Featured Author Event: Jan Brett (Carle Place, NY)
Colleagues with children, who live in or near Nassau County, New York, looking for a special Thanksgiving weekend activity, you’re invited to experience New York Times bestselling author and illustrator Jan Brett at Barnes & Noble, Country Glen Center (91 Old Country Road) in Carle Place, on Saturday, November 30. Beginning at 10:00 a.m., Jan will be reading from her latest illustrated children’s book, THE TALE OF THE TIGER SLIPPERS, published by G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers.
Set in India, Brett’s colorful reimagining of the classic Middle Eastern folk tale “Abu Kassem’s Slippers” features a poor tiger cub who is a very hard worker. His mother weaves him slippers to protect his feet from stones and thorns, and they allowed him to prosper—first making bricks, then building houses, and eventually becoming very wealthy. He continues to wear them until someone questions why such a prominent person would wear such worn shoes. Feeling embarrassed, Tiger tries to get rid of the slippers, but fate keeps bringing them back.
Finally, Tiger sends them to his uncle, who weeps with pride when he sees the slippers his sister made and his nephew used to accomplish so much. He sets off right away to visit them, bringing the slippers along. Tiger can’t believe the slippers are back again, but his little cub gives him an idea: honor the slippers by building a special place for them, to remind him of how far he’s come.
Brett’s lush, vibrant version of this story will inspire fans of her international retellings to appreciate the hard work that leads to all of their successes.
With more than 34 million books in print, Jan Brett is one of the nation’s foremost illustrators of children’s books. As a child, she decided to be an illustrator and spent much of her time reading and drawing. As a student at the Boston Museum School, Jan spent many hours in the Museum of Fine Arts. Travel is also a constant inspiration, so with her husband, Joe Hearne, who is a member of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, she visits many different countries where she researches the architecture and costumes that appear in her work. Jan lives in a seacoast town in Massachusetts.