The Young Federalist

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It’s not everyday you get to hold history in your hands! But when Princeton University sophomore Abigail Readlinger gifted us a copy of her children’s novel, I just had to facilitate a connection between her love of American history and our special collections. Later, I asked Abigail to write about her experience and share the inspiration for her charming book…

Firestone Library’s Special Collections gave me the chance to travel through time. Among its vast array of original documents and fundamental texts is Alexander Hamilton’s very own copy of The Federalist Papers. Writing in the late 1780’s, Hamilton—along with John Jay and James Madison—drafted this series of eighty-five essays in hopes to encourage the ratification of the new Constitution. These Federalist Papers, as evidenced by their substantial contribution to the adoption of our government, are ones of profound and utmost importance. They reveal the nature of American political thought and a corresponding guide by which we ought to live by.

I myself am somewhat obsessed when it comes to The Federalist Papers. Forced to read them during my freshman year of high school, I became immediately attached. I had always loved American history, and The Federalist Papers seemed to transport me directly into the minds of our great Founding Fathers. Desperately bored during the pandemic, but armed with my love for The Federalist Papers, I began to write what is now a published children’s book: The Young Federalists.

The Young Federalists. Written by Abigail Readlinger and illustrated by Stephanie Fliss Dumas. Mascot Kids, an imprint of Amplify Publishing Group, 2022

The story follows the journey of the Kennedy siblings—Reagan, AJ, and Dolley—as they travel through time, meet Alexander Hamilton and discuss (over a cup of tea!) the importance of Federalist No.1. Just as Hamilton endeavored to inspire his generation through his writing, so also do I hope to inspire mine. The value of the American way is timeless—from then to now, for old and for young.

So when I heard Hamilton’s personal copy of The Federalist Papers just so happened to be located in my own university’s special collections, I jumped at the opportunity to see it.

I still cannot quite articulate the feeling of flipping through the pages of a book both so informative in my life and belonging to one of my most beloved heroes. In 2024, author of The Young Federalists, I was holding the same book that Alexander Hamilton, author of The Federalist Papers, once held over two hundred years earlier.

The Federalist Papers. Special Collections, Princeton University Library.

Just like the characters in my book, I was having my own time travel adventure. Visiting special collections, peering over the handwritten scribblings of Hamilton’s notes, and experiencing history hands on, has been by far one of my favorite Princeton experiences. There is so much to explore in our university’s incredible collection, and to have had this opportunity has really been beyond my wildest dreams.

Would you like to see inside this copy of The Federalist Papers? You’ll find a digitized version here. All are welcome to conduct research in Special Collections at Princeton University. If you are interested in visiting, you will find more information here. Do you have a question for Abigail? Email or visit her Instagram.

A Real Class Act

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Fall weather is here, kids are back in school, and that means…school picture day! We put a fun twist on class photos when we invited awesome author and illustrator Mary Lundquist to our library. Check out her interview at the end of the post!

We read Cat & Bunny by Mary Lundquist (Balzer + Bray, 2015). Cat and Bunny are inseparable friends who do everything together. But when Quail asks to join the fun, Cat is unsure about sharing. So she runs away. Alone, she wonders what to do. A kitten arrives and play is well underway when Giraffe asks to join. This time, Cat barely hesitates, answering with a cheerful “Of course!” Soon, all the friends are playing together, including a joyfully reunited Cat and Bunny.

You’ll need:

  • 1 piece of cardboard or poster board
  • Construction paper
  • Scissors and tape for construction
  • Markers for decorating

We loved the book’s themes of sharing and togetherness, so we devised a card sharing activity and paired it with a customized class photo display!

First, the class photo display. The base of our display was a flat 12″ x 15″ cardboard box (we scored a bunch of them through this initiative). The front was decorated with construction paper (we also offered patterned tape as well as star, butterfly, and dot stickers). The pockets that held the “classmate cards” were strips of clear archival mylar. Below you can see a close up of a mylar pocket with the cards tucked inside:

The back of our boxes had flaps, so we hot glued a strategically-placed jumbo craft stick to the top flap, which allowed the class photo display to be propped up like an easel.

This project also works with a flat piece of cardboard or poster board and simple construction paper pockets. It’s super easy to modify!

Once kids had finished their class photo display boards, we had everyone gather on the gallery floor. Next, we distributed packs of cards containing the characters in the book. One kid had a pack of just cats, another had just bunnies, another had just foxes…you get the idea. When we said “Go!” the kids (and their caregivers) mingled, trading cards back and forth until they had a complete deck of all eleven unique characters.

As you can imagine, trading was brisk, and involved a lot of saying hi, talking, sharing, keeping track of your cards. It was so friendly, and so sweet.

