On Tuesday, December 4, 2012, the Friends of Hackney Library organization sponsored a book signing with children's author and illustrator Bonnie Christensen. The book signing took place from 4:00 - 6:00 pm in Hackney Library. Some sixty people were in attendance to hear Bonnie explain her process of writing and illustrating, and she displayed samples of work on past and current books, to the delight of the children and adults in attendance.

This was Bonnie Christensen's second book signing at Hackney Library; the Friends first hosted a book signing in December 2009 following the release of her award-winning book Django.

Since that time, Christensen has published four more children's books: Fabulous!: A Portrait of Andy Warhol (2011, which received starred reviews from Booklist and School Library Journal); The Princess of Borscht (2011; written by Leda Schubert and illustrated by Christensen, it received a starred review from Kirkus Reviews); Plant a Little Seed (April 2012; Booklist calls the book "a quiet yet engaging presentation that is sure to inspire gardening attempts by young readers"); and her latest, I, Galileo (released June 12, 2012; critics are already calling its illustrations "exquisite," "vivid," and "vibrant," with first person narrative that "flows beautifully" and "renders the text both engaging and accessible").

Christensen is a native of Saranac Lake, NY. She began her career working in New York theater after earning a B.A. degree in Theatre and Communication from the University of Vermont. Her theater work included Joe Papp's Public Theatre, New York Shakespeare Festival, and others. Christensen eventually focused primarily on playwriting, and some of her plays were produced off-off-Broadway. During this time, she also worked for Screen Actors Guild and Paramount Pictures.

After studying wood engraving and attending classes at Parsons School of Design and Center for Book Arts, Christensen returned to Vermont to focus on wood engraving and was offered her first illustration work. She explains her eventual emergence as a book author and illustrator: "Through a keen interest in printmaking and letterpress printing I eventually hand-printed and bound a limited-edition book. Desire to see that book reach a wider audience eventually led me to trade publishers and initiated my career," she says in Something About the Author (vol. 110, p. 41).

She authored and illustrated her first book for children in 1994, an ABC book called An Edible Alphabet, which received critical acclaim for its design and illustrations. In addition to those mentioned above, other books she has both written and illustrated include Rebus Riot (1997), Woody Guthrie: Poet of the People (2001), In My Grandmother's House (2003), and The Daring Nellie Bly (2003). Christensen has also illustrated others' works, including award winners such as Stephen Krensky's Breaking Into Print (1996), Craig Crist Evan's Moon Over Tennessee (1999), Mary Pope Osborne's Pompeii, Lost and Found (2006), as well as the acclaimed The Princess of Borscht, mentioned above. Current projects include a book about Elvis Presley, among others.

In addition to her books, she has contributed to periodicals such as Vermont Life, National Gardening, and Ladybug and served as adjunct professor of Fine Arts at St. Michaels' College in Burlington, VT. Bonnie currently resides in Wilson, North Carolina.

For more information about Bonnie Christensen and her work, please visit her web site. To see pictures from the event, visit our album on Facebook.