School Visit - Black Pine Circle

 

Another school visit! This month I got a chance to visit a k-5 school in Berkeley California called "Black Pine Circle" in West Berkeley. I've visited a bunch of schools recently and this is one of them. These photos were taken by one of the teachers at the school.

Whenever I get a chance, I show the kids a bit about what I do beyond kids books and what made me want to make them.

This group of kids had some great questions and comments for me and it was fun to visit, meet teachers and the Black Pine Circle staff. I hope to get back there again sometime in the future. 

Dig this? Check out some other schools/libraries I've visited:

Walden School - Berkeley, CA

Tacoma Public Library panel- Tacoma WA

Bella Vista Elementary- Oakland, CA

Weinland Elementary- Columbus, OH

Here are some more photos by my friend Kanoe!

School Visit- The Walden School in Berkeley, CA

 

Recently I got the chance to speak with students and staff from "Walden School" in Berkeley CA. I had a great time sharing Furqan's First Flat Top with them, my Art of Rob book, and lots about my work in kids books. They had great questions as kids and adults always do so it was fun. Check out some photos!

These photos were taken by Gina Centanni :)

Dig this? Check out some photos from a visit I did with Prospect Sierra in Berkeley as well.

African American Read In week- Tacoma Public Library

This past week myself, Tyrah Majors, Leonard Williams, and Parable Tacoma had a panel discussion about our work, diversity and books, and we read a few exerpts from our stories. You can visit Tacoma Public Library online here. BIG shout out to Mejin Turner, Kelsey King, and Kim Mose who are the librarians who invited us to speak!! I met these folks last summer at the Seattle Urban Book Expo.

Here's the original flyer:

Dig this? Here's a video from a literacy presentation I did with Sacramento's Sol Collective

 

Photos from Richmond's "Multicultural Bookstore"

 

Photo by Brianna Casanares

This past week I read at the Multicultural Children's Bookstore in Richmond California. I've said this before, but it bears repeating. This store has the most diverse selection of picture books in the Bay Area. There are many other stores that do a great job as well. 

Photo by Daniel Zarazua

They currently carry "Furqan's First Flat Top" and "Alejandria Fights Back". Please stop by their store though if youre in the North Bay as a destination for gifts, a place that can order books for you, or as a wealth of knowledge. The owner's name is Tamara Shiloh.

Photo by Brianna Casanares

One more of me rocking my Bridges Not Walls shirt by Kiwi :). I've been reading in classrooms and libraries for a decade now as a kids book author and illustrator!

If you dig these photos check out this reading at Bella Vista Elementary and this post w/ Melissa Reyes

School visit at Bella Vista in Oakland

 

Two weeks ago I read at a local Oakland school called Bella Vista, and here are some photos from the reading which had over 100 kids, parents and teachers. Photo credit.

This was a tough one because the crowd was big so I had a mic and walked around with a student to show the kids the pages of the book in between reading. Since 2012 I've done 1-10 school, library, or event readings with my books. Sometimes by myself and sometimes with an author.

I've spoken to pre school, elementary, high school, and college students. If you'd like me to come speak to your students give me a holler. 

Dig this? Check out this visit to Columbus Ohio where I tabled at SOL Con and read to a local school. LINK

UnPeeled reading w/ Bananas

April 23rd I'll be reading for "UnPeeled" for a local children's organization called "BANANAS" who helped me and my family out a bunch when my kids were their youngest. If you're in the Bay, come to Fairyland and hear myself and Angela Dalton will be reading that day. 

For more info check out this link.

Dia De Niño

 

What up fam, I will be reading and speaking / reading at the "Dia del Niño" bilingual book festival. Please go to their website here: https://www.ninosbookfest.com/ and follow them so you can catch 1 of the 3 days with many creators such as Pat Mora, Nury Castillo Crawford, Juana Martinez -Neal, Patty Rodriguez, and more.

There will be readings, demo's, give aways, and more.

Reading This Sunday-Afro Latinx Festival

 

This coming Sunday I'll be speaking with Gabriela from the Museum of Latin American Art in Long Beach about kids books. This is a story time for the little ones so please invite them and families to attend, listen, and ask questions. More information on how to register  HERE

Video - Furqan's First in English/ Spanish

Peace, this is for the folks who've been asking. Feel free to share this with your child, student, or relatives during this social distancing, distanced learning, pandemic times. Below is the Spanish reading of the book.

Tia Carla did a reading of the book in Spanish already so I figured I'd share that for families to watch as its done quite well! Please check out her other videos of books in English and Spanish.

School Visit at Cesar Chavez Elementary- Davis CA

 I wish I could go back to reading at schools! Hopefully again in the future. I was invited by author and friend Justine Villanueva (Jack & Agyu) to come read at this school. I read to six classes and as always it was lots of fun. I handed out book plates to all the students and then they asked me for my signature. They had lots of funny questions.  

Dig this? Check out this reading at Woodland Elementary in Oakland

Read my past newsletters and sign up!

