Tag Archives: author

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???

Hello, Dolly!

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Even when we’re traveling, Katie and I are always in the lookout for literary connections – we’ve been to charming historic towns, unusual houses, legendary locations, natural areas, volcanic landmarks, and the Shire! This summer, Katie visited Dollywood in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, and discovered Dolly’s fantastic literacy initiative, the Imagination Library. Take it away, Katie!

Steel Magnolias. “Jolene.” 9 to 5: The Musical. “Islands in the Stream.” Coat of Many Colors. What do all of these things have in common? The amazing Dolly Parton, of course! While she is most famous for her incredible music career, Dolly is also an author, actor, and founder of the most ticketed attraction in Tennessee, her theme park appropriately named Dollywood. Her proudest achievements, however, involve her philanthropic desire to give back to others, particularly in the area of literacy.

Inspired by her father’s inability to read and write, Dolly founded the Imagination Library in 1995 to instill a love of reading in children. Kids enrolled in the Imagination Library receive a new age appropriate book, free of charge, that is sent directly to their homes from the time of their birth until they enter kindergarten. Dolly wanted children to experience the magic of books and be excited to read, regardless of where they lived or their family’s income. Since its humble beginnings, Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library has gifted over 250 million books. One in seven children under the age of five in the United States receive books from the Imagination Library!

The program became so successful in the United States that it expanded and is now available in Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, and the Republic of Ireland. Thanks to funding from Dolly and her community partners, over two million books are shipped each and every month to kids around the world!

Visit the Imagination Library to find a local program in your area and to learn more about this extraordinary resource. As Dolly says, “You can never get enough books into the hands of enough children.” We couldn’t agree more.

Our summer vacation to Tennessee was exactly what we needed this year. We spent a week with friends in the Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg area exploring Great Smoky Mountains National Park, finding cold mountain streams to go fishing and swimming, visiting as many barbecue restaurants as we could find, and staying up way too late looking for fireflies and shooting stars. Some of us were even lucky enough to see a black bear!

No trip to Pigeon Forge is complete without visiting Dollywood. We spent the first part of our day keeping cool at the Splash Country water park. Later in the afternoon, we dashed over to the theme park to ride ALL of the roller coasters. And eat a loaf of Dolly’s world famous cinnamon bread. Dollywood was fully decorated for the annual Summer Celebration with fun bright colored kites and umbrellas waving overhead, gorgeous flower arrangements, interactive fountains, and plenty of butterflies. Definitely stay until the park closes so you can watch the drone and fireworks show – it’s spectacular!

If you’re interested in further literary adventuring, pack your bags and check out this post. And just in case you’re wondering…yes, Katie did bring me back a little present from Dollywood. And yes, it is awesome!