A CASE OF THE ZAPS Special Storytime with Alex Boniello, April Lavalle, and James Kwan

About this Event

Join Barnes & Noble Union Square on Sunday, August 21st at 11am ET in our 2^nd floor Children's section for a Special Storytime! Authors Alex Boniello and April Lavalle will perform an interactive reading of A CASE OF THE ZAPS, a charming and heartfelt picture book that's a great way to start a conversation about anxiety and mental health. They will be joined by the book's artist, James Kwan, who will do a fun drawing demonstration.

ABOUT A CASE OF THE ZAPS:

Meet 3.14159265358979323846264338327950 . . . Or Pi, for short. Pi's just like any other kid robot: They love to listen to music, play with their dog, and hang out with their friends. And when their teacher announces a field trip to Olde Silicon Valley, Pi couldn't be more excited! They daydream of all the awesome things they want to see and do there––but also begin to worry about all the things that could go wrong . . . Then, on the way home, Pi feels a ZAP! They try to avoid the strange feeling, but the Zaps keep happening. Pi doesn't understand. They have a firewall installed! What could be going on? A tale with equal parts humor and heart, A Case of the Zaps is a great way to begin talking about mental health and anxiety for readers of all ages.

ABOUT THE CREATORS:

Alex Boniello is an actor, musician, singer, writer, and Tony Award–winning producer from New York City. Most recently, he starred as Connor Murphy in Broadway's Dear Evan Hansen, and has also appeared as the voice of Moritz in Deaf West’s revival of Spring Awakening and in numerous TV shows and films. Alongside April Lavalle, he's also a producer on Hadestown, for which they both received Tony Awards. Boniello is a passionate advocate for mental health, having worked closely with some of the most prolific organizations in the country.

April Lavalle is an actor, comedian, writer, and Tony Award–winning producer living in New York City. As an actor, Lavalle has appeared on television and on stages throughout the world, and as a writer, she has been featured in publications such as Reductress, McSweeneys, Medium, and Vulture. She is also a director for the Story Pirates, which celebrates the imaginations of children worldwide.

James Kwan is an animator and illustrator with a BFA from Pratt Institute. His picture books Dear Yeti and How It Feels to Be a Boat received starred reviews from Kirkus and Publishers Weekly and were featured in the New York Times. He was a character artist on BoJack Horseman and has also done animated, illustrated, and directed work with many clients including Microsoft and LEGO.