Ever wondered how a few simple drawings can make a tough idea click? Studio member Dr. Lynn Herrmann has a new children’s book, and you’re invited to celebrate it with her and illustrator J.A. Allen at the 71 North Partnership Studio. Stay afterward to learn how to draw cartoons that teach.

Join them Thursday, November 12, 2026, from 4:00 to 5:30 p.m. at the 71 North Partnership Studio inside Founders Memorial Library. Everyone is welcome, and you don’t need any art experience.

What’s happening

• Book launch party (4:00 to 4:30 p.m.): help celebrate Camp Kids in Motion, written by Dr. Herrmann of NIU’s College of Health and Human Sciences and illustrated by J.A. Allen, an NIU alum and visual learning innovator. In the book, Lotti, Tully, Piper, and JP play games and run relay races at Camp Move Around, and along the way they learn how their bodies adapt to movement: breathing and heart rate, sweat, and hydration, all explained in a way readers of any age can follow.
• Cartoon learning workshop (4:30 to 5:30 p.m.): grab a pencil and work with Lynn and James in this hands-on session. You’ll find out how cartoons and visual storytelling can explain ideas, spark creativity, and make complex topics easier to understand.

If you caught Allen’s cartoon learning workshop at the studio in 2024, this is your chance to see the approach in action on a brand-new book.