Dog wedding

At the time I didn't know it, but there was a dog at our wedding!

The ceremony took place on the steps of "The Little House" which is a vacation cottage located just steps away from the world famous Pappy & Harriet's Pioneertown Palace. A famous musician was renting the place and he gave us permission to get married on his porch!

And speaking of Pappy & Harriet's, check out this wonderful article about the famous roadhouse in the New York Times: 
Listen Up: In the California Desert, a One-of-a-Kind Music Venue Blossoms.

A yarn yarn

Barnett, Mac, and J Klassen. Extra Yarn. New York: Balzer + Bray, 2012. Print.

So far, this is my favorite picture book of the year because it makes me laugh. The humor is a little off-kilter, which makes it even more fun.

Extra Yarn is the story of a girl named Annabelle who brings some light into her cold, gloomy town by knitting everyone colorful sweaters. She even knits one for Little Louis! (There is no explanation as to why she would have left poor Louis out, except that he appears to be a half-size man with a full-size beard. Is he the village idiot?) She wants to knit a sweater for Mr. Crabtree who "never wore sweaters or even long pants" and is pictured wearing boxer shorts and a wife beater shirt. He declines her offer, so she makes him a hat instead. (Is he the village exhibitionist?)

One day an evil archduke sails into town on a mission to steal Annabelle's yarn. He declares: "Little girl, I curse you with my family's curse! You will never be happy again!" (For some reason, this cracks me up.) Good wins out over evil, and in the end, "it turned out that she was."

On the last page we see Annabelle perched comfortably on a yarn-covered tree branch accompanied by a few sweater-clad dogs and cats. This is her happy ending. No handsome prince needed--just a couple of pets for good company.

October is Adopt a Shelter Dog Month

Orlean, Susan. Rin Tin Tin: The Life and the Legend. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2011. Print.

Susan Orlean's book about Hollywood's most celebrated rescue dog is not your ordinary dog story. It's about the impact of moving pictures (There were more canine roles during the silent film era), the use of dogs in the military, the social history of dog ownership (obedience classes are a fairly new concept), and much more. Learn more about this great tale and listen to an interview (with the author, not the dog) on npr.com.

ps. October is Adopt a Shelter Dog Month. Visit your local Humane Society and adopt a friend for life.

pps. Patti Page recently rerecorded "Doggie in the Window" to "Doggie in the Shelter." 59 years later, she still sounds amazing.

Emily and Einstein

I love this silly book:

Lee, Linda F. Emily and Einstein. New York: St. Martin's Press, 2011.

Moments before he is about to break his wife's heart by telling her he wants a divorce, Sandy Portman gets hit by a car and turns into a dog. His widow Emily, a smart young woman in the publishing industry, is left with nothing because he had already written her out of his will without her knowledge. In the form of a dog, Sandy must help Emily get her life back on track before he is allowed to enter heaven.

This book is loaded with stock characters and it will probably be made into a Lifetime movie. If I were director I'd cast Reese Witherspoon as Emily the young widow, Rob Lowe as Sandy the heartbreaker, Meryl Streep as Emily's mean boss, Jane Fonda as Emily's snobby mother-in-law, Adrian Grenier as the bachelor next door, and Jake as the dog.

Jake

M is for Motown

Aronson, Virginia. The History of Motown. Philadelphia: Chelsea House, 2000.

It's fun to read about what rock stars were like back in their younger years. Stevie Wonder was a prankster and master mimic. Marvin Gaye was painfully shy, and Martha Reeves got her foot in the door by working as a secretary at the Motown office.

Shop Indie Bookstores
Troupe, Quincy, and Lisa Cohen. Little Stevie Wonder. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2005.

ps. I named this blog after a Motown compilation album, 40 Forever.

pps. Here is my karaoke version of the Motown hit, Mustang Sally. If you dare to listen carefully, you can hear my dogs playing percussion in the background.

Best Dog Book of the Year

Woof! Michael Wertz's newest book hits the shelves tomorrow morning!


Shop Indie Bookstores
Franco, Betsy and Michael Wertz. A Dazzling Display of Dogs. Berkeley, CA: Tricycle Press, 2011.

The critics say it's doggone terrific!

Starred review, School Library Journal, January 1, 2011:
"This follow up to A Curious Collection of Cats (Tricycle, 2009) is dazzling indeed ... a delight for kids, their adults, and maybe even their beloved canine companions."

Review, Horn Book Magazine, January/February 2011:
"The combination of the funny poems and the goofy dogs will make this a great gift book and a sneaky way to inject a little poetry into someone's life."

Review, Publishers Weekly, November 29, 2010:
"Franco and Wertz persuasively convey canine behavior ... as well as the trials and treasured moments familiar to many owners. Dog lovers won't want to miss this clever, jubilant gem."

Review, Roxxy and Jake, my dogs:
"Best dog book of the year!"

Life

Richards, Keith, and James Fox. Life. New York: Little, Brown and Co, 2010. Print.

"Mr. Richards’s prose is like his guitar playing: intense, elemental, utterly distinctive and achingly, emotionally direct."--Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times.

"It’s like being button-holed by a piratical ancient mariner with amazing tales to tell."--Charles Spencer, The Telegraph.

"It's funny, gossipy, profane and moving and by the time you finish it you feel like you're friends with Keith Richards." Will Dana, Rolling Stone.

"Delicious. I devoured it in one sitting."--Jake, my dog.

