez (left) tuned in from Spain and Author Nadja Spiegelman (right) tuned in from New York to talk about Blancaflor to 5th grade classrooms at Sargent Shriver Elementary School, located just outside of Washington DC. Thanks to An Open Book Foundation for organizing and hosting the event AND for donating a copy of Blancaflor to every student to take home and keep.
| |
García-Sánchez drew live using the program Procreate | |
Each class sent special requests for body parts on the ogre, who ended up with 7 arms, 5 legs, 2 tongues, a large nose, a halo, wings, and a tail. | |
There was something magical about the conversation effortlessly weaving in and out of three different languages with García-Sánchez speaking in Spanish, French, and English and Spiegelman speaking in French and English, plus a wonderful translator to make sure everyone was keeping up.
| |
The students were full of questions about the writing process, the story, and about the creators. A few of our favorites: How many minutes did it take you to write the story? Was there anything you left out of the book? Were the characters based on anyone you know in real life? To which Spiegelman referenced her mother, Françoise Mouly to whom she dedicated the book, and García-Sánchez referenced his grandmother who is depicted in one of the characters. | |
|
We were so happy to share Blancaflor with so many amazing students.
THANK YOU to
An Open Book Foundation!
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|
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|
Perfect for on-the-go readers: TOON has eBooks! | |
Your favorite award-winning TOON books are now available on the epic! app for kids and through Overdrive for getting e-books through your local library. If you don't see them, be sure to ask your local library! | |
|
|
Enjoy the Halloween weekend and shout out to our favorite costume EVER! | |
This young reader hit it out of the park with their version of Stinky by Eleanor Davis. If you're still planning your costume, why not dress as your favorite TOON character? Tag us on Instagram (@toonbooks) with any TOON-inspired costumes! | |
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