Sweet Moon Baby: An Adoption Tale by Karen Henry Clark Giveaway

"On a summer night in China, a baby girl was born. She was perfect." So begins the story of one baby's journey from her birth parents in China, who dream of a better life for their daughter, to her adoptive parents on the other side of the world, who dream of the life they can give her. A turtle, a peacock, a monkey, a panda, and some fish shepherd the baby as she floats in a basket on a moonlit, winding river into the loving arms of her new parents. Perfect for bedtime reading, Karen Henry Clark's poetic text, reminiscent of a lullaby, and Patrice Barton's textured and gentle-hued illustrations capture the great love between parents and children.

The story behind the story.

By the time I was four years old, I knew I wanted three things--a husband, a daughter, and a published book. Surprisingly, I fell in love with the husband on a blind date, but I had no idea the other two would come along hand-in-hand many ears later when the nanny handed our baby to us on a summer day in China. I smiled brightly until I read the orphanage report: "Baby found forsaking on steps of leather factory." I wanted to cry. I realized this tiny girl would always live with a mystery about her early life. She would carry unreachable memories locked forever in her mind, her bones, her heart.

So I began to dream of a history for her, something beyond the confines of that basket balanced on a step. Then one night in our yard, she looked up at the night sky and said her first English word: "moon." Her joy made me believe they had been dear friends from the very beginning of her life. What else could she have seen in China that still inspired her? I looked in her room at her favorite things. Who's to say a turtle, peacock, monkey, panda, and fish weren't part of her life over there? That basket on a step in China became the basket carrying her down a river from claw to paw to wing.

I began to write. What began as an answer for her ended up fulfilling my last dream when SWEET MOON BABY: AN ADOPTION TALE was published. Once it was in print, it turned out to be an answer for many other children. After I read my book at a school, I received my best review of all when an adopted Chinese kindergarten girl whispered to my husband, "I'm the REAL Sweet Moon Baby." I suddenly understood how well the tale worked. It held powerful possibilities for children other than mine. Many of the truest things in our lives begin with our imaginations.

Karen Henry Clark wrote her first story when she was four years old by dictating the tale of a runaway popcorn ball to her father. From that moment on, she wanted to become an author. It took longer than she anticipated, as most things do in life. SWEET MOON BABY is her first book. She lives with her husband and daughter in St. Paul, Minnesota, where she loves to watch the moon rise over the Mississippi, a wide and wonderful river like the one in this book.


Watch the Book Trailer for Sweet Baby Moon!

 

GIVEAWAY

Three (3) lucky winners will win their own copy of Sweet Baby Moon: An Adoption Tale

 

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