THE DEER WATCH by PAT LOWERY COLLINS, illustrated by DAVID SLONIM ~ GIVEAWAY

THE DEER WATCH

CANDLEWICK, APRIL 9, 2013

ISBN-10: 0763648906

ISBN-13: 978-0763648909

Written by PAT LOWERY COLLINS

Illustrated by DAVID SLONIM

Feel the anticipation — and share the moment of discovery — as a young boy and his dad set out to find one of nature’s unforgettable wonders.

A father promises his young son that this summer they will see a deer. They set out over the dunes, through the marsh, and into the woods, searching for a white-flag tail or a set of leaping legs. But deer are hard to find, especially if your feet want to dance and your nose tickles until you sneeze. Squirrels scurry up trees, rabbits leap out of sight, and a pheasant flushes into the sky, but the deer remain hidden until the boy is almost ready to give up and head home. A captivating, lyrical narrative and oil-on-linen landscape illustrations create a sense of quiet suspense as a young boy experiences a sight he will hold in his memory forever.

Where to purchase book: Amazon, Barnes&Noble, Walmart

About Pat Lowery Collins:

I grew up in Hollywood, CA, in a neighborhood of old movie moguls that included Cecil B.DeMille and W.C.Fields. As children my two sisters and I were encouraged in all aspects of the arts. Everyone in my family told stories, and before I could actually write, I'd dictate mine to my mother and draw pictures to illustrate them. For a good part of my childhood, I worked as a radio actress and met many famous movie and radio stars. I graduated from The University of Southern California with a degree in English and later studied art at DeCordova Museum School, and Brandeis while raising five children.

Most of my adult life has been spent in New England. My husband, Wally, and I presently live in our re-modeled Gloucester beach house where I have both a writing and painting studio. Because of living near the ocean in all seasons, the sea figures into much of both my written and visual work. Formerly on the faculty of the Worcester Art Museum, I now teach at Lesley University in the MFA program in creative writing.

About My Work

For many years I wrote poetry, short stories, and picture books. HIDDEN VOICES is my fourth young adult novel, however, and I'm working on a fifth. I've slowly gravitated to historical fiction, both because of my love of history, and because I like to weave fact with fiction in a way that makes the past seem present. Part of the joy of this, is the on-site research that it requires. For HIDDEN VOICES, I spent some glorious days in Venice. Research for the upcoming FEATHER AND SHELL, is more home-based, but allows me to dig deeply into the shipbuilding past of Essex, MA. Candlewick recently accepted a picture book, THE DEER WATCH, which was inspired by the Gloucester land and seascape.

Three Things You Didn't Know About Me

1. In my pre-teen years, I was addicted to comic books.

2. I always wanted to be a singer and now sing with a chamber chorus called "Cantemus" which means "we sing".

3. When I was a child our family car was a used limousine complete with glass partitions, jump seats, and a little microphone to speak to the driver, our father.

The car had belonged to an old movie star, Adolphe Menjou.

Author's official website: http://www.patlowerycollins.com/

GIVEAWAY 

U.S. RESIDENTS ONLY

Provided by Candlewick Press

Win a HARDCOVER COPY of 

THE DEER WATCH

1 WINNER

Just leave a comment below with your email.

(I need your email to contact you if you are the winner)

Ends May 10th, 2013

Winner announced on May 11th, 2013

My Thoughts

Father and son take a walk with the intent to see a deer.  They walk through the marshes and even come upon some construction workers that claim they scared off some deer.  As they continue their walk they come upon many of nature's creatures, rabbits, squirrels and they were surprised to have flushed out a pheasant.  Then it began to thunder and a short rain shower soaked them then was quickly over.  Finally they when they were about to turn around and head back home father and son spot her.  In the peace after the rain the deer appears.  The day was a success and complete!

What a wonderful way to spend the day!  The author writes an endearing story of time spent between father and son sharing a memory that will last a lifetime.  The illustrations are beautiful, they are like walking through an art gallery within the pages of this book.  

I am sure there are many adults that remember a special time spent with their own parent or maybe this will inspire them to spend a special outing with their own child or grandchild and make a special memory that will last forever.

I highly recommend this book.

I rated this book 5 out of 5.

Disclosure:  I received a free copy of this book from Candlewick Press for review.  I was in no way compensated for this review.  This review is my honest opinion.

If you found this review helpful vote yes or no here.