SATA
ENTRY TYPE:
WORK TITLE: YOU BE GRANDPA
WORK NOTES:
PSEUDONYM(S):
BIRTHDATE:
WEBSITE: https://www.karlaclarkauthor.com/
CITY: Rockford
STATE:
COUNTRY: United States
NATIONALITY: American
LAST VOLUME: SATA 380
RESEARCHER NOTES:
PERSONAL
Married; children: a son.
EDUCATION:Northern Illinois University, holds degree (journalism).
ADDRESS
CAREER
Author.
AVOCATIONS:Decoupage paper collages.
MEMBER:Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, Rockford Arts Council, Society of Midland Authors, Arc of Winnebago (board member), and Boone & Ogle.
AWARDS:Boylan High School Alumni Excellence Award, 2019.
WRITINGS
SIDELIGHTS
Author Karla Clark has created fiction for both children and adults. Her picture books geared toward young children include You Be Mommy, You Be Daddy, and Three Ways to Be Brave: A Trio of Stories. The latter has been praised by critics for its diverse characters who teach lessons to young readers about the importance of courage and mental fortitude.
Clark tells three stories about overcoming anxieties and choosing bravery in Three Ways to Be Brave, illustrated by Jeff Östberg. In what a Kirkus Reviews critic dubbed a “gentle, quiet” picture book, three diverse children triumph amidst difficult situations. In “Under the Covers,” a child comforts a sister during a scary thunderstorm, rather than calling on the parents for help. Another story features a child who is anxious on the first day of school, but ends up enjoying the day and making a new friend. With “Got the Jitters,” a nurse counsels a young patient to use imagination to picture a comforting scenario in the face of a shot. In order to relax, the child mentally pictures riding a bike, and after the shot is over, the nurse hands out a sticker to reward the brave behavior. The Kirkus Reviews critic remarked that Three Ways to Be Brave “supports a growth mindset,” and recommended it as “an insightful and sensitive introduction to what it means to be brave.” Calling Clark’s language “straightforward,” a Publishers Weekly reviewer appreciated each story’s “object lesson on the way that occupying a mind with other concerns can drive fear away.”
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Kirkus Reviews, July 1, 2021, review of Three Ways to Be Brave: A Trio of Stories.
Publishers Weekly, June 7, 2021, review of Three Ways to Be Brave, p. 57.
ONLINE
Karla Clark website, https://www.karlaclarkauthor.com (December 10, 2021).*
KARLA CLARK wanted to be an author when she was a child...then she wanted to be an artist. She feels very blessed to be both. Her passion for writing comes from her father who was a consummate storyteller. She is the author of ten books—three novels, a book of short stories, and six children's picture books. She is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, Rockford Arts Council, and the Society of Midland Authors, and serves on the board of the Arc of Winnebago, Boone & Ogle (Social Services Organization). Karla has been nominated for Rockford Woman of the Year and Rock Valley College Alumni Hall of Fame, and was the recipient of Boylan High School’s Alumni Excellence Award in 2019.
Karla lives in Rockford, Illinois, with her husband and son. When she's not writing, she creates decoupage paper collages and digital art that she sells on this site and at art shows.
You Be Grandpa. By Karla Clark. Illus. by Debby Rahmalia. May 2024. 32p. Feiwel and Friends, $18.99 (9781250814371). PreS-K.
A weary Grandpa asks his grandson to put him to bed tonight, rather than the other way around. Building a good case, Grandpa reviews all the energy-draining things he has done with his grandson that day: making a humongous sandwich for lunch; walking the dog; slowly, carefully trying out the boy's skateboard; playing hide-and-seek; building a campfire; and making s'mores. The text is really a monologue in rhymed verse. Only Grandpa can hear the boy's reply, but he helpfully reiterates it, saying, "What's that, buddy? You're tired, too? / You'd rather ME be Grandpa instead of you?" Grandpa complies, saying, "For you'll always be my pride and joy, / 'Cause I'm your grandpa and you're my boy!" The fourth book in Clark's You Be series, this picture book creates a lively narrative that flows well and projects a sense of Grandpa's voice and personality. Though varied in the activities portrayed, Rahmalia's attractive digital illustrations all contribute to the sense of color, warmth, and affection that the story conveys. An appealing picture book that reads aloud well. --Carolyn Phelan
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2024 American Library Association
http://www.ala.org/aboutala/offices/publishing/booklist/
Source Citation
Source Citation
MLA 9th Edition APA 7th Edition Chicago 17th Edition Harvard
Phelan, Carolyn. "You Be Grandpa." Booklist, vol. 120, no. 17, 1 May 2024, p. 56. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A804016146/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=a4fa8b4e. Accessed 7 Aug. 2024.
