Activities for Children’s Book Events…
As a children’s book author or illustrator, it can be tough to come up with activities for your promotional events, crafts for a book launch, or author and illustrator school visits.
When ‘Maybe A Whale’ (written by Kirsten Pendreigh, illustrated by me) came out, we were excited to have a party event in Vancouver. Kirsten and I came up with this paper mobile craft for the kids to put together during the launch event!
Keep reading for a link to a Canva doc (digital template) that you can edit with your own illustrations and make a mobile craft for YOUR book! It’s easy to edit, save, and print.
Maybe A Mobile?
‘Maybe A Whale" took place on the west coast and included loads of undersea imagery and creatures. The art was a perfect fit for getting kids crafting.
Later, we decided we wanted a bigger version for promotions at bookstores, so I made a two-page version.
We asked bookstores if they would hang one by the children’s book area or in the window when they showed the book, and many of them agreed. (Although, they preferred that we assembled the mobile for them!)
Need A Hand With Canva?
Never used Canva? No problem! Check out my visual instructions below:
STEP #1 - When you click on the link above, it will take you to the Canva website. If you don’t have an account yet, it will prompt you to sign up. You can choose the FREE account—you don’t need to get a subscription.
This is what it will look like when the document is open:
STEP #2 - Upload the artwork. Click on the ‘uploads’ button on the left hand sidebar. Upload your artwork from your computer. Don’t worry about cropping it or anything before uploading it, you can resize it in the file.
STEP #3 - Place the artwork.Drag the uploaded artwork from the left hand side onto the document and hover over the circle you want it to be placed inside. Canva will automatically place it there for you.
STEP #5 - Edit the images to fit.If you want a certain, smaller part of the picture to be centered in the circle, then zoom in on it by double clicking on the placed image and then using the selection corners to drag it out.
STEP #6 - Download to print! Click on the ‘share’ button on the top right and select PDF. Then you can print it out and photo copy it. I would suggest not using shiny or gloss papers as the reflections will make it hard to see the images as they spin!
Get the Free Template!
You can get these mobile craft templates (both the one-page and the two-page version) through the link below. It is in Canva, a free online software.
Please do not share the above direct link to this template and instead use the following link to this accompanying blog post.
Make a little “How-To Video” as content for your social media, as well as to show people how to assemble their mobile.
Take photos of the process (and the finished product), so that you can use these to illustrate the steps in making the mobile in a blog post or on social media.
Ask bookstores to hang a copy of your mobile to promote your book.
Print a blank version of the template (with white inside of the circles) and get the kids to make their own drawings of things from your book to fill in the mobile!
Learn more about me as an illustrator or check out the kid’s books I’ve illustrated over on my website here.
Say hello over on BlueSky where I hang out often