Reading at Hiero Day in Oakland

I've written a newsletter once a month for the past year and a half. Its great to share short updates about my work through email. And it's perfect for folks who are off social media. You can sign up for it and see previous newsletters here: LINK

Social Media vs New Books

At the beginning of last year I decided to take a bit more time away from social media and I'm amazed to say I've been able to stick to it. I have one day on social media and one day off. So if I started on Monday, my Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday of that week would be days with no social media at all. And for the days when I was on, I tried to keep the hours of 10am-4pm off limits. Friday-Sunday were days when I would allow myself to check it as many times as I wanted.

But I found that doing this helped my mental health A LOT. And it made me focus more on in real life stuff like making more art and reading. I have read political books before and I tried to read a few history wise this year. But mostly I dug deep into YA or young adult novels. I always read a ton of kids books because I want to learn how to tell stories better. Here are some of my favorites that I read this year. If you're looking fr more book recommendations, holler at me or check out Bens IG page "Ben Be Reading" and Book Riot who makes read a likes. I love Octavia Butler, so their read a like related to her was dope. I'm still making my way through.

Ohio School Visit + Sol Con- Photos

Recently I went out to Columbus Ohio to attend the SOL Con at Ohio State University and to read to some children at Weinland Park Elementary school out there. Here are some photos from my trip. The photo above is from an apartment area I saw. I really dug the architecture. All in all, it was a great experience. Professor Katlin Marisol Sweeney along with Prof Frederick Luis Aldama organized so much of SOL CON and it was great to meet them. All the exhibitors and folks I met were super cool. I took most of the photos but a few are from the SOL Con.

The day of the con 

One of the huge buildings 

I did a school visit and reading while I was there. This is the school library at Weinland Elementary before the children arrived. I had a lot of fun meeting the principal Dr. Robinson, all the school staff and Dionne Custer from the Wexner Center for the Arts which I also visited while there. It was really great to meet the students, read them my book, show them artwork, answer their questions, and to talk to them about art and stories. The school purchased copies of my book Furqan's First Flat Top for many of the classrooms there.

Walking around the city from my hotel to leaving. Its always fun to walk around a city. I wish I'd had the time to see more but my trip was super short.

After visiting the Wexner Center for the Arts I created some video tutorials for them the following year during the start of the pandemic.Watch those HERE.

Entrance

Prof Aldama & Jaime Hernandez

Dig this? Check out my visit to the Latino Comics Expo in Modesto California, my reading at Woodland Elementary in Oakland, or this visit to Cesar Chavez Elementary in Davis, CA.

Reading at RYSE -Richmond, Ca

If you are in the Richmond Area, come through. I'll be reading and chopping it up with families. 

RYSE CENTER -Richmond, CA

Sausal Creek 8 - Photo of Me and Melissa reading

Here are two photos of me and author Melissa Reyes reading to some children in South Sacramento's "Meadow View Elementary" , photo by Nicole Martinez. 

To the date, we have read separately and together in many different settings and the book has reached a lot of people. 

Melissa Reyes is a former elementary teacher and decided to write the book when she could not find a picture book about a historic geological landmark in the Bay Area. The children had tons of questions and responses at this reading and it was a blast to visit Maestra Martinez' class! Check out the welcome sign they made!

You can purchase the book here "I Am Sausal Creek"

One of a kind like me 12 - Me and Laurin reading

This is a shot and throwback to me and author Laurin Mayeno reading "One of a kind, like me" to a school audience in Oakland. I believe it was taken by Innosanto Nagara. If you still haven't gotten the book you can get it HERE.

And here is a recent review of the book by Neely's news

LA Book Reading @ Mi Vida Shop

Hey, if you're in or around the Los Angeles area I'm doing a book reading at Mi Vida in Highland Park this coming Sunday. All ages are welcome! Come thru w/your babies for storytime and feel free to bring young budding illustrators/writers to ask questions about book making! And the homie DJ Spinorita will be playing music, so come support small local biz.The homie Oree brought me to this store back in 2010 and I loved their selection of kids books (curated by Sol, formerly of Imix Books) featuring latinx and bilingual stories. The store also has some great clothes, locally made art, and mo.

Facebook event link

Store Link: www.shopmivida.com

School visit- Southgate Elementary

Check out these beautiful photos by sister Nicole Martinez. Nicole is an amazing 3rd grade teacher, and I'm mad because I didn't get a picture with her. She fuses pieces of culture with the constraints of the state California school system rules. I met Nicole at a function at the legendary Sol Collective several years ago. I'm still not up on the happenings of Sacramento where she works, but I know there are incredible folks like Nicole working up there.

So, Nicole asked me to come share some stories and I went there to kick it with the kids. We did some talking, some drawing of letters, and some writing. Although i have been teaching for a minute, I'm always learning new things about how to teach "illustrating" and "creative writing". It's hard. I give it up to teachers who work on their students' skills all day, every day. In the collage you can see some of the babies, and the work they did.Check out some other photos from the visit.

Peep the card, so much love! Love the quote " Hi Rob, you are cool" lol.

When a child tells me "you're art is cool" or "how did you get your hair like that (laughs)?", or "thank you Mr. Robert", or even if their eyes widen when I show them an original piece, that makes everything I do worth it.

Dig this? Check out this reading I did with Woodland Elementary in Oakland