GAP FAMILY BLOG

In this 4th book of the Andy and the Albino Horse Series, Andy and Spirit meet the rodeo queen while at the Nevada State Fair. The queen teaches Andy how to handle a lasso and he sees competitions between the Pee Wee Rodeo contestants.

A portion of the proceeds from this book are donated to Healing Reins of Bend, OR, a non-profit organization, and Horseplay of Fernley, NV.


PURCHASE ANDY AND SPIRIT MEET THE RODEO QUEEN HERE!




Everyday Kantor Pegasus practices solving riddles. A tricky leprechaun attempts to outsmart him by giving him a next to impossible riddle to solve. To end his clumsy ways he must solve it. Children learn the benefit of practice and to focus on their strengths..

PURCHASE KLUTZY KANTOR HERE!




“You want us to do what?!” This fun, rhyming picture book teaches more than just a new way to drink water. The High Council of Hilltop wants the people to learn a new way to drink. But when the people find out why, everyone has something new to learn.


PURCHASE THE SOGGY TOWN OF HILLTOP HERE!





Kimberly drinks three cups of the magic tea and is disappointed when she sees no change when looking into a mirror. She falls into a large trunk and out the bottom. Surprised, she lands on lush green grass next to a loch in Scotland--Loch Ness--where she meets the "Monster".

PURCHASE NANA'S MAGIC TEA BERRIES: NESSY HERE!

How would the parables of Jesus and other Bible passages be told in the animal world? Read and discover! A skunk is a role model in one tale and an alley rat becomes the hero in another tale. Audiences young and old enjoy these tales suitable for children’s sermons, Bible studies and bedtime stories.

PURCHASE THE SKUNK'S GIFT HERE!





Some children grow up with little encouragement. This book was written to plant a seed of hope and direction in the hearts of precious children everywhere.

PURCHASE WHAT IN THE WORLD SHOULD I BE? HERE!

This week is Children's Book Week, an annual event celebrated nationally since 1919 in "schools, libraries, bookstores, clubs, private homes -- any place where there are children and books."

We mentioned Children's Book Week earlier this month on our blog. There are ideas for how kids and teens can celebrate Children's Book Week at the official Children's Book Week website. The third annual Children's Choice Book Awards will be held Tuesday, May 11, at Guastavino's in New York City.

How will you, your school or library celebrate Children's Book Week?

The May 2010 Issue of Guardian Angel Kids is now available at our website. With special stories, poems, games, activities and more, you'll find something to enjoy as we celebrate Friends & Neighbors.

"Heart of Gold" By Bill Kirk

"Dad, I need to do some shopping,
Now, before it gets too late.
Time’s a wastin’; let’s get hopping!
Hurry, Dad! I just can’t wait!"

Clipped the picture of the locket,
From the paper yesterday.
Better keep it in my pocket
For our shopping trip today.

Where’s that ten from Uncle Freddy,
I’ve been saving since last June?
"Got my money. Are you ready?
Let’s go, Dad! It’s almost noon!"

At the store, I knew I’d find it,
Next to lotions, soaps and stuff.
Those things smell, but I don’t mind it.
"Will ten dollars be enough?"

“Just enough,” the store clerk told us,
“For the gift you want to buy.”
In the bag, with what she sold us,
She put ribbons I could tie.

Back at home, I wrapped it neatly,
Taping every corner fold.
Inside, filled with love so sweetly,
Mom will find my heart of gold.

Children's Book Week starts May 10th. This annual celebration of children's books, reading, and storytelling has been honored nationwide since 1919.

In 1913, Franklin K. Matthiews, the librarian of the Boy Scouts of America, began touring the country to promote higher standards in children's books. It was Matthiews who suggested Children's Book Week, which would be supported by publishers, booksellers, and librarians. With the help of powerful allies, in 1916 the American Booksellers Association and the American Library Association worked with the Boy Scouts in sponsoring a Good Book Week.

The Children's Book Council was formed in 1944 and assumed responsbility for Children's Book Week, which was moved from November to May in 2008. That year, they also created the Children's Choice Book Awards.

To learn more about Children's Book Week and to view some of the events taking place locally and nationwide, please visit the Children's Book Week website.

April 22nd, 2010 is the 40th Anniversary of Earth Day. Founder Gaylord Nelson, was a U.S. Senator when he proposed the first nationwide environmental protest.

The first Earth Day led to the creation of the United States Environmental Protection Agency under President Richard Nixon, and the passage of the Clean Air, Clean Water, and Endangered Species acts.

Sen. Nelson was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom--the highest honor given to civilians in the United States--for his role as Earth Day founder.

To learn more about Earth Day visit the Earth Day Network.

