– Jan. 7 at 7 p.m: Robin Antalek, “The Summer We Feel Apart.”
In this “well crafted and cunning debut novel” (Publishers Weekly), Robin Antalek tells the story of a preoccupied playwright father and a cult-actress mother, and their four children, who between them have an enthralling collection of strengths and character flaws. This is a family saga that covers 15 years of trials, tribulations and triumphs. For lovers of Jodi Picoult and Chris Bohjalian.
– Jan. 9 at 1 p.m: Author Leah Marinsky Sharpe and illustrator Jane Marinksy, “The Goat-Faced Girl: An Italian Folktale.”
Author Leah Marinsky Sharpe and illustrator Jane Marinsky, join us to present their beautiful new children’s book, a retelling of a classic Italian folktale.
Like many good fables, this story opens with a foundling left – rather inconveniently, if not surprisingly – in the woods. A large lizard, ever conscious of tripping hazards, picks up the infant and takes her home, where she soon grows into a pretty, pampered, and generally useless young woman named Isabella. Despite her adoptive mother’s efforts (for the lizard is really a witch in disguise) to shape her up, the girl prefers the alluring life offered her by the charming Prince Rupert, a world of cooks and servants, palaces and jewels, luxury and indolence.
Luckily, the lizard woman is a canny, concerned parent. She does not suffer fools lightly and is not about to let her daughter’s too-easy transition to palace life go unchallenged. And so she arranges a surprise transformation for her daughter – one that puts the prince’s marital plans on hold and gives the witch just enough time to hammer home a few lessons about the downside of idleness, the inanity of vanity and the satisfactions of self-reliance.
In this witty, modern interpretation of a classic Italian folktale, Sharpe has crafted a light-hearted mother-daughter fable with a moral that is sure to strike a chord with readers of all ages. The illustrations by Marinsky glow with rich color and playful humor. Together, words and pictures provide a zesty treat for parents and children alike.
