Orlando, FL –
At the end of last month the ALA Annual and the ABA Children’s Institute welcomed the award-winning artist William Grill for a week of panels, signings, and fun at their annual shows! William sent over some pics of the cool things he was up to during his visit to Orlando and we thought you might want to take a look:
Here’s William hard at work at one of his signings, carefully drawing in a copy of his newest book The Wolves of Currumpaw. The lines to get to William’s table were pretty long, but he made sure to say hi to everyone and send them off with a quick sketch.
One of the perks of being a renowned author and illustrator is meeting all of the dedicated readers from around the world. Here’s William spending time with a young lady excited about her growing collection of William’s work.
And here he is sitting with Bobby Byrd, one of the publishers behind Cinco Puntos Press and a big fan of William’s work!
But it wasn’t all panels and meet-and-greets. Here he is up to a bit of mischief outside of the WonderWorks Museum of Orlando, which we’ve just learned has Laser Tag. If only we’d known sooner!
William got into a bit of trouble on this mini golf course, but fortunately for him, he’s as skilled in the art of negotiation and charm as he is with a coloured pencil.
Adventure can be found anywhere! At least that what William was shouting before he found himself trapped in this backhoe.
All in all, it was a very fun and very busy week for us at ALA and the Children’s Institute! We were so lucky to meet so many brilliant authors and fans at these wonderful shows!
Thanks so much to ALA and the Children’s Institute, as well as the beautiful city of Orlando for having us!
Here’s a message from William:
Stepping out of the airport I was instantly greeted by the warm Orlando air, reminding me that it was Summer, something that I’d forgotten about back in London. Like the weather, the librarians, booksellers, and illustrators I came across all greeted me with the same warmth and enthusiasm.
It was a pleasure to chat to people from all over the country that had come together to get excited about new books. As an illustrator you rarely get to meet the people who actually help promote your work through shops and libraries, without them we’d be stuffed!
Having made a book that is rooted in American culture I’m glad I could make a connection with people of the same background, especially those that live near New Mexico and have heard of the story.
The most memorable part of the trip was discussing how to make books more appealing for reluctant readers with illustrators as well as librarians. This is what really drives me to keep making books and seeing what you can do with the format. It’s encouraging that the US is conscious of this, and it’s something I hope to continue being a part of.
Lastly, it might look fun to pretend you’re being scooped up by an excavator bucket but those things are ridiculously dirty, be warned.
For more on The Wolves of Currumpaw, be sure to check out our webshop!
Also, don’t forget to check out The Wall Street Journal’s review and Publishers Weekly’s interview with William!