In honor of National Poetry Month, we will be sharing some poetry by Bill Kirk. Bill is the author of Circulation Celebration: The Sum of Our Part Series, No Bones About It!: The Sum of Our Part Series, My Grandma's Kitchen Rules, There's A Beetle In My Bed, and There's a Spider in my Sink. All these titles are available through Guardian Angel Publishing.

Bill is celebrating National Poetry Month by participating in the Poem A Day Challenge. Here is the prompt from April 12th that resulted in the poem below:

April 12: “For today's prompt, pick a city, make that the title of your poem, and write a poem. Your poem can praise or belittle the city. Your poem could be about the city or about the people of the city. Your poem could even have seemingly nothing to do with the city. But the simple act of picking a city will set the mood (to a certain degree), so choose wisely.”



La Paz
By Bill Kirk

We once had a house
On Calle Nueve, across the street
From the President of Bolivia.

It’s not every day a kid
Gets to have tea with the First Lady
Or ride on a motorcycle,
Holding on for dear life,
Behind the Captain
Of the Presidential Guard.

Or watch a hundred native dancers in full costume
March through your front gate
To set up a brief rest stop
In the backyard of your house.
My sister and I heard the drums
And horns and flutes
Way down at the end of our street,
Even before we could see the parade.

When the procession turned the corner,
I just knew they would come to our house.
Yet I still couldn’t quite believe it when they did.
Even dad was surprised when he got home.
Mom said they were on their way
To a three-day fiesta in Las Yungas.
Why anyone would want to have
A party in the jungle, I’ll never know.
But they seemed to be having fun.

Then there was the time someone
Gave us a honey bear for a pet.
Of course, we couldn’t keep it.
After all, a honey bear needs to be free.

The river at the end of our street
Raged one year during the rainy season
And washed away the little mud brick shack
Where Mamasita and Papasito lived—
It was the year I was home schooled
To get me ready for fourth grade in the States.
My mom even gave me recess
So I could watch the flood happen.
Two little sheep fell into the water that day
And it took them away,
Never to be seen again.
That was a sad day on our street.
Even the President noticed.

The air is rather thin at 12,000 feet
Which is why fire departments
Hardly ever get any business that high up.
And there’s no such thing
As a two-minute boiled egg—that is,
Unless you like it raw.

Maybe the thin air is why
My memories seem so clear
From once upon a time in La Paz.

You can visit Bill Kirk online at http://billkirkwrites.blogspot.com/.

Every marketing action you take, every dollar you spend, and every hour you invest should tie back into one of the goals you’ve identified for your book. If your marketing actions don’t support your goals, then either your goals are wrong, or your marketing action is off-track.

It’s easy to get so caught-up in all the opportunities to market your book that you stop evaluating whether each opportunity is going to help you achieve your goals. Clear goals will help you create a budget, prioritize your time, say “no” with less guilt and “yes” with confidence.

Remember, your ultimate goal is to let readers, who are interested in your particular kind of book, know that your book exists so they can buy it. You’re not trying to reach every reader in the world, only the readers who read the kind of book you’ve written. In marketing language, the readers who read the kind of book you’ve written are your “target audience”. To market your book effectively, you must either reach that target audience directly, or have your message relayed by people who do reach them directly (the media).

For authors of children’s books, realize that if your book is intended for readers under age 10, you are essentially marketing to the parents. If the book is non-fiction (health, parenting, nutrition, etc.), create a very detailed profile of the parent who is your best buyer (usually the mom) and focus your publicity on reaching her.

Children’s fiction books can do very well marketed through school or library appearances and library events. The trick is to make it easy for the host school or library to publicize your appearance far enough in advance that children look forward to it and ask their parents for money to buy the book. To the extent that you can provide flyers (actual copies, not just the master copy since schools are on very tight budgets), bookmarks, a local press release, a pre-event letter to parents (perhaps drafted for the principal or media center teacher), and hallway posters, you’ll see better results. Schools and libraries don’t have the time, staff or budget to do that for you. Offering some kind of age-appropriate giveaway with purchase can spur sales, but make sure that there is also something for the kid who isn’t able to buy.

Look for ties to established, high-traffic places that your target reader is already going, and reach out to those organizations as promotional partners. For example, if your main character takes Tae Kwon Do lessons and that’s important in the book, contact the local Tae Kwon Do programs and set up a signing. Offer to donate a portion of the price of every copy sold to the organization’s favorite charity, or to the organization itself.


Gail Z. Martin is the author of The Thrifty Author’s Guide to Launching Your Book Without Losing Your Mind. Available on Amazon.com and other online retailers, and in select bookstores.