Dan Santat, an author and illustrator, will appear during a virtual author talk and interactive art demonstration on May 22 hosted by several West Hartford organizations.

Submitted

In honor of Asian American and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander Month, West Hartford Parent Community Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) Groups; West Hartford Community of Concern; West Hartford Public Schools; John P. Webster Library at First Church West Hartford; and All In! Early Childhood Educators for Equity are partnering to present a virtual event featuring author and illustrator Dan Santat on Monday, May 22, 2023 from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m.

Join us as Santat discusses his books, his process, his journey, his work, and his reading life, and also leads an interactive art demonstration.This event is open to readers and artists of all ages.

Santat has published over 100 books for children. His most notable titles include The Adventures of Beekle: The Unimaginary Friend, which won the Randolph Caldecott Medal in 2015, the #1 New York Times best-selling road trip/time travel adventure Are We There Yet?, and the New York Times best-selling book After the Fall (How Humpty Dumpty Got Back Up Again), which was named best book of the year on numerous publications including NPR and The New York Public Library. 

Santat’s artwork is also featured in numerous picture books, chapter books, and middle-grade novels, including Dav Pilkey’s Ricky Ricotta series and several titles by Minh Lê, who was featured in a virtual event for West Hartford in 2021.  In one collaboration with Lê, Drawn Together, Santat particularly draws on his Thai heritage for the illustrations. His most recent book, A First Time for Everything, is an autobiographical graphic novel exploring the awkwardness of adolescence. Santat is also the creator of Disney’s animated hit, “The Replacements.” He lives in California with his wife, two kids, a rabbit, a bird, and one cat. While he has tried just about every flavor of Fanta, the classic orange is still his favorite. 

Grab your pens, markers, colored pencils, paints, crayons, canvas, and paper, and we look forward to seeing your family at this virtual, interactive event!

Registration is required for this virtual event.

This event is supported by West Hartford Greater Together Community Fund at Hartford Foundation for Public Giving and by Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Committees/PTOs at Braeburn and Duffy Elementary Schools.

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