Age Group:
Children (5-12)- Registration is required for this event.
- Registration will close on July 17, 2025 @ 10:00am.
Program Description
Event Details
Portland native and art educator Dorson Plourde (Garbage Gulls) will bring his newest picture book, Unnaturally Blue, to the Riverton Branch for a kid-centric reading and Q&A. This author talk will be followed by an art activity for kids to get their hands messy and make their own deep, murky, joyful swamps on the page! This special event is designed for children ages 5-10 but ALL ARE WELCOME.
Local bookseller Back Cove Books will join us for this fun event and will have copies of Dorson's book for sale. A portion of all sales will be donated to The Locker Project.
Registration is encouraged but not required. Parts of this event may take place outdoors, weather allowing.
About Unnaturally Blue:
A young swimmer panics in a crowded community pool, and it feels like there isn’t even any room for her tears. Out of place where she was once at home, the girl swims down, down, into the deepest deep … and embarks on a surrealist journey to the swampy world under the under. As she rests there with her feelings, the girl finds power in embracing who she is – even the swampiest parts. And her triumphant return to the pool inspires the other children to be their truest selves, too.
This dreamlike picture book models creative ways for children – and adults – to visualize and understand their big feelings and accept their inner selves. Award-winning illustrator Byron Eggenschwiler is at his imaginative best, delivering art that pairs beautifully with author Dorson Plourde’s poetic magical realism.
About Dorson Plourde:
Dorson Plourde is a writer and K-5 art educator living in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He is influenced by the philosophical questions posed in children’s picture books (and by children themselves) as well as the compulsion to stay present in an age rooted in distraction. His work focuses on the intimacies embedded within suburban riff-raff, early onset nostalgia, and the anxieties that determine the day-to-day. He is also an expert in owning a falcon, creating shelters, and climbing down Mount Katahdin because books about surviving in the wild are a must in Maine, which is where he grew up. His picture book Garbage Gulls was declared a "dazzling debut" by KIRKUS reviews and his follow up Unnaturally Blue releases this June via Kids Can Press.
Disclaimer(s)
The library is committed to making services available to everyone. All events at PPL buildings are wheelchair accessible. Some library programs take place outdoors or offsite at partner organizations and businesses. Persons requiring special assistance are encouraged to discuss needs with the contact listed for the event.
Children's programs and events at PPL are designed for children under the age of 12 and their caregivers unless otherwise stated. We ask that older kids (teens) and solo adults not attend or register for programs designated Children's for the benefit of our young participants.
Please note that this event will take place outdoors. We encourage you to bring sunscreen, water, and weather-appropriate clothing. Rain or snow dates will be determined and communicated by staff if needed.