Showing posts with label Good Night Sleep Tight. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Good Night Sleep Tight. Show all posts

28 October 2012

Mem Fox 'Good Night, Sleep Tight' autographed book giveaway

Greetings all,
I was lucky enough to attend the sold out reading at my local library, with my author Tania McCartney (a National Year of Reading Ambassador) & our primary school daughters . . . to listen to the engaging Mem Fox read her book Good Night, Sleep Tight.  I doubt there is a home in Australia without a Mem Fox book in it.  We have dozens.  She was a delight. 
It was so much fun, the nursery rhymes in this book (as told by Bonnie & Ben's babysitter, Skinny Doug) made me teary, remembering how many times i'd sung them to my four children . . . the sweetest memories as they are timeless & generational.  
Mem is also a University lecturer & campaigns for children's literacy . . . it has been proven, if a child can know 6 nursery rhymes by heart by age 4 . . . they will be the soaring with their reading in primary school.  Fascinating & seriously, who can't belt out a few "Round & Round The Garden, Like a Teddy Bear, One Step, Two Steps, Tickle You Under There" while changing a nappy or "Star Light, Star Bright, First Star I See Tonight, I WIsh I May, I Wish I Might, Have The Wish I Wish Tonight" while taking one last look at the sky before putting a toddler to bed?? 
 I had already spent $70 before the event started, my children are ravenous readers & who can resist a book which comes with a green sheep??  Straight up, Mem came over to my 3rd daughter & asked if she could borrow her green sheep, which Mem promptly tucked under her blouse for the finale of reading "Where Is The Green Sheep??"  As my youngest child is nearly 9, it's been a while since i bought these kinds of children's books, but who cares, i'll keep them for the grandchildren!! 
 It was just so much fun, the atmosphere electric, until . . . the wind was taken out of my sails when Mem stopped reading a few pages into the first book to request we didn't take any photos.  I know, WHAT??  How about some publicity & capturing the experience??  Judy made a spiel about not appreciating the moment if you're busy taking photos to look at later.  If you're that famous, SURELY you can't stop people taking photos at a public event.  No one was trampling anyone, no blinding flashbulbs, no media . . . just mums sitting on the floor with iPhones & a baby in their lap taking a few snaps.  I've been to zillions of book launches & events, big & small, this 'no photos' was new to me.     
They had zero issues with you buying some books though.  I purchased an extra book to be autographed & given away on my blog, to one of my gorgeous readers!!  They also requested "no photos" at the signing table.  Seriously!!  It's terrible public relations.  I hope everyone in the queue at least got something autographed.  
So here you go, the mixed world of the book industry.  I assure you, i will always give an honest account of any public relations, products & events.  The books are excellent.
Please leave a comment here if you'd love to win an autographed copy of Good Night, Sleep Tight, autographed by author Mem Fox & illustrator Judy Horacek.  You must be a follower of this blog (on the side, sorry i can't tell if you are RSS fed) & i'd like this to be won by an Australian resident, if you're overseas - i'll gladly post to an Australian friend!!  Of course, an extra entry for every mention of this giveaway on your social media platforms of Blogs, Instagram, FaceBook, Pinterest, Twitter etc.  This is something really special, thank you for sharing the love!!  
 Good luck everyone, winner will be drawn after midnight Sunday 11th November.  Love Posie
EDIT: i am proud i wrote this post as-it-happened-from-my-perspective, i have reconsidered to make it more gushing, then thought . . . wouldn't you prefer your child to have a photo of their hero in Mem Fox, an educator . . . than a sports star or celebrity with questionable real life morals (that your child may be aware of)??  No photos at a promotion, it really is completely bizarre, full stop.  Especially as we were not standing in the crowd of 200 children with flash bulbs, blocking people's view or calling out to the author "look here, work it Mem" . . . we were politely sitting on the side lines, listening to the reading & taking photos discretely because we are fans & paying good money for their products!!