ALUMNI NOTES: NEW BOOK FROM CHILDREN'S ILLUSTRATOR JASON CHIN, HANOVER HIGH CLASS OF 1997

Since Jason Chin graduated from HHS in 1997 he's made a career as an illustrator of children's books. Now his first book as an author has received a starred review in Publisher's Weekly. Brooklyn-based Jason will be visiting the Upper Valley in April to sign books at the Dartmouth Bookstore in Hanover and Long River Studios in Lyme.

In a review of "Redwoods" (Roaring Brook/Porter, for ages 4-8) Publisher's Weekly wrote: "... a clever exploration of coast redwoods. A boy finds a copy of 'Redwoods' on a subway station bench ... As he reads in a subway car that 'there are trees alive today that first sprouted during the Roman Empire,' he is flanked by two figures from that era. He emerges from the station to find himself in the middle of a redwood forest. The straightforward narrative is given enormous energy by the inventive format and realistic watercolor illustrations — their soft edges and muted hues suit the mist-shrouded giants. Chin adeptly captures the singular and spectacular nature of redwoods in this smartly layered book."