ICON 12

I learned a lot and thoroughly enjoyed myself at ICON12 at MIA in Minneapolis, MN!

Here are some key takeaways:

John Hendrix, Washington State University, St. Louis, MS

Dynamic husband and wife team: Rudy Gutierrez and DK Dyson

Even tough my photo caught these two with their eyes closed, this was an envigorating finish to a wonderful conference. Rudy Gutierrez shared images about his amazing illustration career and DK Dyson sang and shared insightful knowledge.

Advocate for yourself

• Invoice immediately.

• Don’t burn bridges; it’s a small industry.

• Take breaks: every 20 minutes focus on something distant for 20 seconds.

• Meander down different paths to try new things.

It was refreshing to hear several presenters discuss and showcase “mental health” and “burnout” in their presentations. You can’t do good work if you don’t take care of your brain and body.

• What are your rituals for self-care?

• How do you find a balance between work/life?

• How do you build resilience?

Unicycle Dad Book Launch: Red Balloon Bookshop March 23, 2024

Red Balloon is excited to welcome local illustrator Alicia Schwab for a special storytime in honor of her new picture book, Unicycle Dad!

Sarah cooks, takes care of her brother, and does homework on her own, while her single dad is at work or school. Based on the author's childhood, Unicycle Dad shares the inherent struggles and quiet joys of a single-parent, impoverished household. Join Alicia Schwab for a read-aloud of Unicycle Dad, a drawing demonstration, and snacks!

To attend: This event is open to the public, but registration helps us when considering spatial constraints. You can register through March 23, 9:00am and order a copy of the book below. Extra copies of Unicycle Dad will be available for purchase during the event.

Signing Guidelines: Following the event, Alicia Schwab will sign and personalize copies of the book. If you would prefer not to stay for the signing portion, Red Balloon is happy to have your books signed and personalized for you and will contact you when they're ready to be picked up.

Accessibility: Red Balloon Bookshop is wheelchair accessible and has a handicap parking spot directly behind our store. If you have a disability or medical condition and have questions about or need other specific accommodations, please email events@redballoonbookshop.com or call 651-224-8320.

Alicia Schwab (a-LEE-sha SHH-wab) (she/her/hers) is an award-winning illustrator of books in multiple genres. Alicia is an advocate of autism and learning differences, and specializes in books about characters who conquer adversity. She speaks on various topics at bookstores, schools, libraries, conferences, and book festivals.

Sarah Hovorka is an author of picture books, novels and short stories for all ages. She is a member of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators and the California Writers Club. Sarah lives with her husband and her three sons in California.

SLJ - Review for Uncle Dad, by Sarah Hovorka and Alicia Schwab

UNICYCLE DAD

A touching tale based on the author’s childhood experience. The narrative, revolving around a father-daughter relationship, adeptly relates the challenges of learning to ride a unicycle to the broader struggles in the father and daughter’s life. As the story unfolds, readers discover the family’s low-income status and the father’s journey to obtain his high school degree while navigating the responsibilities of single parenthood. Hovorka introduces many poignant moments, including her father’s graduation and subsequent disappointment at work resulting in him needing a second job, that showcase the harsh realities of financial struggles. The children adapt to his increased workload, with the daughter taking on more responsibilities at home. Schwab’s illustrations add a simple and realistic charm to the narrative. This book skillfully captures the emotions and challenges faced by the characters, making the story accessible and engaging for young readers.

VERDICT

A heartwarming story of family resilience and an empowering narrative about overcoming obstacles—a valuable addition to any collection. —School Library Journal

5-Star Goodreads Community Reviews

Look at all these positive reviews for UNICYCLE DAD, written by Sarah Hovorka and illustrated by Alicia Schwab.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Sarah knows her unicycle-riding dad is special--even as Sarah cooks, takes care of her brother, and does homework on her own. When her dad finally graduates from high school, gets a second job, and eventually lands a promotion, Sarah realizes there's so much more that's special about him. Unicycle Dad shares the inherent struggles and quiet joys of a single-parent, impoverished household. Raised by a single teenage father in poverty, author Sarah Hovorka grew up in a family structure lived by many but seldom represented in children's books. Illustrator Alicia Schwab captures the story with warm, expressive art.

#PB24galore Picture Book Cover Reveal

I will update our list of fantastic picture books as they come in. 2024 here we come!

#PB24Galore: new picture books to explore!

Meet our fabulous team of explorers! We all have new picture books in 2024. Check back for more news and giveaways.

ADAM MING linktr.ee/adamming

ALICIA SCHWAB linktr.ee/AliciaSchwab

COLLEEN MUSKE colleenmuske.com

JEANETTE FAZZARI JONES https://jeanettejones1981.wixsite.com/jeanettefazzarijo

JENIN MOHAMMED https://www.jeninmohammed.com/books/

MIRKA HOKKANEN smart.bio/mirkahokkanen

SARAH KURPIEL https://sarahkurpiel.com/

ZAINAB KHAN https://www.facebook.com/zainab.khan.967

Downtown St. Paul Voice

Another lovely article in my local paper, the Downtown St. Paul Voice. Our book, THE HOUSE WE SHELTERED IN / THE MASKS WE WORE, was written by Freeman Ng and illustrated by 16 illustrators (including me).

