Book Launch Happiness

The book launch was great – 100+ people came!

My summer volunteering at the library really helped me get over the nerves for this event (and many of the small guests were children who had come to see our Readers’ Theater performances this summer). Although, I will admit, I did not expect anything like that number of people. Luckily, I catered for twice that many. 

We had the:

Imagination Station – cave painting wall (25 feet of brown butcher paper crinkled up and stapled to the wall and buckets of sidewalk chalk).

Creation Station – tables flat on the floor with coloring pages, mazes, dinosaur cut outs, crayons and glue sticks.

Narration Station – I read the book using a projector (I was very pleased with how naturally the children took up the story telling – it was really interactive).

Excavation Station – a cave made out of a beach cabana tent covered in rock print flannel with a plastic box of sand. They had to excavate a colored rock to win a prize.

Education Station – we put out books about prehistoric animals, so even if you weren't buying one of my books, you could still check out a book.

Corporation Station – The Book Carriage & Coffee Shop handled the book sales (thank you so much, ladies!)

Germination Station – pin the acorn on the squirrel.

Vegetation & Hydration Station – which had:

• Pterodactyl Toes (boneless chicken wings)
• Boulders (donut holes)
• Sticks & Stones (pretzel sticks and cheese balls)
• Vegetation (veggie tray)
• Dino Juice (Sprite and apple juice)

We even stuck a sign over the trash can that said “Sanitation Station.” :-)

Having it at the library was fantastic. If you haven't visited your local library lately, please do. Introduce yourself to the children's librarian(s), visit storytime, go to the children's events. You'll be amazed at the education you can get!

Comments

[Dee Adams]

Wow!! That is the most clever book launch I've ever heard of!! Congratulations, Janee!!

[Janee]

Thanks, Dee!

[Natasha Yim]

Fantastic, Janee! What a creative book launch. I'm getting ready for mine, and trying to drum up ideas to make it interactive. So, reading all the wonderful things you had is very inspiring. Did it take you awhile to put it together?

[Janee]

Thanks, Natasha! I'd been planning it in my head for ages, but I'd say I started ordering stuff and making arrangements a month before the event. My librarian pal, Leigh was extremely helpful. I planned the big ideas, then she helped me bring them back down to realistic, child-friendly scale.

[benita]

Incredible, Janee! Your talent and imagination sure doesn't stop after the books come in! I love the animal skins on the wall. Lots of great touches.

[Janee]

Thanks, Benita!

[event caterer jacksonville]

Thanks for putting this together - this is a great article for those of us with our heads buried in the keyboard all day.