There was one extra special bonus! Each deck had a blank card, so kids could draw themselves on the card as part of the class photo. OR…even BETTER…Mary Lundquist could draw you as one of her characters! Look at this Princeton tiger!

Mary was so fantastic to have at our library! Not only did she give a fabulous read aloud of Cat & Bunny, she did a free draw portion where kids voted on a new book character and she demonstrated how she illustrates!

Later, I caught up with Mary to ask her a few questions about her delightful work…

You have lived a LOT of places…California, Vermont, North Carolina, Maine, Cape Cod, and THREE different cities in the UK! How do these places manifest in your art?

The many places I have lived are certainly an influence on my art. Each place has its own architecture, fashion, flora and fauna and even weather! These have all made its way into my mind as I walk or drive or ride my bike through the places I have lived. I noticed it first when we moved from the UK to California because I began adding more vibrant colors into my palette. Lots of light blues and pinks, too. Colors I normally wouldn’t reach for suddenly felt natural. California has bright sun and vibrant colors, Vermont and Maine are very green with lots of old wooden houses and barns. England is not as colorful but there is a lot of lush countryside and the cities, towns and villages have beautiful old brick and stone buildings. I can look at my work and remember where I was when each piece was made!

In the story, Bunny is very outgoing, but Cat needs a little more time to say yes to new things. Are you more of a Bunny, a Cat, or neither?

This is a great question! The answer is that I am both. I wrote the story based on a strong memory from when I was about 4 or 5 and I had a best friend who I saw all the time. We watched The Princess Bride and played He Man and Shera! But when we got to kindergarten he started playing more with other boys than with me and I felt confused and hurt by the change. I was like Cat then. And just like Cat, I found new friends! I have always really loved having a best friend but I as I got older I became more outgoing and befriended new people much easier. It’s an important skill, especially when you move as often as I have. So I guess I started out like Cat but have grown to become more like them both.

In addition to writing two children’s picture books, you have illustrated books for other authors as well. What’s your process for bringing another artist’s characters to life?

I love illustrating for other authors because the collaboration inspires me to create work I wouldn’t have done otherwise. When I get a manuscript I first read it over slowly several times and just let the imagery come to me. Sometimes I see details of characters or scenes in my mind or sometimes more vague ideas of an image. I really get to know the story. Then I grab my sketchbook and begin drawing out the images as I read through the text. After I have drawn many different versions of characters and scenes there are always ones that stand out to me as the stronger ones. I draw a lot, many more ideas than what is ultimately in the final art. My sketches end up adding things which aren’t in the text but feel like a part of the story to me, maybe a gift is being given or there’s a campfire. Good writing leaves room for an illustrator (and reader!) to fill things in and my job is to imagine what that is and put it into pictures.

Do you have any new books or projects in the works?

Yes! I have just started working on a new picture book for a publisher but it’s too soon to share the details quite yet. I’m also writing two books of my own and hope to get them published in the future. Like many other places I’ve called home, Princeton has been inspiring to me (and I’ve made some great friends!). One of the books I’m writing takes place here and I hope to bring out the unique character of this interesting and beautiful town!

We’ll conclude this blog post in the spirit of which it began…autumn, back to school, and school photos. Can you guess who is who in these super fab library celeb photos???

Happy Birthday, Bilbo Baggins

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September 22nd was Bilbo Baggins’ birthday, and we threw a big bash that was the talk of Hobbiton! You had a sneak peek at one of our event craft projects, but read on for the full details of this most delightful day!

Visitors were greeted with a classic birthday banner, which Katie hand drew with paint pens. Below the banner were three raffle bags absolutely loaded with goodies. There were LOTR figurines, books, cool pens, a stuffed dragon, an elvish journal, a science garden kit, a Middle-Earth map throw blanket, a Mordor-worthy lava lamp, an elvish ceramic mug, and more! And how did you enter the raffle?

You went on a QUEST of course! Princeton University graduate student Sally Yi was on hand to help young adventures embark on a tree walk (and offer felt acorn participation prizes).

Following this map (expertly drawn by Katie the cartographer) families walked to fourteen trees on Princeton University campus – including our famous redwood. Three of the trees had been turned into “ents” with a word written beneath them. The words ultimately created the phrase “Love Your Journey.”

When kids returned to the event table and uttered the phrase, they earned an entry to the raffle! You were also awarded extra entries if you brought in non-perishables for our food drive.

Hobbits love to eat, so this event also benefited the Mercer Street Friends Food Bank. We were so proud to deliver many bags of groceries to those experiencing food insecurity in New Jersey.

