UPDATES + WINNER of The Infamous Ratsos Are Not Afraid by Kara LaReau.

Dear Friends,

Our next featured author/illustrator is Trinka Hakes Noble coming later in November to celebrate a Book Birthday for her Thanksgiving themed picture book. I’ve been given a sneak peek and I know all you historical fiction and story lovers will be wowed by the richness of text and illustrations. But WAIT! Our good friend Gayle Krause is joining us next week with a Patriotic post for Veteran’s Day and a bonus craft for kids.

But it’s Halloween and I know you’re eager to learn WHO won last week’s comment contest for The Infamous Ratsos Are Not Afraid by Kara LaReau. The winner is announced in the middle of the post!

★”Another tale for fledgling chapter-book readers that highlights the profound value of kindness to others.” (Booklist, starred review)

“Readers will be following right alongside these two likable rats as Ralphie confronts his past misdeeds and Louie screws his courage to the sticking post….Charming.” (Kirkus)

INFAMOUS RATSOS ARE NOT AFRAID. Text copyright © 2017 by Kara Lareau. Illustrations copyright © 2017 by Matt Myers. Reproduced by permission of the publisher, Candlewick Press, Somerville, MA.

Kara LaReau was born and raised in Connecticut. She received her Masters in Fine Arts in Writing, Literature, and Publishing from Emerson College in Boston, Massachusetts and later worked as an editor at Candlewick Press and at Scholastic Press. Among other celebrated titles, she edited Kate DiCamillo’s Because of Winn-Dixie, The Tale of Despereaux, The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane,and the Mercy Watson series. She is the author of picture books such as UGLY FISH and OTTO: The Boy Who Loved Cars, illustrated by Scott Magoon, and NO SLURPING, NO BURPING! A Tale of Table Manners, illustrated by Lorelay Bové; a chapter book series called The Infamous Ratsos, illustrated by Matt Myers; and a middle-grade trilogy called The Unintentional Adventures of the Bland Sisters, illustrated by Jen Hill. Kara lives in Providence, Rhode Island with her husband and son and their cat.

website: https://karalareau.com

twitter: https://twitter.com/karalareau

FB: https://www.facebook.com/karalareau

The winner of The Infamous Ratsos Are Not Afraid is:  K.L.Going! 

!!!!CONGRATULATIONS!!!!

And be sure to check out this first book in the series!

A 2017 Theodor Seuss Geisel Honor Book

Louie and Ralphie Ratso are no softies! Readers are sure to chuckle as the determined Ratso brothers’ plans to act tough go hilariously awry.

Louie and Ralphie Ratso’s dad, Big Lou, always says that there are two kinds of people: those who are tough and those who are soft. Louie and Ralphie are tough, tough, tough, just like Big Lou, and they’re going to prove it. But every time they try to show just how tough they are, the Ratso brothers end up accidentally doing good deeds instead. What’ll Big Lou do when he finds out they’ve been acting like softies all over the Big City? Perfect for emerging and reluctant readers, this clever and surprisingly warmhearted chapter book shows that being tough all the time can be really tough.

Thank you, dear book lovers, for your comments and encouragement for the featured authors and their stellar books! You’re the best. I’ll be back before you know it!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN! 
~Clara

Halloween Giveaway -- The Ratso Brothers Are Not Afraid by Kara LaReau

Dear Friends,

It’s that haunting time of year again, and our friend, the talented and impressive Kara LaReau, is back to share about what it means to be brave. Kara is not only a gifted writer, but a brilliant editor as well. (See her bio below.) Kara is generously donating an autographed book for the comment contest. At the bottom of the post, click on the small word: comments. Scroll down until you come to the comment box and leave a comment for us about what you were most afraid of as a child, or a time when you were brave, or a favorite Halloween memory. We’d love to hear from you even if it’s just to say you’d like to win the book. The winner of last week’s contest is announced at the end of the post.

Writing from the Inside Out. . .  by Kara LaReau

I think about bravery a lot, and how I can be a more courageous person, in my writing and in the world. So it’s no surprise that my newest book is called THE INFAMOUS RATSOS ARE NOT AFRAID.

