There’s a book reading event coming up this weekend at the Stuart Public Library.

Author Alison Van De Pol and Illustrator Jill Woodward are both natives of Stuart, and came together after becoming neighbors in Dallas Center to create the book, “The Moon is my Favorite Color.” Van De Pol says that she’s always wanted to be an author, but hadn’t thought children’s books would be where she got her start. Woodward tells Raccoon Valley Radio she has always loved art, and how she came to be an illustrator.

“I also had always a vision of, ‘Oh, it’ll be fun to illustrate children’s books.’ And really, though, this is my first experience with illustrating, and I’ve been painting and doing art in other capacities, but not as an illustrator.”

Woodward mentions that a series of similar events for the two lead to them becoming friends, and Van De Pol adds that after a statement from her daughter, she came up with the idea for the book, and that Woodward was her first choice for an illustrator.