David McPhail Book Signing Photos!

Here are Chris McGarry’s pictures of the David McPhail book signing that happened during the festival.  Enjoy!

Chris McGarry’s images from the Festival!

Please take time to enjoy the pictures I took during this year’s festival.  The ones below are a portion of the images.  All of the David McPhail images will be in the next post.  Click on any image to view in a larger format.  Enjoy!

Jay McCarthy’s photos from this year’s Festival!

Please enjoy viewing some of Jay McCarthy’s images from this year’s festival.  You can click on an image to make it larger.  Enjoy!

Paula Renda’s photos from this year’s Festival!

Please take a look at some of Paula Renda’s photos from this year’s festival.  You can click on any image to make it larger.  Enjoy!

Kay Bice’s photos from this year’s Festival!

Please enjoy viewing some of Kay Bice’s photos from this year’s festival.  You can click on any image to view it in a larger format.  Kay also has a website you can view some of her other images.  Enjoy!

www.bearspirit.zenfolio.com

Eva Timothy’s photos from this year’s Festival!

Please enjoy some of the photos that one of our volunteer photographers, Eva Timothy, took at this year’s festival!  Click on the image to see a larger version of it.    You can also see some of Eva’s other images on her website  www.illumea.com
 Enjoy!

Opening Ceremonies & Author’s Dinner

Tonight was opening night for the Newburyport Literary Festival, which started at the Firehouse and concluded at Nicholson Hall.  Attached are a few pictures from the event.

Dinner with the Authors!

Please join us for Dinner with the Authors on Friday, April 24 at 7:30 p.m. Nicholson Hall, 7 Harris Street, Newburyport MA.

$50 per person to mix & mingle with your favorite festival authors!

Please CLICK HERE to purchase tickets online!

About David McPhail – 2009 Honoree

David McPhail

It is with great pleasure that the Newburyport Literary Festival recognizes David McPhail’s contribution to children’s literature by naming him its 2009 Honoree. He is a native son and past resident of Newburyport.

McPhail is the award-winning author and illustrator of nearly 200 books beloved by children, parents and librarians across the United States. He is recognized as one of the most prolific and influential children’s authors in the country. His whimsical stories and lively watercolors engross his readers in the lives of his characters, inspiring them to broaden their reading interests and build their literacy skills.

McPhail’s young readers quickly identify with the characters in his tender-hearted stories. His boys and girls become their role models and heroes, and his lovable animals – pigs, bears, ponies, moles – embody virtues they admire. McPhail feels that an animal can do things that might be too scary for a young child to do. From his first book, The Bear’s Toothache, published in 1972, many memorable animal stories have followed, including Mole Music, Henry Bear’s Park, and the popular Pig Pig stories. In 1993, McPhail introduced us to his series of Edward books, whose charming main character combines his love of reading with his imaginative quest for adventure.

McPhail has garnered many prestigious awards, including a New York Times Book Review Best Illustrated Book of the Year for Mole Music in 2001. McPhail’s other books include First Flight, which the New York Times praised as “hilarious and helpful”; and Lost!, which was chosen as an American Bookseller Pick of the Lists. In a starred review of Mole Music, Publishers Weekly said, “McPhail’s delicate watercolor-and-ink paintings work seamlessly in tandem with the words to deliver a truly resonant message: that music can change the world.”

David McPhail’s drawing career began at age two, with a black crayon on paper bags provided by his grandmother, in an effort to save the walls of her home! After graduating high school in 1963, McPhail enrolled in the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. While there, he rediscovered children’s books, particulary the illustrations of Maurice Sendak. Sendak’s influence can be seen in the cross-hatching McPhail used to illustrate his early books, which has evolved to his preference for the use of pen and ink with watercolor.

McPhail grew up on Lime Street in Newburyport where he returned to raise his young children. Many of his sketches today grace the walls of the Newburyport Public Library and the Cashman School in Amesbury, in addition to other local institutions. McPhail has four children, three stepchildren, and is a proud grandfather. He is married to Jan Waldron, with whom he has written and illustrated several books. He lives in Rye, New Hampshire, but visits friends and family in Newburyport often.

Dorothy LaFrance — 2009 Honoree

Dorothy LaFrance

Dorothy LaFrance recently retired from the Newburyport Public Library after serving as Head Librarian for 30 years.

In addition to functioning as a City Department Head, she is a former past President of the Merrimack Valley Library Consortium, former member of many State, Regional and Consortium standing and ad-hoc library committees. In Newburyport she is a member of the Cultural Alliance Roundtable, the Lifelong Learning Lyceum, Wellport’s Greater Newburyport Community Council, and the Oversight Committee for the Newburyport Schools’ Strategic Planning Process. She is on the Board of Directors for the Newburyport Area Industrial Development Foundation, Newburyport Literary Association, Greater Newburyport Adult Education, and Housing Support, Inc. She is a Trustee of the Newburyport Bank and a member and secretary of the bank’s Community Reinvestment Committee.

Mrs. LaFrance earned her B.A. in History from the University of Maine. She was awarded a Master of Science Degree in Library and Information Studies from Simmons College and, subsequently, was elected to the Beta Phi Mu Honor Society.

In 1998 the American Association of University Women recognized her “leadership and accomplishments as they related to equity, tolerance and caring.” In 2003 the Associated General Contractors of Massachusetts and the Boston Society of Architects presented her with the prestigious John Carlson Award for her “integrity and professionalism during the design and construction process related to the renovation and expansion of the Newburyport Public Library.”

Mrs. LaFrance resides in Newburyport with Bob LaFrance, her husband of 40 years. They have two grown sons and 5 grandchildren.