The book is about the pandemic and how the world learned to live during this challenging time in our history. A dual volume: two stories that start from each end of a flippable book. The flippable dual structure of the book seemed a natural expression of its yin-yang nature. The first poem, The House We Sheltered In, is inward-looking. It’s about comfort and security. The second poem, The Masks We Wore, is outward-looking, about the actions we took in the world to combat the virus.

Order your copy today at www.pandemicpb.com

South Shore Community Magazine

Massachusetts illustrator Olivia Pinney is featured in this article from the spring/summer edition of South Shore Community Magazine where Pinney lives. She was one of 16 illustrators (including me) that created art for Freeman Ng’s picture book THE HOUSE WE SHELTERED IN / THE MASKS WE WORE.

The book is about the pandemic and how the world learned to live during this challenging time in our history. A dual volume: two stories that start from each end of a flippable book. The flippable dual structure of the book seemed a natural expression of its yin-yang nature. The first poem, The House We Sheltered In, is inward-looking. It’s about comfort and security. The second poem, The Masks We Wore, is outward-looking, about the actions we took in the world to combat the virus.

Order your copy today at www.pandemicpb.com

Pioneer Press, St. Paul, MN

On June 23, 2023, my local paper, the Pioneer Press, ran a feature on our book, THE HOUSE WE SHELTERED IN / THE MASKS WE WORE, written by Freeman Ng and illustrated by 16 illustrators (including me).

The book is about the pandemic and how the world learned to live during this challenging time in our history. The book is about the pandemic and how the world learned to live during this challenging time in our history. A dual volume: two stories that start from each end of a flippable book. The flippable dual structure of the book seemed a natural expression of its yin-yang nature. The first poem, The House We Sheltered In, is inward-looking. It’s about comfort and security. The second poem, The Masks We Wore, is outward-looking, about the actions we took in the world to combat the virus.

Order your copy today at www.pandemicpb.com

SUN SAILOR NEWSPAPER

YAY! We have an article in the local SUN SAILOR paper covering Minnetonka, Excelsior, Eden Prairie, Plymouth, Wayzata, St. Louis Park and Hopkins, Minnesota.

https://www.hometownsource.com/sun_sailor/free/plymouth-author-contributes-to-dual-volume-picture-book-about-pandemic-life/article_89a8fe90-0a30-11ee-b0fc-3b8c74887e72.html

The House We Sheltered In / The Masks We Wore is a dual volume: two stories that start from each end of a flippable book. Each poem begins at the cover and ends in the middle of the book.

Three Daughters Press, 2023

ISBN: 978-0-9906197-9-6

Written by poet and author Freeman Ng and illustrated by a team of 14 artists:

Alicia Schwab, Annie Kuhn, Brigitte West, Cheryl Ann Warren, Eshanthie Tyner, Gabriela Vega, Haley Grunloh, Jessica Chrysler, Juliana Castro, Rebecca Hoenig, Ruby Michelle, Sara Nintzel, Olivia Pinney, and Wendy Roble.

Buy this book!

A day for celebration!!

“WHO says Covid-19 is no longer a global health emergency.” Thank goodness.

BOOK LAUNCH: Yes, I made a book with TWO covers! I collaborated with a team of creators from around the globe. We made a #pb flipbook celebrating the joys of homebound life and the collective heroism of our fight against COVID-19. By author Freeman Ng & 14 international illustrators: Alicia Schwab, Anaya Pinney, Annie Kuhn, Brigitte West, Cheryl Anne Warren, Eshanthie Tyner, Gabriela Vega, Haley Grunloh, Jessica Chrysler, Julianna Castro, Rebecca Hoenig, Ruby Michelle, Sara Nintzel, Olivia Pinney, and Wendy Roble. https://pandemicpb.com/
BUY THIS BOOK!

ChildrensIllustrators.com

I’m having a good month at ChildrensIllustrators.com! Their February newsletter theme is “bear”, and they highlighted my picture book, THE MUKLUK BALL written by Katharine Johnson, illus. by AliciaSchwab. Published by the Minnesota Historical Society Press.

Also, my art for an upcoming SCBWI IA/MN conference featured this week (Feb. 6—12, 2022) on the ChildrensIllustrators.com homepage!

STEM/STEAM: Ring Ring! Earth is Calling

Did you know, earthquakes can make sound!

Q: On Valentine’s Day what did the Volcano say to the Tectonic Plate?

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A: “I lava you.”

FAN MAIL!

Who doesn’t like getting fan mail?! Recently, Rep. Deb Haaland became the Secretary of the Interior in the Biden Administration. She will be the first Native American to serve as a cabinet secretary in a presidential administration. I was so excited for her, that I sent her a signed copy of my picture book, TAKÓŽA: WALKS WITH THE BLUE MOON GIRL, written by Tara Perron. And today, Rep. Haaland sent me a thank you note!

Takóža (granddaughter) is an endearing, lyrical, illustrated children’s story about a young Dakota girl, Walks With the Blue Moon Girl, and her Kúŋši (grandmother). The grandmother teaches her Takóža through story while making star quilts, and planting seeds and caring for a garden.

