Natasha Wing Press Kit NEWS RELEASE: October 1, 2007 New Bedtime Story a Monster Hit By best-selling children's author, Natasha Wing Go to Bed, Monster!, released in October 2007 by Harcourt, Inc., is a story about Lucy who has an active imagination and trouble going to sleep. She draws a crayon monster which jumps off the paper ready for action! The two play together, yet when it's time for Monster to go to bed, he refuses. Lucy's many attempts fail until she comes up with just the right way to get Monster to settle down. Oil paint and oil pastel illustrations by Sylvie Kantorovitz bring to life the crayon world of Lucy's imagination with kid-like humor. "This story went through many, many versions," said Wing, "starting as a concept book for colors, numbers and shapes and developing into a charming bed time story. Sylvie perfectly captured the exuberance of the monster and brought so much energy to the story. I'm thrilled with how it turned out. It makes me smile every time I read it." This is the sixteenth children's book Wing has had published, several of which have been on New York Times, Publishers Weekly, and USA Today bestseller lists. Her popular "The Night Before" series (Grosset & Dunlap) is based on The Night Before Christmas and includes holidays and big events in kids' lives such as starting kindergarten or losing a tooth. The most recent title in that series is The Night Before Summer Camp illustrated by Mindy Pierce. It is about a boy who is reluctant to go to day camp, but once there, realizes how much fun it is. The next book due out in 2009 is, The Night Before St. Patrick's Day. Another of her holiday-themed stories is Merry Thanksgiving which combines Thanksgiving with Christmas where Santa saves Thanksgiving dinner during a snowstorm. Wing's multicultural book, Jalapeño Bagels, is a favorite among second grade teachers and students since it appears in several textbook series. The story is based on a real bakery in Arcata, California and includes recipes from the bakery. Several of her poems appear in anthologies, and she has written articles for children's magazines such as Highlights and Babybug. Wing has been writing children's books since 1991 from her home office in Northern California. "It's the best job I've ever had," she said. "I can write about anything that interests me and work at my own schedule. If only I had a cook and gardener I could write more!"  — Please contact Natasha for any photograph requests.