Book Giveaway: THE STORY OF ELIZA HAMILTON by Natasha Wing

Natasha Wing has a new picture book, THE STORY OF ELIZA HAMILTON, illustrated by Raquel Martin and published by Rockridge Press, today (December 2nd). Natasha has agreed to share a copy with one lucky winner.

All you have to do to get in the running is 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 do to share the good news, so I can put in the right amount of tickets in my basket for you.

Thank you for helping Natasha!

BOOK DESCRIPTION:

Discover the life of Eliza Hamilton—a story about being kind to others for kids ages 6 to 9

Eliza Hamilton was one of America’s Founding Mothers. Before she made history, she was a thoughtful kid who loved spending time with family and riding her horse. Her life changed when she married Alexander Hamilton, a Founding Father who helped form the United States. After Alexander died, Eliza had his biography published so people would remember his contributions to American history. She also started an orphanage and a free school to help children. This book helps kids explore how Eliza went from being a young girl growing up in New York to an important keeper of history and a role model to many people.

This standout among Eliza Hamilton books for kids includes:

• Core curriculum—Kids will learn the Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How of Eliza’s life, and take a quick quiz to test their knowledge.
• Short chapters—Brief chapters divide this Eliza Hamilton biography into smaller sections that inspire new readers to keep reading.
• Her lasting change—Children will discover how Eliza made the world a better place for future generations.

How will Eliza’s big heart and lasting legacy inspire the child in your life?

BOOK JOURNEY:

After writing When Jackie Saved Grand Central, I was looking for other women to write about who may not have gotten the recognition they deserved for their contributions to society. Then came an email from an author coordinator from Callisto Media (Rockridge Press) who asked if I was interested in writing for them. After speaking with her, I decided to give work-for-hire a try. For a flat fee, I would write the story from an outline, provide photos, links and timelines for the illustrator, and then later help market the book. All under tight deadlines. But the good thing was the book I started writing in April would see the publishing light in November.

The subject I was offered and chose to develop was Eliza Hamilton. Luckily the author coordinator had given me a heads up to topics coming down the pipeline so while the outliner was preparing what I needed to include in the chapters, I was able to read up on Eliza. I was so happy to get this assignment because I knew very little about her other than from the musical Hamilton.

Once I got the outline and deadlines I was off and writing! It essentially broke down like this: Two chapters were due every 8 days. And there were word count and reading level requirements. When I first starting writing I don’t know how many times I ran my text through a reading level tool. But as I turned in chapters and continued writing the new ones, I got more comfortable with the sentence length and word choices to keep my text in the correct range.

The fun part for me was researching for photos, and what they call Myth or Fact, and Jump in the Think Tank sidebars that are sprinkled throughout each chapter. That’s where I could add my take on the research I found in a kid-friendly manner.

What I discovered about Eliza was amazing! Did you know she started an orphanage that’s still in operation today in New York City? Did you know she was friends with Martha Washington and helped raise funds for the Washington Monument? Did you know she lived 50 more years after Alexander died in a duel?

I recently went on a trip to New York City in hopes of visiting Eliza’s house and gravesite. Unfortunately due to Covid and renovation, both were closed. But I was able to walk on the grounds surrounding Hamilton Grange (see photo) and imagine what New York City was like in the late 1700s and early 1800s.

Eliza was one of the great Founding Mothers who I was privileged to write about. I’m thrilled to introduce children to the wife of Founding Father, Alexander Hamilton, so they can see how important Eliza was as well. And if you’re ever in New York City, there’s more to discover about the Hamiltons other than the musical.

NATASHA’S BIO:

Natasha Wing is the best-selling author of The Night Before series. She also has an interest in women in history and is working on two more bios she hopes will be published. Her picture books include When Jackie Saved Grand Central, An Eye for Color, and Bagel In Love. She also writes joke books such as Lettuce Laugh, and is independently publishing a chapter book called The Legend of Lop-eared Larry. You can read more at www.natashawing.com.

Natasha Wing was born in Connecticut and now lives in Colorado. After graduating from Arizona State University, she worked in advertising for a number of years. It wasn’t until 1991 that she decided to write children’s books. Luckily she sold her first book within six months and has been writing children’s books and articles ever since. Some of her books have even ended up on bestseller lists, including the wildly popular The Night Before series.

“I’m curious about many things – people, holidays, underdogs, little known historic figures – and translate my excitement for a topic into books for kids to enjoy. Story ideas are popping into my head all the time, so you never know what my next book will be. But that’s what’s so fun about writing.”

Natasha, thank you for sharing your book and journey with us. I am so happy that your publisher found you to write about Eliza Hamilton, Alexander Hamilton’s wife. A great women for children and adults to get to know. I belong to Kindle Unlimited and was able to read the whole book. It is a wealth of interesting information. Teachers will want to make sure they have this book in their libraries. Requel’s illustrations are a perfect fit for the story. Good Luck with the book.

Talk tomorrow,

Kathy