Of course, being brave isn’t just about venturing into a house that may (or may not!) be haunted, like Louie Ratso does in the story, or overcoming a fear of spiders, like the Ratso brothers’ father, Big Lou — it can also be about doing what feels right and true to yourself, even when it’s hard. Ralphie Ratso learns this lesson when a rumor starts at school about him liking an unpopular girl. It turns out — spoiler alert! — the girl is unpopular because of another rumor, one that Ralphie started a long time ago, which he meant as a joke.

I can totally relate to Ralphie; to deflect from some childhood bullying and some of my own insecurities as a kid, I developed a snarky attitude. I’d do just about anything to make people laugh, and that sometimes came at the expense of others. Even on the occasions where I was called on it, I just shrugged it off, and blamed the butts of my jokes for being hyper-sensitive or humorless.

Now that I’m an adult and a little bit more self-aware, I recognize that behavior as toxic. I try to practice more compassion. And I’ve come to realize that while a little bit of snarky attitude is fine, most people prefer it when I’m being my honest self; allowing ourselves to be open and vulnerable is another form of bravery, one that we need more than ever these days.

Interior text and art

Eventually, Ralphie does the right (and brave) thing and apologizes, and in the process, he makes a new friend — a skunk named Millicent, who’s become one of my favorite characters, especially given how illustrator Matt Myers has brought her to life. I hope you’ll love her, too, as I have big plans for her in future stories. And of course, I hope that when kids read THE INFAMOUS RATSOS series, they’ll learn from Louie and Ralphie’s mistakes. They are often my mistakes, too. 

Review quotes:

★”Another tale for fledgling chapter-book readers that highlights the profound value of kindness to others.” (Booklist, starred review)

“Readers will be following right alongside these two likable rats as Ralphie confronts his past misdeeds and Louie screws his courage to the sticking post….Charming.” (Kirkus)

INFAMOUS RATSOS ARE NOT AFRAID. Text copyright © 2017 by Kara Lareau. Illustrations copyright © 2017 by Matt Myers. Reproduced by permission of the publisher, Candlewick Press, Somerville, MA.

Kara LaReau was born and raised in Connecticut. She received her Masters in Fine Arts in Writing, Literature, and Publishing from Emerson College in Boston, Massachusetts and later worked as an editor at Candlewick Press and at Scholastic Press. Among other celebrated titles, she edited Kate DiCamillo’s Because of Winn-Dixie, The Tale of Despereaux, The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane, and the Mercy Watson series. She is the author of picture books such as UGLY FISH and OTTO: The Boy Who Loved Cars, illustrated by Scott Magoon, and NO SLURPING, NO BURPING! A Tale of Table Manners, illustrated by Lorelay Bové; a chapter book series called The Infamous Ratsos, illustrated by Matt Myers; and a middle-grade trilogy called The Unintentional Adventures of the Bland Sisters, illustrated by Jen Hill. Kara lives in Providence, Rhode Island with her husband and son and their cat.

website: https://karalareau.com

twitter: https://twitter.com/karalareau

FB: https://www.facebook.com/karalareau

You’ll want to purchase several copies of The Infamous Ratsos are Not Afraid for your favorite independent readers as a special Halloween treat!

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The lucky winner of The Shape of the World: A Portrait of Frank Lloyd Wright by K.L.Going is:

Jilanne Hoffmann

CONGRATULATIONS!!

(Please email me: claragillowclark(at)gmail(dot)com with your mailing address and to whom you’d like the book inscribed.)

Thank you, Kelly for sharing your wisdom and insights with us and for your generosity. And thank you, dear readers, for your extraordinary comments! 

I’ll be back on Halloween to announce the winner of The Infamous Ratsos are Not Afraid.  ~Clara

K.L. Going shares about The Shape of the World: A Portrait of Frank Lloyd Wright + Giveaway

Dear Readers,

This week we’re celebrating K.L. Going’s first Non-fiction biography, The Shape of the World: A Portrait of Frank Lloyd Wright. Kelly is, once again, generously giving away a free copy of the book. All you have to do for a chance to win, is leave a comment at the end of the post. Look for the small word comments. Click on it and scroll until you see the comment box. THANK YOU! The LUCKY winner of Bumpety, Dunkety, Thumpety-Thump! is announced at the end of the post.

