11 Ways to Ruin a Photograph by Darcy Pattison and two GIVEAWAYS

I am pleased to close 2011 with an award-winning book that will touch you deeply –

11 Ways to Ruin a Photograph

by Darcy Pattison; Illustrated by Michael Jeter

 

Darcy Pattison brings an enduring story to the pages of her latest picture book work of fiction, 11 Ways to Ruin a Photograph.  This picture book conveys a heart-warming reality infused within a year of perseverance and coping, a year of waiting in the life of a military child.  We know our servicemen and women go to foreign lands spending months and possibly years away from home.  We view television groups of faces as they deploy and see families celebrating their safe return.  But there are other stories, stories hidden in the day-to-day existence of military family life.

Darcy Pattison captures simple everyday military life events and permeates the new understanding for those of us who are more detached.  You will cry, you will smile, and you will laugh.  This story will move your heart to know and consider one more reason military children face and the uncertain responses filtering throughout family separation.

FREEBIES:  To celebrate 11 Ways to Ruin a Photograph, this blog will give away two (author signed) free copies.  To be considered, please leave a comment below and click “email subscription” once to sign up for this blog’s RSS feed.

You may enter daily by commenting on each daily post until December 20, 2011.

The winners will be drawn by an independent group and announced on this blog December 21, 2011:

www.michellebradford.wordpress.com

Order your copy here.

About Darcy Pattison click here

May you and yours be filled with joy and peace and understanding this holiday season.

Remember,

“Speak to the Heart!”

Michelle

Mine! by Shutta Crum

The following is a review from Publisher’s Weekly:

An egocentric preschooler (is there any other kind?) and an enthralled baby are placed in a room with a collection of toys and a bemused canine observer. Let the fun begin! The preschooler quickly lays claim to everything in sight: “Mine. Mine. Mine, mine, mine…” When the baby holds up the one thing the preschooler has failed to sweep up, the older child immediately tosses everything in his arms to grab it, declaring “MINE!” The discovery of the dog’s water dish turns the story into a giddy, soppy free-for-all that culminates in the baby taking its (presumed) first steps to tackle the preschooler, while shrieking “MINE” in utter adoration. Crum (Thunder-Boomer!) uses only the title word (if you don’t count a single “Woof?”), but the various inflections speak volumes about the comic dynamics of sharing. Barton (Sweet Moon Baby) occasionally uses a blue dotted line to trace the trajectory of objects and characters as they hurtle through the room. Her dizzyingly expressive digitized pencil sketches seem to be everywhere at once, continually reframing the action to make sure readers savor every gleefully anarchic moment. Ages 1–4. (June)

Knopf

Shutta Crum’s web pages:  http://shutta.com

Patrice Barton’s web pages:  http://www.patricebarton.com