It’s fun to watch a child read a book. Their eyes are captivated with story and pictures. Their imaginations take off. Many times they ask you to read the book again and again. My book, Peepsqueak goes a step further. After reading it a couple of times, the child can read it to you. Boy oh boy, do they love that! They feel they can read all by themselves.
Here we have two Peepsqueak fans doing just that! Thanks to my friend Karen S. For sharing this picture. I love it!
Once again, it is time for the 2nd Big Peepsqueak Give-A-Way!
Will you be the winner?
Will you get a box in the mail full of Peep goodies?
This time around, the prize is for both of my books, “Peepsqueak”, and “Peepsqueak Wants A Friend,” AND a Peepsqueak plush toy!
Are you up for it?
Here are your 2 easy instructions:
1. If you have not read Peepsqueak yet, go to the story link below and listen to Brad Mendleson read it aloud.
2. Go to the Amazon link below, and give me a review. So I know you are entering the contest, start your review with the words, “I LOVE PEEPSQUEAK!”. If you have read the second book, please feel free to review it too. At the end of two weeks, I will take the names off the Amazon site and put them in a bowl and pick the winner!!! You will be able to watch me draw your name!! Here are the links!
Peepsqueak story link: http://www.readmeastory.tv/category/read-me-a-story/
Amazon review link: http://www.amazon.com/Peepsqueak-Leslie-Ann-Clark/product-reviews/0062078011/ref=cm_cr_pr_btm_link_3?ie=UTF8&pageNumber=3&showViewpoints=0&sortBy=bySubmissionDateDescending
Please SHARE this with others. Peepsqueak is waiting for you!!
love, Leslie Ann and Peepsqueak!
Peepsqueak LOVES BEARS! …. and so do I!! I LOVE toys! I love weird toys, stuff animals, special teddy bears, and more. Having three grandsons gives me a great excuse to buy MORE toys! I took a trip to the thrift store just this week to look for action figures! I ran them through the dishwasher and stowed in my big toy trunk. Three more trucks are sitting near the book-case in the “YaYa” room. Its great fun! On Tuesday I played “Superhero”! My youngest grandson loves the stuffies! Including my own little Peeksqueak plush by Merry Makers. If you want to order one, you can go to the website, or call them.
retail orders online at http://www.merrymakersinc.com and retail and/or wholesale orders at 888-989-0454 or via email at merrymakers@merrymakersinc.com
They are a great toy company. I want ALL THEIR TOYS! ha ha!
You can also find Peepsqueak on his Facebook page. I am going to have another book Give-A-Way as soon as the new toy gets here! Peepsqueak and I are so excited! I may also put it on this Word Press site so stay posted!
Place your order online or by calling retail and/or wholesale orders at 888-989-0454 or via email at merrymakers@merrymakersinc.com.
I love flowers!
The weather is teasing me! A warm day, a nice breeze, flowers peeking from the cold wet ground, and then WHAM! A freak snow storm! Such is life in Colorado. Peepsqueak is not worried. As you can see in this picture, he is thrilled to find the first Spring flower.
Do you have any flowers up yet? We only have a few tulips and iris peeking out of the dirt. Flowers are still a few weeks away. I am ready!
Come February, without fail, I begin to feel the effects of Spring Fever. My tulips are peeking out, our trees are budding, and my heart begins pining away for warm weather. THEN it SNOWS 8 inches! haha!
There is no complaining on my part. Colorado needs the moisture! Like Peepsqueak, (above) I put on my coat and scarf and set off in our winter wonderland. Spring will arrive as it alway does, but there are sidewalks to shovel and a wood stove to load and lots of indoor activities to keep me busy until snow gives way to rain and flowers.
Oh little Peepsqueak. This picture of you reminds me of something that happened to me when I was little. We were visiting an aunt in Washington. She had a rope that dangled from a tree in her backyard. She also had a big DOG that came running into the yard barking at ME! I jumped on that rope and UP, UP, UP I went! I did not even know I could climb a rope! I just did it! ha ha!
Most of my art comes from my imagination, but it is also from my memories and from my life experiences. All that being said, I think I can still climb a rope!
For as long as I can remember, I have LOVED toys! To have a toy made from one of my cartoons is my dream come true! It will help the world see my character the way I see him. REAL!! ha ha! This series of plush Peepsqueaks in the pictures above, were the first proto-types that came to my home. Merry Makers is the toy company we worked with. It was so fun to see my little Peepsqueak transform from page to puff! He is such a cute little plush!! Merry Makers did such a good job! You can buy Peepsqueak now if you go to their website. They welcome retail orders online at http://www.merrymakersinc.com and retail and/or wholesale orders at 888-989-0454 or via email at merrymakers@merrymakersinc.com.
Below is the final Peepsqueak. I just love him! Isn’t he cute!!! I brought him to a preschool yesterday and the children loved him and all wanted to pet him…. so they did!!!!
So order your Peepsqueak now! He is waiting to live in your home!!! Don’t forget, the books, “Peepsqueak”, and “Peepsqueak Wants A Friend” are at your bookstore waiting for you too. They would all make great gifts for the kiddies on Easter.
After months of prep work, Surtex 2012 is history. It was a great time of meetings, and visiting with other artists. It almost feels like a dream now that it is over. I am filled with ideas and hope for the future!
Here is a picture of Margaret Anastas, my editor at Harper Collins, me, and Annie Stone, Margaret’s assistant. It was so fun sitting at Harper C. and visiting with everyone who worked so hard on Peepsqueak and his promotion. I do love my HC family. They had a nice breakfast for me and we all met in the Harper Collins library. I wish I had a picture of Jeanne Hogle. She was my graphic designer. She escaped the room before I could snap her picture.