Inspiration -- Part Two:

The Shape of the World: A Portrait of Frank Lloyd Wright

by 

K.L. Going

“Talent is good, practice is better, passion is best.” Frank Lloyd Wright

I never paid much attention to architecture growing up. Buildings – even the most beautiful ones – were something I took for granted. It wasn’t until later in life that I started to think about architecture as something to be admired and appreciated, and that appreciation began with my father.

K.L. Going and her dad

The Shape of the World is dedicated to my dad because it was his love of Frank Lloyd Wright’s work that made me take a second look at the world around me. At first, I looked at Wright’s buildings and appreciated the way they mimicked the natural world. This led me to thinking about how buildings can be works of art within our daily existence or mundane functional objects that add little to our lives. What do our buildings say about us? When the minutia of society has crumbled away, what will future archeologists find revealed in our architecture?

Winston Churchill once said, “We shape our buildings; thereafter they shape us.” Just like books, architecture is a gift we give to our children. 

“Every great architect is – necessarily – a great poet. He must be a great original interpreter of his time, his day, his age.” These are the words of Frank Lloyd Wright, and I believe they are true.

Appreciating the world we’ve built, leads inevitably to appreciating the world that nature has built. When we stop to admire beauty in one form, we will appreciate it in all forms. These are wonderful lessons for adults and children alike.

K.L.Going’s son with her dad

My hope for The Shape of the World, is that this book will inspire children to take a look at the world around them much earlier than I did. I hope they’ll be challenged by Wright’s example to make the world that they create as beautiful as the natural world around them. 

As Frank Lloyd Wright once said, “If you foolishly ignore beauty, you will soon find yourself without. But if you invest in beauty, it will remain with you all the days of your life.” 

We create the shape of the world. All of us, together.

It is our sacred task.

May we rise to the challenge, and may we equip our children to do the same.

Reviews for The Shape of the World: A Portrait of Frank Lloyd Wright:

A spot-on introduction to Wright and an evocative recognition of the way a child is father to the man."—Booklist, starred review

Simple prose set in a light type that reflects Wright’s art serves as a jumping-off point for each of the expansive illustrations, giving young readers ample opportunity to discover hidden gems in the pages, such as the red squares that are scattered throughout Wright’s work. A lovely introduction to the impact that a creative mind can have on the world."—Kirkus

Book Summary: A little boy who loves to find shapes in nature grows up to be one of America’s greatest architects in this inspiring biography of Frank Lloyd Wright. When Frank Lloyd Wright was a baby, his mother dreamed that he would become a great architect. She gave him blocks to play with and he learned that shapes are made up of many other shapes. As he grew up, he loved finding shapes in nature. Wright went on to study architecture and create buildings that were one with the natural world around them. He became known as one of the greatest American architects of all time.

Learn more about K.L.Going and her books: www.klgoing.com 

Follow her on Facebook: facebook.com/KLGoing

Twitter: @klgoing



K.L. Going is the author of many critically acclaimed novels, including King of the Screwups, The Garden of Eve, Saint Iggy, The Liberation of Gabriel King, and Fat Kid Rules the World. She lives with her family in Glen Spey, New York. 

Thanks so much for sharing insights and inspiration for your new books, Kelly. I was especially touched by your words, "We create the shape of the world. All of us, together. It is our sacred task. May we rise to the challenge, and may we equip our children to do the same.” 

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The winner of last week’s comment contest is:  Carol Baldwin  

!!CONGRATULATIONS!! 

(Please email me claragillowclark(at)gmail(dot)com with your mailing address and to whom you’d like the book inscribed.) 

Dear Readers, Thanks for joining the birthday celebrations with K.L.Going here on Writing from the Inside Out. . .  

Next up is Kara LaReau and her new early reader with the Infamous Ratso Brothers. 

