Perfect Picture Book Friday: ONCE UPON A TWISTED TALE Plus Giveaway

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Hello dear friends! It’s another double-header weekend here at Picture Books Help Kids Soar. Up today for Perfect Picture Book Friday is a brand-new just-about-to-be-launched ONCE UPON A TWISTED TALE. And tomorrow, we’ll be chatting with the author, the lovely Gayle C. Krause who is generously offering the winner of the giveaway the choice of either a signed copy of her new book or a pb manuscript critique…WOW! So please make sure you leave a comment today AND tomorrow…and then you’ll have two chances to win.

But before we get to the review, we need to take care of the prizes from our last giveaway…the fabulous author – illustrator team of Raven Howell and Carina Povarchik. I’m celebrating that they are Storm sisters and the winner will receive a copy of their first book: SHIMMER: SONGS OF NIGHT and their brand-new book: GLIMMER: SING OF SUN. And the winner is:

MARSHAELYN

Congratulations, MARSHAELYN…I’ll be in touch soon for your address to I can send you the books!

And now, back to our regularly scheduled program: Perfect Picture Book Friday

ONCE UPON A TWISTED TALE

Written by Gayle C. Krause

Illustrated by Caroline O’Neal

Published by Spork/Clear Fork Press (2019)

Ages: 6-9

Themes: Fractured Fairy Tales, Poetry, Humor

Synopsis: From Amazon:

By the middle grades, children know the storylines of familiar fairytales, which makes them all the funnier when they veer off in different directions. Good ‘fractured fairytales’ twist the child reader’s perspective on the story, showing other possibilities. From a frog, who thinks he’s Sleeping Beauty, to a cool-rappin’ fairy godmother who sends Cinderella to a Hip-Hop Ball, to a boy who waits beneath a stone bridge to fool trolls, Once Upon a Twisted Tale is a rollicking, rhyme-filled poetry collection that can be read for sheer amusement or used in a classroom to compare original tales to the twisted tales as per Language Arts requirements.

Why I Love This Book:

  • Rollicking rhyme which I love and kids love it, too.
  • Filled with humor and surprises
  • Fabulous illustrations that are full of fun

RELATED ACTIVITIES:

Make a Diorama

photocourtesy: http://www.stormthecastle.com/mainpages/dioramas/diorama-ideas.htm

When I was a kid, we made dioramas all the time. Sometimes for school and sometimes just for fun…but what I remember most is that I loved sitting at the kitchen table with my mom, cutting out pictures from magazines and catalogues and fashioning little stick figures from clothespins, cutips, or popsicle sticks. And after reading these fractured fairy tale poems, what could be better than doing a scene where you have fun with the characters and the settings. For detailed instructions, please check out this wonderful website that is chock full of diorama info: http://www.stormthecastle.com/mainpages/dioramas/diorama-ideas.htmhttp://www.stormthecastle.com/mainpages/dioramas/diorama-ideas.htm

Another fun activity might be to have the kids write their own fractured fairy tales in prose or poetry form.

 

Please remember to leave a comment to be entered in the giveaway of either a signed copy of Gayle’s new book (it launches next week!) or a pb manuscript critique from her…what a generous prize!!!!

And don’t forget that the best gift you can give a beloved author is to buy her book, review her book, tell a friend about the book, and/or ask your library to purchase a copy for their collection.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend. I’ve got a fairly quiet weekend and week coming up…although today I’m expecting kidlit friend and fellow #PictureBookBuzz debut author Laura Roettinger to stop by – she’s on a road trip of sorts and I am the lucky recipient of a visit from her. It’s one of the things I love the most about this writing path that I am on. And last week, in Chicago, I had the absolute pleasure to connect with several Facebook writer friends at the Andersons Bookstore in La Grange, IL. Thank you to Lori Degman, Kathy Mazurowski, Katie Walsh, and Patricia Toht for coming out to support me…I had the best time! We chatted about the publication process and how as authors, we need to be invested in how our books turn out…and some of the things we can do to make our voices be heard.

And I’m hoping to get some photos of the four awesome school visits that I did so I can post those as well. What amazed me was how attentive and engaged the kids were…hundreds of them in each session, sitting shoulder to shoulder, criss cross applesauce on the floor. They loved SWEET DREAMS, SARAH which was the book I read and discussed with them because Sarah Goode lived and worked in Chicago.

While in  Chicago, my son and his family took me to the cemetery where she is buried and we laid flowers and brought the book to ‘show’ her. Maybe it sounds silly or crazy, but I felt I was honoring her in that way and was thrilled that it was my six-year old granddaughter’s idea to do it.

