Looking Back on A Very Merry Mitten Holiday!

This year as a part of our yearly Merry Mitten event, we partnered with Schuler Books in Grand Rapids for their holiday event, the Parent Shop Hop!

Schuler Books began in 1982 when Bill and Cecile opened the first Schuler Books in Grand Rapids. Since then, their business has grown into three of the nation's largest independent bookstores!

Parents shopped for holiday gifts while their kids were entertained with crafts, cookie decorating, and readings from our very own SCBWI-MI authors.


A group of talented authors and illustrators attended this event to read, including:

Jayne M. Rose-Vallee: An author and publisher of Children’s books. Her series Dinosaurs Living in My Hair has been honored with over twenty-eight awards!

Kenneth Kraegel: Before becoming a children's book author and illustrator, he volunteered and worked around the world! He's the author of such titles as Green Pants, Wild Honey from the Moon, and King Arthur's Very Great Grandson.

Janet Ruth Heller: A poet, literary critic, college professor, essayist, playwright, and fiction writer. She’s the author of titles like the award-winning fiction picture book, How the Moon Regained Her Shape.

Our authors had a lot of fun reading to the kids. One of Jayne’s favorite moments was meeting a brother and sister duo, who were, respectively, “seven and three quarters” and “four and a half.” Cute kids!

Jayne at her table

The authors also enjoyed being able to meet and connect with each other. Kenneth mentioned, “My favorite part of events like these is meeting other author and illustrators and that was true for this one. It was great to meet Jayne and Janet and also to read to a nice group of kids.”

Events like these are the perfect way to get involved in a community, get to know your local bookstore, and meet other authors and illustrators! It was a pleasure to work with Schuler Books this year. I'm excited for the opportunities for community events, author collaboration, and good old-fashioned cheer that next year's Merry Mitten will bring!

Lauren Nyquist, an illustrator and writer based in the Metro-Detroit area, is the PM Coordinator for SCBWI-MI and editor of The Mitten's Book Birthday Blog. If you come across any Michigan based events that you think would be a good fit for SCBWI-MI, don't hesitate to email Lauren and suggest them!