Local author Eija Sumner will hold a release party for her debut book in downtown Moscow this Saturday.

BookPeople of Moscow will be hosting Sumner from 11 a.m. – noon at the Kenworthy Performing Arts Centre, located across the street from the bookstore. 

Sumner will be reading her children’s book “Crocodile Hungry,” which tells the story of a crocodile looking for something to eat. “Crocodile Hungry” was written by Sumner and illustrated by John Martz. The reading will be followed by a book signing and an audience Q&A.

Carol Price, the owner and manager of BookPeople, said the shop used to host events like this one fairly often before the start of the pandemic. Many of their book signings and author readings were put on hold recently due to the previous spike in COVID-19 cases. 

“We’re happy we could plan an in-person event,” Price said. “We do this often, but we haven’t done anything ‘often’ for two years.”

Sumner was an employee at BookPeople for several years before “Crocodile Hungry” was released. Although Sumner now works at the Moscow Chamber of Commerce, Price said that the staff at BookPeople followed the story’s process for the four years it was in the making.

“We’ve known it was coming for a long time. We’ve been going along the journey, knowing the step-by-step updates,” Price said. “We’re excited it’s finally out.”

Signed copies of “Crocodile Hungry” are available now at BookPeople. Audience members will have the opportunity to get their own copy of “Crocodile Hungry” signed by Sumner at the event. The event itself is free-to-attend for all ages.

Those interested in learning more about the event can contact [email protected].