I hope I see you tomorrow, same time, same station, when author Gayle Krause stops by to chat about her writing journey. I’m grateful for the time you spend here, my friends…I know there are a million other things you could be doing. If you do have some more time and you want to check out more wonderful picture book reviews, hop on over to Susanna Hill’s Perfect Picture Book Friday post.

 

35 thoughts on “Perfect Picture Book Friday: ONCE UPON A TWISTED TALE Plus Giveaway”

  1. So many amazing things here, Vivian ( I totally wanted to type Viv, ha!)
    First, I’m so excited for Gayle’s book, and love the diaroma idea and writing of course!
    Second yay for visits from Laura and meeting Chicago people ( I know Katie Walsh! My CP! It’s like I met you too, almost! Hahaha)
    And you got to visit Sarah Goode’s grave and share your story with her😍😍😍 not weird at all, so wonderful 🧡
    Thanks for keeping us updated and can’t wait for more

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  3. There are so many touching moments in your post. Describing your journey makes us feel that we are with you! I love poetry and can’t wait to read Gayles’s poetry.

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  4. Wow! I’m loving the creative twists on those stories! Fabulous ideas!
    I’ve never made a diorama —you definitely made me want to!
    -Very sweet of you to visit the grave site. What a kind tribute to her.

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    • Thank you for stopping by, Liz…I’m so glad you loved the fractured fairy tales…and especially happy that reading about making a diorama might lead you to do it. It’s such fun!
      And yes…I wrote Sweet Dreams, Sarah to honor this trailblazing young woman who didn’t get the recognition she deserved in her own time…or even up till now. Writing the book was an important step…and it just seemed fitting to visit the grave site.

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  5. Thanks Vivian! Gayle’s book sounds like so much fun. I also enjoyed reading about your Chicago adventures. It sounds like a very special visit. Well done!

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  6. The princess with the frog tongue is perfect! Twisted fairytales have always been a favorite of mine. I need to get my hands on this book. And yes, I remember diaoramas–our teachers always had us bring in all our empty shoeboxes to use for that purpose. Thanks for the post!:)

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  7. Your talk about dioramas brought me back to my own childhood! I loved creating little scenes and vividly remember using clothespins – the old fashioned kind. Thanks also for sharing the picture of Sarah Goode’s grave. Such a sweet gesture. And finally, Gayle’s book Sounds like a very fun read!

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    • Oh my goodness…dioramas…I’m so glad I took you on a trip down memory lane…glad it was a good one. And yes, the old fashioned kind…not the ones with wire. I appreciate your lovely comment, Rose…and appreciate the time you spent reading the post!

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  8. I will definitely be adding this book to my library collection for my Fractured Fairy Tale unit. I know some teachers in my building use fractured tales as well. Great job Gayle!

    I absolutely love the photo of Sarah and her gravestone. Putting your book there is something that had to be done. I can feel the vibes from here. What a wonderful gesture. Thank your granddaughter for me!

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    • Glad you will be using Gayle’s book in your school, Nadine! And yes…I had to show Sarah her book…I knew the cemetary was in Chicago and had contacted the record’s person when I was doing my research years ago, but it was my son who discovered it was right on the way from their house to their daughter’s school…they were driving by it every day. And when he found out I would be there last week, he said we would all go and Sophie said she wanted me to read the book at the gravesite. And my daughter in law got the flowers.

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  14. The San Francisco Public Library did not have Gayle’s book on order, so I suggested it. I’m looking forward to reading it! I love what you did with Sarah’s book, Vivian, taking it to “show” Sarah. So poignant. I’m sure she would be quite pleased.

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  17. First, thank you for Sharing Raven and Catrinaxs books. I started following them on FB and Instagram. They are so much fun to watch. Can’t wait to get a hold of the books.

    Second, I’m sorry I missed you at Anderson Books last weekend. Family things gotin the way. Ixm so glad it was a great visit. I love that you visited her grave.

    And Finally, the book of fractured fairytales in peom form sound awesome. Can’t wait to get a hold of it when it’s released.

    Have a great weekend!

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  21. What! You are actually going to have a quiet few days my globe trotting friend. What a wonderful time you have been having. Seems like your feet never touched the ground since you left back in February. That was so lovely you visiting Sarah’s grave and what a sweet idea your granddaughter had to do that. She is special like her Grandmother. Have a great weekend. 🙂
    Love your book choice this week. Looks so lovely. Thanks for sharing.

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  22. I enjoy fractured fairy tales and love poetry, so I really enjoyed this post. Congrats, Gayle, on your book!!!

    And Vivian!!!! How cool is that? Going to Sarah’s grave and leaving the book there to honor her. What an fulfilling experience. Glad you got to do it.

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  24. So much fun! I love fairy tales! I do hope kids keep learning the originals so they will enjoy and understand when the fractured tales lead them astray! 🙂 Congratulations!

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