Book Giveaway: CRAWLY SCHOOL FOR BUGS by David L Harrison

Three weeks ago I posted about David L Harrison’s has new book, CRAWLY SCHOOL FOR BUGS. Unfortunately, I was sick in bed for most of April and I messed the feature up and didn’t realize my mistake until a few days ago. I wanted to share the post the way it should have been shown in April. I will pick the winner on Thursday. Everyone who left a comment in April for David’s book will have their comment counted for the book and if you want to leave a comment on this post, I will add it for another chance. If you didn’t see April’s CRAWLY SCHOOL FOR BUGS, all you have to do 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 Thursday.

BOOK’S DESCRIPTION:

This collection of laugh-out-loud poems explores the daily life of insect students and staff at Crawly School for Bugs.

Welcome to Crawly School for Bugs! Termites, stink bugs, gnats, and every insect in between attend this buzzy school where crickets take classes like “How to Be Annoying in 4 Easy Steps.” Some students struggle with the temptation to eat fellow classmates, while others deal with a mosquito nurse who always wants to draw blood, or attempt to make friends despite their own microscopic size. With funny illustrations by Julie Bayless, these humorous poems by award-winning author David L. Harrison are perfect for poetry fans and bug enthusiasts alike.

BOOK’S JOURNEY:

You might say that CRAWLY SCHOOL FOR BUGS became inevitable back in 1992. That’s when SOMEBODY CATCH MY HOMEWORK, my first book of school poems, was published. I was lucky. HOMEWORK went into second and third printings within months. Kirkus gave it a starred review. I got lots of strokes. And of course I started right away to create another collection of school poems.

Although it was nine years in the making, a sequel titled THE MOUSE WAS OUT AT RECESS eventually made it into print in 2003, eleven years after HOMEWORK.

Fast forward another ten years to 2013. I got a new urge to write school poems, but this time, to make it different, I proposed to my editor that all the poems be for two or more voices – partner poems.

I finished the new manuscript. He liked it, but he retired and a new editor took over. She did not like it and said I needed to start over with a different twist, perhaps make it a school for bugs. Two voices? She didn’t see the point. I had a pity party but tried to act grown up about it and finally sat down to consider my new editor’s suggestions.

She was right! Her instinct was good. I discarded the entire first manuscript and started over with an all new cast of characters that attended a school for bugs. My new editor liked it. I tweaked and revised per her sensibilities until we were ready. I got a contract. Then she quit.

My third editor liked the poems a lot, except for several that she did not. Months of tweaking and revising later, I had satisfied my third editor. Then she quit.

My fourth editor came on shortly before CRAWLY SCHOOL FOR BUGS came out. As far as I know, she likes it just the way it is.

DAVID’S BIO:

David Harrison has published ninety-two titles that have earned dozens of honors, including the Christopher Award for The Book of Giant Stories.  His work has been translated into twelve languages, anthologized more than one hundred eighty-five times, and appeared in over eighty magazines and professional journals. In Springfield, MO, David Harrison Elementary School is named for him. His poem, “My Book,” is sandblasted into The Children’s Garden sidewalk at the Burton Barr Library in Phoenix, Arizona and painted on a bookmobile in Pueblo, Colorado. David’s poetry inspired Sandy Asher’s popular, award winning school plays, Somebody Catch My Homeworkand Jesse and Grace and has been set to music performed for numerous live audiences. In 2007, the Missouri Librarian Association presented David with its Literacy Award for the body of his work. David holds science degrees from Drury and Emory universities and honorary doctor of letters degrees from Missouri State University and Drury University. He is poet laureate of Drury. David lives with his wife, Sandy, a business owner and retired guidance counselor. He is working on many new books.

http://davidlharrison.com
http://davidlharrison.wordpress.com

Thank you David for sharing your book and journey with us. It looks like such a fun book. Good Luck!

Talk tomorrow,

Kathy