Tavares Author Matt Tavares autographs books for his audience. (Photo Ray Clark)

In a talk sponsored by the Gray Public Library, Tavares showed slides of his work from initial rough sketch to finished drawing. His first few books were about baseball, starting with Zachary's Ball, set in Boston's Fenway Park. That book started out as his senior thesis and it was called Sebastian's Ball. He learned early in his career that he needed an agent to sell his book to a publisher and he found one by accident. Even so, seven publishers turned down the book before he found one who liked it enough to print it.

Tavares' first books were all illustrated in black and white; now he's moved into watercolors. He's is currently doing classics. His biggest-selling book is an edition of A Visit From St. Nicholas. Illustrating and sometimes writing children's books is Tavares' full-time occupation and he loves it. Right now he's working on a book about the Statue of Liberty. The Gray Public Library has copies of several of his books, and they're worth checking out.