Thursday, May 24, 2018

ANNOUNCING the LUCKY WINNER of IF YOU WANT TO FALL ASLEEP

Dear Friends,

Thank you so much for stopping by last week’s post to congratulate Jackie Azua Kramer on her new book, IF YOU WANT TO FALL ASLEEP!

The lucky winner is: Tara Luebbe! Congratulations, TARA! Please email me: claragillowclark (at) gmail (dot) com. Be sure to include your mailing address and let me know if you’d like Jackie to send you a signed bookplate.

Coming up in July are two Picture Book Birthdays for the fabulous Tracey Metzger Kyle. Tracey is donating autographed books for the comment contest!

In case you missed it, here’s the cover art and a couple of great reviews of Jackie’s book:

"Especially notable." -- Booklist, Spring Preview
"Lulling language, key bedtime trigger words, and gentle repetition are sure to help tiny eyes close. Children will enjoy witnessing Little Mouse's mischief and that of his many toys….A common nighttime predicament with a few not-so-common solutions.” ― Kirkus Reviews




Learn more about Jackie and her books: Jackieazuakramer.com
Follow her on: Twitter @jackiekramer422 




See you in July! ~Clara


Thursday, May 17, 2018

Book Birthday Blog Tour + Giveaway with Jackie Azua Kramer

Dear Friends,

Please welcome back, Jackie Azua Kramer, who has a wonderful new picture book just released this May. Enchanting illustrations coupled with Jackie’s lyrical text will make this book a treasured bedtime read aloud with your little ones. 

AND, there’s a comment contest giveaway. This time the book will be sent direct from the publisher, Clavis Books. Jackie will send a personalized bookplate to the winner on request. Simply leave a comment below and your name will be entered for a chance to win.

Writing from the Inside Out. . .   with  Jackie Azua Kramer


In sharing parenthood with friends, inevitably we end up laughing and/or crying about the nights spent trying to get our kids to bed. 
Just when you want to snuggle in with a good book and a cup of tea your little darling has a hundred and one excuses for why they can’t sleep. 
1: I’m not sleepy
2: I’m thirsty or hungry or both.
3: I’m scared.
4: There’s a bug in my room.
5: There’s a bug in my water.

You get the picture...

If this is true for you and your pesky night owl, in If You Want to Fall Asleep you might discover you’re not alone.
The sweet bedtime battle between Little Mouse’s endless reasons for why he can’t sleep and his mother’s loving and imaginative suggestions was inspired from personal experience. I spent more nights then I care to remember, opening dresser drawers, toy chests and closets, shooing monsters from my daughter’s room. 

I treasure the bedtimes I once had snuggled together reading books with my children. I hope you and your little one will smile seeing yourselves in Mama Mouse and Little Mouse. A night filled with daring pirates, mountains of pancakes, floating among the stars…and wait for yawning. And stretching. And sleepy thoughts. And drowsy eyes. Fingers crossed. 


Meet the author:


Jackie Azúa Kramer was born in Manhattan, NY. She has worked as an actor, singer, and school counselor. Jackie’s work with children presented her with an opportunity to address their concerns, secrets and hopes through storytelling. Her award-winning picture book, The Green Umbrella (North South Books) won the Parents’ Choice Silver Medal and chosen 2017 Bank Street College Best Children’s Books of the Year. It’s been translated into German, Slovenian, Chinese and Russian.
Out soon--The Boy and the Eight Hundred Pound Gorilla (Candlewick Press, 2020); That’s for Babies and Miles Won’t Smile (Clavis Books, TBD). Jackie lives with her family and writes under a canopy of trees in Long Island, NY.
Learn more about Jackie and her books: Jackieazuakramer.com

"Especially notable." -- Booklist, Spring Preview
"Lulling language, key bedtime trigger words, and gentle repetition are sure to help tiny eyes close. Children will enjoy witnessing Little Mouse's mischief and that of his many toys….A common nighttime predicament with a few not-so-common solutions.” ― Kirkus Reviews


You may recall Jackie’s debut picture book, The Green Umbrella, featured here a year ago!


Illustrated in spreads that alternate the rainy-day narrative in vignettes with full-bleed spreads that allow the flight-of-fancy retellings to render a deeper mood, the animals' stories are delightfully descriptive...The lesson about sharing and generosity is elegantly wrapped around lovely language. (Kirkus Reviews)




THANK YOU, Dear Friends, for joining the BOOK BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION with Jackie Azua Kramer and for leaving a comment below. The winner of If You Want to Fall Asleep will be announced on May 23rd.




Tuesday, May 8, 2018

ANNOUNCING the LUCKY WINNERS - 2 BOOK Giveaway

Dear Friends,

It feels like ages since I last posted, but finally, TODAY is the day to announce the lucky winners of the two book giveaway to celebrate NOVEL BEGINNINGS, K.L. Going’s and my upcoming workshop at Highlights Foundation. It’s nearly the Eleventh hour, but there’s still time to register for the workshop. Click anywhere on the large blue type directly below to learn more:

NOVEL BEGINNINGS: BUILDING STRONG FOUNDATIONS FOR YOUR NOVEL AND YOUR CAREER
JUNE 21-24, 2018

Faculty: K.L. Going, Clara Gillow Clark  (If you don’t already know what we look like, you’ll find photos of us over at the Highlights Foundation webpage.)

The winner of KING OF THE SCREWUPS by K.L. Going: Theresa Milstein - Congratulations!!! (Theresa, please email me, claragillowclark(at)gmail(dot)com, with your mailing address and to whom you’d like you book personalized.)






Liam is a multifaceted and resilient character who ultimately learns how to be comfortable in his own skin with the help of his new, makeshift family. Going’s knack for defying stereotypes and creating memorable characters will not disappoint fans of Fat Kid Rules the World (Putnam, 2003) and Saint Iggy (Harcourt, 2006).--School Library Journal, starred review







The winner of Hill Hawk Hattie + discussion guide and dolls is:  Judie Offerdahl - Congratulations!!! (Judie, please email me, claragillowclark(at)gmail(dot)com, with your mailing address and to whom you’d like you book personalized.)
Hill Hawk Hattie (Candlewick Press)

"The simple first-person narrative captures Hattie's rustic innocence, the thrilling rafting adventure, and the heartfelt struggle of a tough girl who feels useful to her father only in the role of a boy." — BOOKLIST (starred review)


Dear readers, We so appreciated each and every one of your comments for our giveaway! Thank you so much for your support. May is a busy month for us, but well do our best to have your books in the mail within a week.  ~Clara and Kelly

P.S. In store for you on MAY 17th, is a brand new picture book! See you soon. ~Clara