Zunon to share her latest book and life story
Elizabeth Zunon
Illustrated by Elizabeth Zunon, One Plastic Bag tells the true story of Isatou Ceesay who transformed her village in Gambia by teaching herself and others to crochet purses from plastic bags that litter the ground.
VOORHEESVILLE — Local artist Elizabeth Zunon will talk about her work as a book illustrator and lead a collage-making event for children at the Voorheesville Public Library on Saturday afternoon.
She will also introduce her newest book, One Plastic Bag: Isatou Ceesay and the Recycling Women of the Gambia, by Miranda Paul, published in Feb. 2015 by Millbrook Press. This book is the true story of a woman who set out to transform her African village by teaching herself and others to crochet purses from the plastic bags that litter the ground everywhere.
Zunon, 30, who was raised partly in Guilderland and partly in Africa’s Ivory Coast, now lives in Albany.
She has illustrated a number of children’s books, including a biography of Barack Obama (A President from Hawaii by Joanna Carolan and Dr. Terry Carolan, published in 2012), a biography of mid-20th century artist Romare Bearden (My Hands Sing the Blues by Jeanne Walker Harvey, published in 2011) and a book that depicts a day in the life of a close-knit family in rural Tanzania (Lala Salama: A Tanzanian Lullaby by Patricia MacLachlan, published in 2011).
Zunon plans to give a PowerPoint presentation at the library about her own childhood love of reading -- in both English and French -- and about the route she took to becoming an illustrator. She will also talk about how she works on children’s books using a combination of painting and collage.
She will then provide all the materials and offer encouragement and tips while children and parents create their own collages to take home.
This event is a celebration of Take Your Child to the Library Day, a national observance held on the first Saturday in February. The event is funded by a special legislative project from the New York State Education Department.
The talk and workshop are free and open to the public but registration is limited, so those who want to attend should call 765-2791 to secure a spot. The library is at 51 School Street in New Scotland, and the workshop runs from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. For more information, see lizzunon.com.