Clark, Karla YOU BE GRANDPA Feiwel & Friends (Children's None) $18.99 5, 14 ISBN: 9781250814371
In this rhyming story, a grandfather and his grandson switch roles, at least for a while.
Grandpa and his grandson have had a busy day. They've painted, gardened, taken care of the farm animals, picked flowers for Grandma, walked the dog, waged thumb wars, played hide-and-seek, and more. Grandpa even tried skateboarding. (He "took it real slow.") He says he's "too tired to be Grandpa tonight" and declares that tomorrow, "If you want to go fishing, / You better do what Grandpa is wishing!" So the grandson steps up. He gives Grandpa a kiss as the old man curls up in their makeshift tent and even pats Grandpa's back to help get him to sleep--but not before they jump on the bed ("I know it's not right," Grandpa admits), have a pillow fight, and pretend to be pirates far out at sea. But in the end, the tired grandson needs his grandfather to take on the role of caregiver and help him drift off to sleep. The story ends with the grandfather's loving promise: "For you'll always be my pride and joy, / 'Cause I'm your grandpa and you're my boy!" Striking digital illustrations in rich colors capture the details of the pair's busy life. Both Grandpa and his grandson have tan skin; Grandpa has salt-and-pepper hair and a mustache, while the grandson's hair is dark brown.
A wonderful bedtime story radiating with intergenerational love and companionship. (Picture book. 3-7)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2024 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
Source Citation
Source Citation
MLA 9th Edition APA 7th Edition Chicago 17th Edition Harvard
"Clark, Karla: YOU BE GRANDPA." Kirkus Reviews, 15 Mar. 2024, p. NA. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A786185777/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=318d0401. Accessed 7 Aug. 2024.
Clark, Karla YOU BE GRANDMA Feiwel & Friends (Children's None) $18.99 3, 14 ISBN: 9781250814364
Sometimes even adults need a little extra bedtime spoiling.
Today was a busy day for this very active grandmother. She taught yoga and Pilates, returned books, shopped, cleaned, and spent time with her grandchild: playing cards, supervising violin practice, singing karaoke, dancing the list goes on and on! Grandma is yawning and starting to pout from fatigue. Her hip aches, and she hopes her grandchild can "be Grandma" by taking charge of their bedtime rituals: massaging Grandma's neck, scratching her back, giving her a hug, preparing a bedtime snack, making shadow puppets on the wall, reading "a story--not once, but twice," and wishing on the stars for sweet dreams. Though Grandma asks the little one to assume the adult role, illustrations show Grandma guiding the activities and the child initiating age-appropriate actions like turning off the lights. When the child is too tired to be the grandmother, Grandma stretches and puts the little one to bed with a kiss and a promise to "love you wherever you are." Rhyming couplets create a soothing bedtime story accompanied by detailed illustrations in soft colors that exude calm as they capture the pair's joyful relationship. Grandma wears large blue glasses and has short curly gray hair, and the child has dark brown hair cut in a chin-length bob. Both are brown-skinned. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A reassuring nighttime read featuring a playful role reversal. (Picture book. 3-6)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2022 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
Source Citation
Source Citation
MLA 9th Edition APA 7th Edition Chicago 17th Edition Harvard
"Clark, Karla: YOU BE GRANDMA." Kirkus Reviews, 15 Dec. 2022, p. NA. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A729727495/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=2ab32593. Accessed 7 Aug. 2024.