Book Giveaway – Cricket in the Thicket – Carol Murray

Congratulations to author Carol Murray on her new book CRICKET IN THE THICKET.
It makes its debut on May 9^th, 2017. It’s a picture book that uses the happy combination of poetry and non-fiction. Each of the twenty-nine light-hearted poems is accompanied by a text box at the bottom of the page, filled with interesting facts about the bug, be it insect, arachnid, or crustacean. Information can also be found within the poems and in a glossary in the back of the book. The beautiful and eye-catching illustrations of Melissa Sweet build on the words of the poems, adding both charm and substance. Suddenly, learning about bugs becomes painless!

Carol has agreed to participate in our book giveaways. All you have to do to get in the running is to leave a comment. Reblog, tweet, or talk about it on Facebook with a link and you will get additional chances to win. Just let me know the other things you did to share the good news, so I can put in the right amount of tickets in my basket for you. Check back to discover the winner.

BOOK DESCRIPTION:

A nonfiction picture book of poetry about fascinating insects with accompanying facts, notes, and illustrations by the Caldecott-winning Melissa Sweet.

Pray tell us, Mr. Mantis,
Do you pray or simply prey?
Do you scout about for victims
Or fold your hands all day?

In addition to the playful rhyming poems, the supplementary text highlights surprising facts about bugs of all kinds―from familiar ants to exotic dragonflies, cringe-worthy ticks and magnificent fireflies. Melissa Sweet’s collage-inspired mixed-media illustrations beautifully render these creatures and compliment the poems’ whimsical tones. This is an enchanting and informative look at a perennial topic of interest for kids―cool bugs!

A Christy Ottaviano Book

BOOK JOURNEY:

I recently looked through my old email files, searching for my first submission of poems about bugs. Actually, I had to look further – into my collection of old three-ringed notebooks. My first attempt on the subject was delivered before email was the accepted way to send submissions. I snail-mailed a collection of poems entitled, Creepy Crawlers, to an editor I met at a summer workshop. The year was 1997. I’m happy to report that twenty years later, Cricket in the Thicket is finally coming out in the world! The book is being published by Henry Holt Books for Young Readers. My editor, not the first one I sent to, is the fabulous Christy Ottavanio, whose insight, suggestions, and good humor have been just what I needed.

The manuscript has gone through many changes. The first was the addition of “factoids” on each page; the second, a glossary in the back of the book with more extensive information about each bug. I researched material and especially looked for unusual things about each creature – something to make the information different and fun. My information was fact-checked by many experts in the field, a procedure that I appreciated since my scientific knowledge about bugs was shallow, even though I had tons of first-hand experience.

I’m an outdoor person and live in the wide open spaces of Kansas where most of these critters are readily available. The book is dedicated to my two grown sons. Our family always lived in the country with horses and dogs and cats and all sorts of prairie creatures, including a large assortment of bugs. I have a thank-you in the front of the book to our Dillon Nature Center in Hutchinson, Kansas, which has always been a source of great inspiration.

There were also many changes in the poems themselves. I’m a big believer in revision and have found that revisiting a poem produces better work. “Make Every Word Count” is especially important in poetry. The text is spare, and one word came make a huge difference. (cont.)

Mark Twain said that it can be, “the difference between lightning and a lightning bug.” So, I’m happy to rethink a word or rework a line, based on suggestions from an editor, a friend, a fellow writer, even a child. Often the second or third version is better than the first.

Getting this book in shape for publication has been a great experience.  Check out my website it you have some time. It’s www.carolmurray.net, created by the expert webmaster, Kathy Temean. There’s more information and a catchy little video book trailer. I’m even having good times creating songs out of some of the poems. It’s a thrill to have Cricket in the Thicket in hand and ready to be launched. I hope you like it!

CAROL’S BIO:

I can hardly remember a time when I wasn’t reading and writing poetry. Actually, it was an unwritten requirement when I was growing up. In my family, we wrote poems for all occasions. Usually they were humorous with something heart-tugging near the end. The tradition continues to this day and has been passed on to the next generation. Such fun!

I studied English and French in college and taught Speech and English half-time at our community college for about twenty-five years. I was writing all along, just because I loved doing it, with no goal toward publication. That all changed when my husband, Max, and I found ourselves with an empty nest. I went back to school, got a Masters in English, and fell in love (again) with classic poetry – not just hearts and flowers and drama, but the humorous, sometime outlandish poems that “real poets” wrote, usually found in letters in the back of the Norton Anthologies.

That led to lots of reading and the discovery of so many gifted writers of poetry for children. I kept writing, still loving it, but this time with a different goal – a children’s book or two or three – or more. I’ve had some nice successes, plenty of rejections, and have met so many wonderful people. I’m still enjoying the ride!

Best wishes to all of you. Perseverance is the name of the game!

Carol is a published poet and author of several books for children. She has been a teacher for over thirty years with students, aged three years (Wee Wigglers) to ninety-three (Elderhostel). She taught English and Speech at Hutchinson Community College for twenty-five years and has also taught Creative Writing, Poetry, Interpersonal Communications, and Children’s Literature.

She has a BA degree from the University of Kansas, with majors in English and French. Her MA degree is from Wichita State, in English, with an emphasis in British literature and poetry.

Carol lives in Kansas, the heartland of America. She is currently working on a middle grade novel entitled, Cloverleaf. It’s about a rodeo barrel racer named, Angie, and her horse, Lucky.  Her publications include poems in magazines and anthologies, including Highlights for Children, Guideposts for Kids, Phonics through Poetry, Bless the Beasts and Western Horseman.

Carol, thank you for sharing your book and journey with us. Good Luck with the book.

Talk tomorrow,

Kathy