~Clara

Picture Book Birthday for Award Winning Author K.L. Going + Giveaway

Dear Friends,

Please welcome K.L. Going, my dear and brilliant friend and my fellow faculty partner for the Highlights Foundation Workshop, Novel Beginnings. I first met Kelly more than a decade ago at Curtis Brown Literary Agency in NYC where she was working at the time. In fact, it was at the very beginning of Kelly's career as an author and she told me about her soon to be published YA novel,  Fat Kid Rules The World, which went on to win a Printz Honor Award. Kelly is one of those rare and multi-talented writers who has published Young Adult, Middle Grade, and Picture books. I’m thrilled to share her newest title with you this week, Bumpety, Dunkety, Thumpety-Thump! with a follow up  post next week and a second picture book birthday for, The Shape of the World: A Portrait of Frank Lloyd Wright. Kelly is generously donating an autographed copy to a lucky winner who leaves a comment. (Look for the small word, comments, at the bottom of the post. Click on it. Then scroll down until the comment box appears.) We love hearing from you!

Inspiration: Part One – Bumpety, Dunkety, Thumpety-Thump 

by K.L.Going

Sometimes two things that seem to share nothing in common are actually connected by a gossamer thread, an unseen strand that exists only in the artists’ mind. Inspiration. It can come from anywhere at any time, merging unique things together into a brand new artistic experience.

The initial seed of inspiration for Bumpety, Dunkety, Thumpety-Thump came from reading Eric Carle’s The Very Busy Spider to my young son. Ashton was only a toddler at the time, but he loved to run his fingers over the raised lines of the spider’s web.

As a picture book author who has also worked in publishing, I know that “extra” features, like the raised line, cost publishers more money, which is why they are rare instead of common. Yet I wished there could be more books like this on the market because children love to explore textures.

I wondered if there might be a way to recreate a tactile sensory experience using words.

That’s when I thought about yet another wonderful read-aloud picture book. Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin Jr. has been a favorite since its publication by Simon & Schuster in 1989. Could rhythm help to replicate the senses?

I decided to create a text that used words and rhythm to bring alive the sounds and textures of the world around us, and hopefully in the process, invite children into an imaginative state where they can experience the bumping, thumping, playful world all around us.

Author K.L. Going with her favorite reader

The result is Bumpety, Dunkety, Thumpety-Thump. I hope you and your little ones will enjoy the experience of reading this book together!

Booklist: Clunkety-clunk! Bumpety bump! This onomatopoeic treasure begs to be read aloud. Short, intuitive rhymes move readers along as two young siblings (big sister and little brother) have a simply wonderful day... An obvious choice for storytimes or units on rhymes, this will also be great for introducing beginning writers to the wonders of words—especially those that don’t appear on standard vocabulary lists.

School Library Journal: This onomatopoeic book is a lively read-aloud that will be requested often for storytime or bedtime.–Maryann H. Owen, Children’s Literature Specialist, Mt. Pleasant, WI

Kirkus: This winning read-aloud should encourage multiple recitations. (Picture book. 2-5)

I’ve already purchased this book for a special niece. I know her parents will love reading it to her and that Bumpety, Dunkety, Thumpety-Thump! will be a favorite bedtime, anytime book for its wonderful onomatopoeia words and rhythm.

So please join the Book Birthday celebration and leave a comment for Kelly. The winner will be announced next week when Kelly will be back to share about another new picture book, The Shape of the World: A Portrait of Frank Lloyd Wright. 

Learn more about Kelly and her books: www.klgoing.com

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The winner of last week’s comment contest for Are We Pears Yet? is:  

Congratulations, MARTIN SEGAL! (Please send me an email with your mailing address and to whom you’d like the book inscribed: claragillowclark(at)gmail(dot)com.)  

