Does Tomie dePaola refuse to sign books?

Question

I am going to a festival that has children's author Tomie dePaola as the main guest author. I would love to take some of his books to have signed, but have heard rumors that he doesn't sign books. Does anyone have knowledge of this?

Answer 1

I think you will have to ask the sponsor of the festival if there is going to be time set aside for him to sign books.

I don't see anything on the websites that say he does not. And, he looks like such a cheery fellow that I cannot imagine him saying, "No," unless he has a problem with signing his name repeatedly. (Wouldn't you rather have him produce a new book than stop because he has carpal tunnel syndrome?)

Here's a tidbit about his signature I found on his site:

Q: Why do you sign your name with a heart and why do you draw hearts in your
books?

A: The heart has become a sort of symbol for me. I also use it as shorthand or an
abbreviation for "love."

BIOGRAPHICAL HIGHLIGHTS…
Tomie dePaola is best known for his works for children.

Tomie has been published for nearly 40 years.

Over 6 million copies of his books have sold worldwide.

His books have been published in over 15 different countries.

He receives nearly 100,000 fan letters each year.