After our meeting, I packed up 30 books and headed to the Javitz Center in a doozy of a rainstorm! I LOVED that cab driver for picking me up!!
Messing around with my friends Jane Shasky and Megan Halsey during my Peepsqueak book signing at Surtex. Everyone was in such a good mood!
Here is my teeny tiny room at the Best Western. I was surprised at how small it was, but in the end, it was cozy and I was so glad I stayed there. It was a good retreat after a busy day.
Can’t forget my sweet agent Alicia Dauber. She had everything running smoothly!
Outside my window all the horse drawn carriages were lining up. New York is so full of LIFE!
As amazing as the big city is, it is always nice to come HOME! I had to get my zinnias planted!! Now it is back to work for the next show!
My “Peepsqueak” book is all about working hard to achieve goals no matter what anyone says. There are many “Poo poo-ers” in the world. It can be quite an effort at times to move toward your dreams when there are those who stand in the way with puzzled looks on their faces or telling you how you should do some OTHER dream.
Sometimes you don’t even KNOW what you want to do. Never fear!
There is a dream in all of us! There is something born into us that needs doing. Many people never find that dream because it is too hard, to scary, or the Poo Poo-ers got the best of them.
“Peepsqueak” is also about brand new beginnings. He was born into the world on a brand new day. Each of us have that new beginning every morning when our feet hit the floor. All kinds of possibilities are set before us!
This morning I met an older woman named Marion. I was at my local coffee shop when she came up to me with a worried look on her face. She told me she missed her bus! She had no idea what to do because her next bus did not leave town for 7 hours! I suggested we walk over to the senior center across the park and ask around about other possibilities for travel. During that time we got to know each other a bit. She lived in Germany for a while and traveled all over Europe with her husband. She had grandchildren and two kids. As we talked more we realized she only missed the early bus and she could catch the second bus in an hour. (I also found out how cheap it was to take the bus! I might have to try riding the bus to see my sister sometime. It sounds like a new adventure!)
So Marion was my new twist in the day. What did YOU do new today? If you meet up with a Poo Poo-er, just smile, and KEEP MOVING!
I love her pink CHEEKS! One of my youngest Peepsqueak fans! Don’t you just LOVE babies?
When you write a children’s book and are trying to convince an editor of its great merits, a big no-no is to say, “…my children (or grandchildren) loved it!”. I could certainly understand that one might not get an honest answer from letting their Aunt Elsie read the story, (she may not want to hurt your feelings) or your mother who thinks you can never go wrong, but children are without reserve. If they don’t like a story, they will tell you about it!
This past summer when Harper Collins mailed me the galley of my Peepsqueak book I read it to my grandsons. I did not even think twice about what their reactions would be. To my surprise, one of them laughed out LOUD! This is when I realized that what little kids think is truly the best judge of whether or not a picture book is good. There is no convincing children. They form their opinions early on, even before they can talk!
Many times we shudder at the books our kids want to read over and over! If you write for children, it is important that you find out why those little people feel so compelled as to memorize the pages. They will often times pipe up with, “Mommy, you missed a page!” and you must stop and go back.
My own kids loved a good story but they were also drawn into a book because of the illustrations.
It is my hope that children will see Peepsqueak and then be drawn into the story, rooting him on to full-fill his dream!
For now, I can tell you this, My grandsons liked it!!
CHECK IT OUT!
We are so glad it is Sunday! Peepsqueak needed a break from all his travels and his book debut.
Thanks to everyone for voting on the two Peepsqueak plush. Amazingly enough it was a tie. I shared the voting with Harper Collins and I am sure Merry Makers will come out with a wonderful finished product.
Peepsqueak books hit the stores on Tuesday. My dear friends across the country sent sightings via emails and texts. It was great fun! This one came all the from Seattle! Tomorrow begins another busy week. Peepsqueak’s first book signing is a conference in Denver. I am sure it will be fun!
Today a new Peepsqueak came in the mail. I have to decide which one I like the best. The one on the right is the new one. He is chubby and the pile is short. The one on the left is more shaggy and his body is softer and squishy. Which one do YOU like best? Do you have any comments?
WELCOME to the WORLD of BOOKS Peepsqueak! Today is your day! Today your book has been released for kids of all ages to see!
Harper Collins has been a wonderful partner in the production of Peepsqueak’s first book. I am including links to Peepsqueak’s page at Harper Collins in this blog post. There are fun activities for the kids, and an awesome trailer! I hope you all enjoy the new “Peepsqueak” book. I must say, he inspires me to always keep MOVING!!!
“Ik kom!”
“Je viens!”
If Peepsqueak is coming in 7 days, where is he NOW?
Just a few minutes ago my little dog Violet started barking! I opened the front door and found a brown box. The return address? NY, NY!
“It’s Peepsqueak!” I yelled!
I pulled at the sticky packing tape and ripped open the box! Oh my goodness! Peepsqueak was all packaged up with his own tag. Next I had to cut him out of a plastic bag! I will have to talk to Beth at Harper Collins about giving him breathing holes next time. He was no worse for wear and now is sitting comfortably on a chair in my family room.
Merry Makers is the toy company that made Peepsqueak They have made other fun characters like Olivia, Splat the Cat, Lama Lama, Junie B. Jones and more. Peepsqueak has not stopped talking about them since he came.
Merry Makers has decided to license Peepsqueak for all the world to buy! How exciting! Keep an eye out for him come late January.
http://www.merrymakersinc.com/index.html
Peepsqueak’s second book is well on the way to meeting the deadline of November 15th. My next step in the process is the fun part! Adding COLOR!
What you are looking at in the picture (above) are all my pages laid out. There are scans, sketches, finished ink drawings and notes from the editor for each page. Here is an example of an unfinished page. I started coloring the deer and the fox! Stay posted! I will show you the finished page later!
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