Thank you, Miranda, and thank you, dear readers, for your wonderful comments and support of authors and good books.  ~Clara

Book Birthday + Giveaway with Author Miranda Paul

Dear Friends,

Our special guest this week is Author Miranda Paul who shares about her new picture book, Are We Pears Yet? Several years ago I met Miranda at Highlights Foundation. Like her new gem of a book, Miranda fairly sparkled with good humor and fun and intelligence. This spring I had the pleasure of hearing Miranda read the text of Are We Pears Yet? I was completely charmed and wanted to share this book and the author with all of you. Miranda is generously autographing a book for one lucky winner who leaves a comment. Just go to the bottom of the post and click on the small word, comments, and scroll until you reach the comment box. USA only.

Author Miranda Paul

Writing from the Inside Out. . .   Growing a Book By Miranda Paul

Once upon a time I wrote a script called Are We Pears Yet? It was a silly manuscript that broke all the rules of picture book writing—it featured talking inanimate objects, and was written in all dialogue. I used different colored fonts and lots of illustration notes. All of the scenes happened in the same place. It was way longer than 32 pages. One character even threatened violence on another (to chop down the other in a true sibling rivalry). It indulged my love of science and my love of theatre, as well as my love of puns and all things true to a child’s experience of waiting and enduring growing pains. I never paid much attention to word count while writing it either. In short, I loved writing it. 

But such a book, I figured, would never get published. And if it did, it would have the most simple, cartoonish art, because it was part slapstick, part comic. My agent would probably hate it.

Once upon a time, I was wrong about all of those things. You don’t have to hate the process or succumb to supposed “rules” to come out with a good book.

Agents, editors, and illustrators have visions beyond what an author’s focused mind can behold (when you work with great people). Especially if the project hasn’t gestated long enough, what others can contribute is like an organic fertilizer. In the case of Are We Pears Yet? my editor Neal Porter first responded to my “cartoonish art” idea by saying that since readers are waiting the whole book for these seeds to become pears, they should be beautiful. I had never considered this a beautiful story. But it made perfect sense—in order to satisfy the reader, the illustrations had to be “worth the wait.” My editor also picked up on the theatrical nature of the script and contracted Carin Berger to make well-designed shadow-box illustrations that actually resembled a theatre. How she managed to cut out those tiny shoes and erect the stages and light it all beautifully is a minor miracle to me! (Yes, her actual 3-D art was photographed and scanned in for your viewing amazement!)

When it came time to finish the book, my editor requested back matter. Since most of my books have back matter, and this one has a scientific tie-in to growth cycles of plants, I jumped right into work. I love back matter and usually it’s a very cut-and-dry process for me. But, alas! Their vision was now my vision and I got creative. The back matter became the “Encore” and the bibliography became the “Credits.” A good editor is more like a director.

Are We Pears Yet? has now made its debut in the world (more than three years after I drafted it) and I’m happy to say the reviews are wonderful. It’s dedicated to my high school drama club friends and the director who taught me the basics of theatre. My hope is to see classrooms acting the book out. What fun it will be to see their vision as they take ownership of the work. Children of the world: Your turn for the spotlight!

Miranda Paul is an award-winning author of eight picture books including One Plastic Bag and Water is Water, both Junior Library Guild selections. Her nonfiction guessing-game book, Whose Hands Are These? is a 2017 International Literacy Association Teacher’s Choice selection. Miranda frequently visits schools, libraries, and bookstores around the country and can’t wait to visit your neck of the woods. She currently lives in Wisconsin with her family. Learn more at www.mirandapaul.com

interior illustration

Written entirely in dialogue and staged as a play, Are We Pears Yet? is a clever and hilarious picture book that will make you look at growth cycles and fruit trees in a whole new way.

"Berger’s quirky collages are so stylish and fun, and Paul’s dialogue so friendly and funny...An inventive treatment of a tried and true topic." —Publisher's Weekly

"These pears will be fun read-aloud companions for curious eaters and budding botanists." —Kirkus Review

From the jacket flaps:

Learn more about Miranda and her fabulous books here:

http://www.mirandapaul.com

facebook.com/AuthorMirandaPaul

Thanks so much, Miranda, for sharing about how Are We Pears Yet? became a book! And, thank you, dear reader, for your support of authors and good books! We appreciate your comments. Don’t you just love those pears? I do.

I’ll be back in a week to announce the lucky winner chosen by random.org

~Clara