“A Laguna Pueblo member, Haaland, 60, said she had learned about her culture from her grandmother’s cooking and participating in traditional ceremonies, and had learned about the importance of protecting the environment from her grandfather.” (Source: The Guardian)

“Our way of life, our survival is interconnected to the land, water and animals. Today we honor the woman set to be the first Native American in history to fill a presidential cabinet position, and look forward to working with her to ensure that indigenous voices are heard and our human rights respected.”
—Bernadette Demientieff, executive director of the steering committee for the Gwich’in people in Alaska.

November Drury Lane Books Newsletter

From the newsletter, WINTER AT DRURY LANE BOOKS, Garnd Marais, MN
Vol 24, November 2018

"GRACE'S RECOMMENDATION
The Mukluk Ball — Katherine Johnson, illus. Alicia Schwab
3-year-old Grace loves dancing with her stuffed bear; he even has his own tutu. So this wintery Northwoods picture book of a Bear preparing for a Mukluk Ball was an instant hit. Bear learns to polka, tango, and chachacha...and then just has to figure out how to wake up from hibernation to attend the Ball!"

I love Indie's and this recommendation made my day! Grace is a girl after my own heart. I began dancing in the living room around 3-years-old. My parents bought a cassette tape of the Chieftains (Irish folk music) and when I heard that I couldn't stop myself. I had to cut a rug. Mind you, our living room was wall-to-wall shag carpeting. And if I shuffled my feet fast enough and touched the lamp...ZAP!–I could do static electricity experiments, as well! Keep on dancing, Grace!

Star Tribune & The Pioneer Press—The Mukluk Ball

Minnesota Flavor
Sunday, November 25th, 2018 Star Tribune article "Picture Books with Minnesota Flavor" by Laurie Hertzel featuring THE MUKLUK BALL, by Katharine Johnson and illustrated by Alicia Schwab. "A young bear sells blueberries to make money for mukluks — and then worries that he'll be hibernating during the midwinter mukluk ball. An entertaining tale of cooperation and fun, with illustrations that place the bear and the dance in a place that looks a whole lot like Ely (MN)."

Other notable Minnesotan Children's Books author and illustrators such as: Mary Cassanova, Stephanie Watson, Marion Dane Bauer, Cori Doerrfeld, Katharine Johnson, Alicia Schwab, Elizabeth Verdick, Laura Purdie Salas, Mélina Mangal, and Alexs Pate. Here in Minnesota we have a rich literary community with lots of talent and meaningful voices.

December Midwest Connection Picks
The Midwest Independent Booksellers Association listed THE MUKLUK BALL for its Midwest connections. Both the author and illustrator live in Minnesota, and the book is set in a snowy Northwoods setting. Karhu the bear wants to go to the Mukluk Ball. He will need mukluks, dance moves, and someone to wake him up from hibernation. Will the Ball live up to Karhu's dreams? The music and fellowship filling Finn Town Hall might just make for the best night of his life. Read more

Top 60 Books Guide
The Mukluk Ball is also listed on Star Tribune's online Holiday Books article: "Your Guide to nearly 60 books to give (and love) over the holidays"  THE MUKLUK BALL made the top 10 Picture Books in this article! Read more

Teachable Moments

THE MUKLUK BALL, by Katharine Johnson, illus. Alicia Schwab

October 7th, 2018 The Pioneer Press also featured THE MUKLUK BALL in this article: "New Books Provide Teachable Moments for Young Readers — and Fun! Put this “up north” picture book at the top of your Christmas gift list. It is one of the most joyful tales (tails?) of the season. Karhu, the bear, tells his owl friend Zazaa that this is the year he’s going to the Mukluk Ball, Finn Town’s liveliest winter event. But he has to earn money to buy mukluks, so he picks blueberries and sells them at the Blueberry Festival. It’s $2 “for a PAW-ful” that comes with a real bear hug." Read more

Sub It Club

The Postcard Post features Alicia Schwab this month. Illustrator self-promotion tips galore. Come see!

http://bit.ly/2xw0BRT

SCBWI Minnesota Postcard Gallery

As the Illustrator Coordinator of SCBWI Minnesota, I started a program earlier in 2017 called the SCBWI Minnesota Postcard Gallery. It is an online gallery for our members to showcase their self-promotion postcards.

I really enjoy seeing it grow from the ground up.  And I look forward to many posts to come. We will update this gallery 4x/year. See you July 15th!

Twin Cities Picture Book Salon

We had a blast making cards at the Twin Cities Picture Book Salon, last night. The salon takes place at the Loft.org in Minneapolis. http://mollybethgriffin.com/events/

Shoutout onTwitter #mailersandcoffee

Each week Giuseppe Castellano @pinocastellano shares on Twitter #mailersandcoffee — a weekly illustration mailer review with his design assistant @jayrosenfeld. This week he featured my illustration!  Here's a link to Giuseppe Castellano's tweet.  My postcard is also featured over at SCBWI-Minnesota Postcard Gallery page. You can find me on twitter @aschwabart.