This event has passed
Saturday Storytime with Margot Dallas and Jen Cullerton
Past event
Featured Book
Home
HOME seeks to raise awareness of how the earth's various habitats provide homes for all animals and beings. Nature is interconnected and we must rely on each other to thrive and to nurture the earth, in order to maintain a safe and clean environment that makes shelter, food, peace and comfort available to all. This concept is demonstrated by portraying various animals and their environments.
This book will be available for purchase at the event.
Also Featured
Seeds of Change: Planting a Path to Peace
John Steptoe Award for New Talent in Illustrations - American Library Association (ALA)
A picture book biography of scientist Wangari Maathai, the first African woman--and first environmentalist--to win a Nobel Peace Prize (in 2004) for her work planting trees in her native Kenya.
As a young girl in Kenya, Wangari was taught to respect nature. She grew up loving the land, plants, and animals that surrounded her-from the giant mugumo trees her people, the Kikuyu, revered to the tiny tadpoles that swam in the river.
Although most Kenyan girls were not educated, Wangari, curious and hardworking, was allowed to go to school. There, her mind sprouted like a seed. She excelled at science and went on to study in the United States. After returning home, Wangari blazed a trail across Kenya, using her knowledge and compassion to promote the rights of her countrywomen and to help save the land, one tree at a time.
Seeds of Change: Planting a Path to Peace brings to life the empowering story of Wangari Maathai, the first African woman, and environmentalist, to win a Nobel Peace Prize. Engaging narrative and vibrant images paint a robust portrait of this inspiring champion of the land and of women's rights.
About This Event
Join The Book Stall for a celebration of Mother Earth with a Saturday Storytime featuring authors Margot Dallas and Jen Cullerton Johnson! Margot Dallas will be sharing her picture book, Home, celebrating Earth’s wonders through vibrant watercolor art. Revealing amazing creatures, large and small, it inspires appreciation for our magnificent planet. Jen Cullerton Johnson will be reading her book, Seeds of Change: Planting a Path to Peace, a picture book biography of scientist Wangari Maathai, the first African woman--and first environmentalist--to win a Nobel Peace Prize (in 2004) for her work planting trees in her native Kenya.
Featured Author
Margot Dallas
Margot Dallas grew up in a suburb of Chicago and spent her summers in the rolling hills of Wisconsin. She filled her days immersed in nature, observing the cycles of plants, animals and their habitats. Margot’s passion for nature continued as she majored in biology in college and earned a Master of Science in Microbiology/Molecular Biology. After graduating college, she pursued a career as a research scientist. One of her most favorite and endearing memories is the time she spent reading books to her children. She enjoys creating pollinator gardens for beautiful creatures, and finding moments to ‘NESTLE in NATURE.’
In Conversation With
Jen Cullerton Johnson
Jen Cullerton Johnson, an accomplished writer, educator, and urban environmentalist, is on a mission to inspire the next generation of environmental advocates through the power of storytelling, literacy, and sustainability. With an MFA and MEd, Jen has taught in countries all over the world, including almost two decades of experience teaching in Chicago Public Schools.
About the Venue
The Book Stall
At The Book Stall, you get great reviews, sage advice/recommendations, and a personalized service for all ages and interests. If You love books, look no further than an indie store!
Visit store pageMore at The Book Stall
The Majesty of Chicago Jazz: A Discussion with Howard Reich
The Book Stall welcomes music journalist Howard Reich for an in-store discussion featuring his new book, The Majesty of Chicago Jazz: Twenty-Five Visionaries Who Define the City's Sound. Author and Chicago native Howard Reich gives readers a front-row seat to the history of Chicago jazz as it roared forth in jazz clubs, concert halls, and festivals. Reich covered Chicago jazz for more than thirty years as the Chicago Tribune’s staff critic, and in this collection, with a musician’s ear and a journalist’s expertise, Reich argues that jazz as an art form is inconceivable without Chicago. The Majesty of Chicago Jazz is captivating for jazz newcomers and aficionados alike—all are guaranteed to learn something surprising here. Howard Reich covered music for the Chicago Tribune for forty-three years and served as the newspaper’s staff jazz critic from 1989 to 2021. Reich is an Emmy Award-winning filmmaker and the author of six other books, including Let Freedom Swing and Portraits in Jazz. Reich served on the jury for the Pulitzer Prize in Music four times, including the year when Wynton Marsalis’ Blood on the Fields became the first jazz composition to win (1997).
The Piano Teacher of Montparnasse: An Evening with Heather Morris
The Book Stall welcomes bestselling author Heather Morris for her new book, The Piano Teacher of Montparnasse. The #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Tattooist of Auschwitz returns with a masterful new novel that captures the astonishing bravery of ordinary people in extraordinary times. Ms. Morris will be in-conversation with author Renée Rosen. Heather Morris is a native of New Zealand, now residing in Australia. For several years, while working in a large public hospital in Melbourne, she studied and wrote screenplays. In 2003, she was introduced to a gentleman who had "a story worth telling," which formed the basis of her first novel, The Tattooist of Auschwitz, and its follow-up, Cilka's Journey. Her third novel, Three Sisters, concluded the Tattooist trilogy. One of the twenty-first century's best-selling books, The Tattooist of Auschwitz was made into an acclaimed miniseries in 2024. Heather's books have sold over nineteen million copies worldwide. Our conversation partner Renée Rosen is a USA Today bestselling author. Her novels include Fifth Avenue Glamour Girl, The Social Graces, Park Avenue Summer, Windy City Blues, White Collar Girl, What the Lady Wants and Dollface as well as the young adult novel, Every Crooked Pot.
Draw Near to Me: An Evening with Michelle Brafman
We excited to host Michelle Brafman for her new book, Draw Near to Me. In this highly-anticipated sequel to Swimming with Ghosts, the discovery of a desperately-hidden secret brings a family to the brink of collapse—the exact place where they may ultimately find true healing and forgiveness. She will be in conversation with Rachel Kamin, Director of Lifelong Learning at North Suburban Synagogue Beth El. Michelle Brafman is the author of Washing the Dead, Bertrand Court: Stories, and Swimming with Ghosts, the companion novel to Draw Near to Me. Her work has appeared in Oprah Daily, O Quarterly, Slate, LitHub, Tablet, The Forward, and elsewhere. She teaches fiction writing in the Johns Hopkins University MA in Writing Program and spoken about her work and the creative process at more than 200 venues, including book stores, literary festivals, classrooms, synagogues, and myriad book groups. Learn more at michellebrafman.com.