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| Claude, the Clumsy Clydesdale Volume One in the Alpha Mare Series Written by Marion E. Altieri Illustrated by Gina Romero Book Details Full Color Cover B/W Interior Size: 5" x 8" Pages: 44 Hardback ISBN: 978-0-9840418-0-0 Paperback ISBN: 978-0-9840418-1-7 E-Book ISBN: 978-0-9840418-2-4 About this Book Claude, the Clumsy Clydesdale is about Claude, a beautiful young foal and a perfect specimen of the strong, earthy and graceful Clydesdale breed. The story centers around Claude and the fact that he thinks of himself as being clumsy after comparing himself to animal friends that live with him on the farm where he was born. Dejected, he retreats to the comfort of his stall where he hides away from those he loves. But just as our hero is about to lose all hope, he must put aside his self-doubts to come to the rescue of Mother Goose and her goslings. The Alpha Mare Series is a collection of books containing stories designed to assist parents in teaching their children life lessons pertaining to a variety of topics such as self-esteem. Each book in the series focuses on a different breed and teaches life lessons that incorporates the traits associated with the particular breed featured in a story. For example, Claude, the Clumsy Clydesdale focuses on the strength and beauty associated with Clydesdales. About the Author Marion began riding Quarter Horses at age four on her cousin's dairy farm in rural upstate New York. Shortly thereafter, her family took her to Green Mountain Park, a Thoroughbred track in Vermont, then to Saratoga Race Course where her love of horses, a passion that has lasted to this day, was confirmed. In 1988, she earned a Baccalaureate in Philosophy of Religion from Mount Holyoke College. She loved Academe, and the pursuit of Truth—even so, she was yet to discover her passion. By 2003, she had been a freelance writer for over ten years when she realized her vocation—writing about horses. The great Penny Chenery, whose brilliant guidance nurtured Riva Ridge and Secretariat to their rightful places in racing history, was the first person to encourage Marion to pursue her passion for horses and writing about them. Eight years later, Marion is loving her life and work, with no intention of retiring, ever. She is the Editorial Director and Head Writer of Equicurean, an annual Saratoga-themed magazine celebrating horse racing and polo. Her writing is also featured in other publications, most notably Desert Mirage and Galopp Magasinet. She's the head horse racing writer and handicapper for Saratoga Today newspaper, and currently is editing a book about Iraqi Arabian horses, which will be published in 2011. Two popular blogs—"The Alpha Mare Speaks" at equicurean.com and "Mairzy Doats," archived on Saratoga.com— keep her name in the top ten of all horse racing bloggers in the world. When she's not editing, writing, or finding the horse-and-human interest stories surrounding the races—she's reading books magazines, blogs and websites about horses. She loves reading the works of others, and finds some of her greatest inspiration by drinking in the perspectives of those who are as wild about equines as she. She's a member of American Horse Publications, and volunteers or serves on the boards of several equine- and community-themed organizations. About the Illustrator Gina has been drawing horses since her parents first gave her a crayon and her grandfather introduced her to horse racing when she was a small child. She taught herself to draw horses from studying photographs of Thoroughbreds in The Blood-Horse, The Thoroughbred Record, and The Thoroughbred of California. While in high school, she received a scholarship to attend figure-drawing classes at Otis Art Institute. It was a wonderful opportunity to experiment with pen and ink, charcoal, pastel, and painting. Shortly out of high school, she got married and chose to be a stay-at-home mother. Instead of drawing horses, she helped with art projects at the elementary school that her children attended. However, as her children grew older, she felt that it was time to go back to drawing horses. Presently, she is a regular at Santa Anita and Hollywood Park, where she continues to study horses. She works in pencil, ink, and pastel but pencil is her favorite. Gina's drawings have been featured in The Blood-Horse, Daily Racing Form, Associated Press, Reuters.com and on ESPN, HRTV, and TVG. Her artwork was also shown briefly during the 2010 and 2011 Eclipse Awards. Her work is in the collections of Mr.& Mrs. Jerry Moss, John Shirreffs, Mike Smith, Bo Derek, and Mr. & Mrs. Tom Braly. She has donated her artwork to support racehorse rescue groups such as Southern California Thoroughbred Rescue. Her goal as an equine artist is to capture the beauty and competitive spirit of the Thoroughbred racehorse. Praise for Claude, the Clumsy Clydesdale "Claude, the Clumsy Clydesdale teaches an important lesson. Even though he is different from his little friends, he learns to be happy and confident.” Carmel Rowley, International Selling Author and Arabian Horse Breeder "Marion Altieri has done it again! Claude, the Clumsy Clydesdale is a wonderful story and a delightful read.” Tommy Bellhouse, West Point Thoroughbreds "This book is not only great fun, it teaches positive values like friendship, acceptance, and self-belief in the face of adversity. A delightful and poignant read that is destined to become a favorite with children.” Sophie Watts, Producer, Gravity Films “Horses are warm, big, honest, trusting and kind. Marion Altieri loves horses from the very depth of her soul. And with her horse stories she opens up children's hearts to the same unconditional love. Because no matter how lonely you might feel—there are always horses that will love you if you let them! And that's a good thing to learn when you're a kid.” Mats Genberg - Editor, Galopp Magasinet (Gallop Magazine) Order this Book at a Local Bookstore Neighborhood Stores: To find a neighborhood bookstore near you, Caballo Press of Ann Arbor recommends SuperPages.com's Book Dealer search page. If you are a bookseller and do not appear on the Super Pages site, click here. Simply visit your neighborhood bookstore with the ISBN associated with this book and place your order. |
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