Not far from the quest table was a display on the artwork of J.R.R. Tolkien. John Ronald Reuel Tolkien (1892-1973) was a University professor, war veteran, devoted husband, father of four, and of course a very famous writer. From writing in-depth lore, to detailed maps, to inventing new languages, his extraordinary efforts to create the world of Middle-Earth are well documented. His creativity was also applied visually as he drew and painted the mythical locations in his books.:

Tolkien’s illustrations of Hobbiton, Rivendell, and more grace early editions of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. As part of a collaboration with the Princeton Public Library, we had copies of five of his Hobbit illustrations on display in the event entryway, along with a coloring activity for his various elvish coats of arms. We also had a small exhibit of books displaying his artwork, including my favorite, an elegant green dragon.

We included Tolkien’s artwork in another event activity as well…a petri dish hobbit door I designed (and shared a sneak peek at here). An extra super duper bonus? At the event, you could get your door “engraved” with Gandalf’s famous rune, just like in The Hobbit.

And yes, you could get that engraving done by the man himself, for Gandalf was THERE!

Under all that wig is Zachary Painter, Assistant University Librarian for Science and Engineering. He spent the day meeting, greeting, and engraving doors. He also sometimes sat quietly reading a copy of The Hobbit, and would gladly share the story with you if you cared to join him.

Another special guest at the event was Smaug the Dragon. That was me! I wore a red dragon onesie and had a cauldron full of golden plastic coins that I loudly shook and constantly bragged about. I also vehemently (and humorously) refused to share them.

Things sometimes escalated to kids jumping, grabbing, demanding, and wheedling for coins, to which I responded that they “sounded exactly like dragons.” Eventually, I grudgingly shared coins with everyone. But not without a lot of griping.

There was one more special guest. Though he was not there in person, Gollum made an appearance muttering in a small dark space above the exhibit floor. His voice was provided by our super intern Jadon. Not only did Jadon record classic Gollum phrases and riddles, he hilariously ad-libbed some more modern messages:

You might recall that Gandalf was famous for his fireworks, and we were delighted to have Science Outreach at Princeton University host a table on “The Chemistry of Fireworks.”

Angie Miller, Lecture Demonstrator for the Department of Chemistry, arrived with her team of students to wow kids with neon lights and prism glasses. When viewed with the naked eye, the neon lights displayed just one color (hydrogen was pinky purple, and helium was a peach color). But when kids put on the prism glasses, both lights exploded into multiple colors! The scientists explained how the prism glasses allowed you to see the line spectrum of the atoms in the gases. I held the prism glasses up to my phone camera so you can see the effect…how awesome is that?

In addition to a clever take-home LOTR crossword puzzle, Science Outreach also brought the specific salts and metals that serve as ingredients in fireworks, matching the color to the substance.

For those seeking less explosive hobbit activities, we had a create-your-own flower pot in Samwise Gamgee’s garden. Kids chose one of three “pots” (we used brown craft boxes and paper drinking cups), then used craft stems, paper, flowers, and fabric leaves to make beautiful blooms.

For the very youngest hobbits, we had a food cart divided into all the important hobbit mealtimes. LOTR fans will notice that “Dinner” is missing from the line up. Alas, the cart only came with six available meal slots. So like Bilbo, Frodo, Sam, Pippin, and Merry…you sometimes miss a meal while adventuring.

And now for the grand finale! You might have noticed the gorgeous hobbit door that started off this post. That was created by the incredibly talented Brittany Norwood, Policy and International Affairs Librarian. She crafted it out of a floral hoop, foam board, glossy photographic printed with a wood grain template, and lots and lots and LOTS of luscious foliage. Doesn’t it look amazing? I want to live there.

At first, we thought the door would just be a photo opportunity for event goers. Then we discovered the “WOW! PODS Harry Potter Invisibility Cloak Deluxe Version” on Amazon for a mere $30. With the assistance of an iPad and tripod, this little app and green screen cloak allowed our partygoers to disappear and reappear.

Needless to say, folks LOVED it! At one point, we even turned the iPad around so kids could also watch themselves disappear and reappear in real time. It can get a little raucous, so we do recommend a staff member by the tripod at all times. Katie enthusiastically handled this task, all while sporting hobbit togs AND carrying the One Ring she received here.

This event was so much fun and a tremendous success! We would like to sincerely thank Sally Yi for leading the campus quest, Zachary Painter for his wizardly ways, and Brittany Norwood for her amazing architectural skills. We would also like to thank the Princeton Public Library for sharing Tolkien’s art, and Science Outreach at Princeton University for illuminating the community with the Chemistry of Fireworks. It was an epic day, and we appreciate you all so much!