Tuesday, October 17, 2017

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 ScrewupsThe Garden of EveSaint IggyThe 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.” 

******************************************************************************
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

20 comments:

  1. WOWEE! Thanks for the Bumpety Bump book. I think the Frank Lloyd Wright book sounds very interesting, but I'll pass on entering since I just won.

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    1. Congratulations, Carol! Thanks for stopping by, and don’t forget to email your address! Thank you!

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  2. An inspiring post and an inspiring book. Thanks, Clara and Kelly.

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    1. Thanks for joining the Book Birthday, Marileta! Your name is entered for a chance to win The Shape of the World: A Portrait of Frank Lloyd Wright.

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  3. This sounds like another great book from the versatile K L Going. I plan to use Wright's quote at the beginning of the post in my author talks. Thanks.

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    1. Thanks for stopping by, Kathy. The quotes in this post are terrific! Your name is entered for a chance to win The Shape of the World: A Portrait of Frank Lloyd Wright.

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  4. Congrats, Carol!

    oooohhhh, I can't tell you how excited I am about this book about Wright! In fact, I'll buy it for our school library, no matter the outcome of this giveaway. My 13-yr-old son is applying to a school for the arts in the architecture and design track. He's got several of the Lego architecture buildings, including Wright's Falling Water. So we've been talking about architecture quite a bit in our household. The cover of this book just makes me want to pick it up off the shelf and read it immediately. The quotes, too, that you've selected speak to me. And KL's statement about wanting children to take a closer look at the world around them at an earlier age. Yes! Like I said, I may need to run out right now and get a copy! I've always had a difficult time curbing my enthusiasm when it's been fired up! Thanks for showcasing this book, Clara!

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    1. Hi Julianne, You’ll LOVE this book. The art and the text are well paired, and I absolutely LOVE your enthusiasm.

      Your name is entered for a chance to win The Shape of the World: A Portrait of Frank Lloyd Wright.

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    2. Yay! I'm so happy to have won! I'm going to showcase it soon on my blog. It's just so beautifully done!

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    3. So thrilled that you’re going to feature Kelly’s book on your blog. Please let us know when it goes live! Thanks so much!

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  5. Oh...I love this. I would love this for my niece, who is a Frank Lloyd Wright fanatic and now has a daughter of her own. Thanks for everything you do, Clara, to share the work of other authors.

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    1. Thanks for joining the book celebration, Beverly, and for sharing that your niece is a big fan of FLW. I appreciate your kind words, too.

      Your name is entered for a chance to win The Shape of the World: A Portrait of Frank Lloyd Wright.

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  6. Hi Clara,
    Thanks for hosting Kelly again. You are both generous with your time and talent.
    Kelly's post moved me in a few ways. First, it's wonderful how her father taught her to appreciate the beauty of nature and the architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright and how she dedicated The Shape of the World to her dad. Second, just think of the many young minds that will learn to appreciate the beauty of nature and the architect's works after reading Kelly's book.
    Another element that is lovely about her book is the cover, which reflects the designs and use of light by Frank Lloyd Wright (who shares the same birthday with me--not year, but date and month, of course).
    On a personal note, I was fortunate to tour a home he designed in Missouri. it was quite an experience.
    Finally, as a writer, Kelly's remark "it is our sacred task" resonated with me. She is indeed a gifted writer!

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    1. Thank you, Donna, for your amazing and thoughtful comment. I agree that it is wonderful how Kelly's father taught her to appreciate the beauty of nature. My father did the same with us, so that touched me, too.

      Your name is entered for a chance to win this very special book about Frank Lloyd Wright. Nice that you share a birthday--different years, of course. :o)

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  7. Frank Lloyd Wright is popular! This sounds like an interesting book for kids. Thanks for the interview. Another book about Wright debuted this month. Falling Water by WV writers, Marc Harshman and Anna Egan Smucker.

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    1. Hi Janet, So happy that you stopped by to read the post and leave a comment. Thanks! Was the other book that debuted this month for kids?

      Your name is entered for a chance to win The Shape of the World: A Portrait of Frank Lloyd Wright.

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    2. Yes, Clara, it is a picture book.

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  8. I love that KL Going's dad got her interested in Frank Lloyd Wright. I've always been drawn to Wright's aesthetic. I'd love to have this book in my classroom.

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    1. Hi Theresa, That was wonderful, wasn’t it, how Kelly got interested in Frank Lloyd Wright because of her dad. My husband is a big fan, too. We toured FLW’s school, Taliesin West a number of years ago--it was an outstanding experience.

      Your name is entered for a chance to win The Shape of the World: A Portrait of Frank Lloyd Wright.

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  9. Just wanted to say how much I'm appreciating all of these lovely comments! Wish I had time to respond to each one individually, but I will send out a general thank you to each of you for posting. Makes my day!

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