B is for Beach

Here are some great children's books about the seashore:

Holm, Matthew, and Jennifer L. Holm. Babymouse: Beach Babe!Babymouse, 3. New York: Random House Children's Books, 2006.

Babymouse is the cutest surfer girl on the shelf.

Wiesner, David. Flotsam. New York: Clarion Books, 2006.

David Wiesner's wordless picture book received the highest honor in children's book illustration, The Caldecott Medal.

Graham, Margaret B, and Gene Zion. Harry by the Sea. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 1965.

It's another case of mistaken identity for Harry, the dirty dog.

Huneck, Stephen. Sally Goes to the Beach. New York: Abrams, 2000.

Roxxy and Jake love this book. (They are partial to black labs.)

Lee, Suzy. Wave. San Francisco, Calif: Chronicle Books, 2008.

A little girl overcomes her fear of waves. Like Flotsam, this book doesn't need words to tell its story.

Football

I wish I understood football. For the longest time I thought Brett Favre was a hockey player.

Mooney, Martin J. Brett Favre. Football legends. Philadelphia: Chelsea House, 1997.

I also couldn't understand why so many people were naming their sons Peyton.

Metalious, Grace. Peyton Place. New York: Messner, 1956.


Bradley, Michael. Peyton Manning. New York: Benchmark Books, 2004.

One time a player from the Colts visited the library, and I got mixed up and told the kids that he was a member of the Ponies.

Meister, Cari, and Amy Young. My Pony Jack. Viking easy-to-read. New York: Viking, 2005.

Stewart, Mark, and Jason Aikens. The Indianapolis Colts. Chicago, Ill: Norwood House Press, 2006.

As you may have guessed, I'm not watching the Super Bowl tonight. The Puppy Bowl is way cuter. They even have an all-bunny cheerleading squad and a kitty half-time show!


ps. Of course, no animals were harmed during the taping of this program. They pretty much just roll around and play with each other, and they don't even have to wear silly costumes. Word has it that the puppies and kittens have all been adopted, but a couple of the bunnies are still looking for good homes.

God Bless the Child

For the past few days I've been out sick with a bad cold. It's so lonely staying home. I'm really psyched to see my friends when I go back to work this afternoon. My dogs may be great company, but they're lousy conversationalists.

Anyway . . .

When I'm sick, I like to sing the blues. Here's my very rusty rendition of the Billie Holiday hit, God Bless the Child. Warning: I don't sing it half as well as the incomparable Lady Day, but lucky for me, it's not a competition.



Here's Diana Ross's version:



And here's the real deal:



God Bless the Child - Billie Holiday

Ahhhh . . . the lovely Miss Lady Day.

Weatherford, Carole Boston, and Floyd Cooper. Becoming Billie Holiday. Honesdale, Pa: Wordsong, 2008.

Cats and dogs

Just about everyone loves a good dog story. Old Yeller, I, Jack, and Ribsy are among my favorite canine novels. (I have way too many favorite picture books to list.)

Finney, Patricia, and Peter Bailey. I, Jack. New York: HarperCollins, 2004. ISBN: 0060522070.

Gipson, Fred. Old Yeller. New York: Harper, 1956. ISBN: 0060115459.

Cleary, Beverly, and Louis Darling. Ribsy. New York: Morrow, 1964. ISBN: 0688216625.

For some reason, there aren't quite as many cat tales. It's Like This, Cat is a great one; it won the 1964 Newbery Medal. I love the opening line: "My father is always talking about how a dog can be very educational for a boy. This is one reason I got a cat."

Here is the original book jacket:

Neville, Emily Cheney. It's Like This, Cat. New York: Harper & Row, 1963. ISBN: 9780060243906.

Here is the reissued version:

ISBN: 9780064400732.

ps. If you are wondering why I didn't list Marley & Me as a favorite dog book . . .

Grogan, John. Marley & Me: Life and Love with the World's Worst Dog.
New York: Morrow, 2005. ISBN: 0060817089.

. . . it's because I have a bone to pick with the author. When he lived in town, he used to make fun of Boca women in his newspaper column.

Dog puppets

I love dogs.

I like puppets.

I like my dog puppet.

But I don't think hand puppet dog toys are a good idea.

I hate to be a wet rag, but sooner or later someone's going to get hurt.

Letter from Chowder

I just received this lovely message from one of my favorite dogs:

Woof and Hello Rebecca!

You blogged about me?! Woohoo! Well, I'm very glad that you like me and my books enough to call me the "best picture book dog of the year." That is a true honor. And I think you are the best blogger of the year writing about picture book dogs.

Slobberingly yours,
Chowder

Be sure to check out Chowder's latest book, The Fabulous Bouncing Chowder.

Beach reads

I just finished reading Claire Cook's latest book, Summer Blowout. It's a romantic comedy about the adventures of a cynical beautician and her dog. (The dog has a summer fling, too!)

If you like Jennifer Crusie, Sophie Kinsella, Marian Keyes, Meg Cabot, and Jennifer Weiner, you will love Claire Cook.

Chief and Chowder

Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read.
--Groucho Marx


Uncle Brian, Chief, and me.

Today I read Peter Brown's hilarious book, Chowder.
It made me think of Chief.

Check out Chowder's website. You will like it.

Dog children

I just love this poem by David Sedaris:

Hail hyperactive Myrtle,
Owned by folks who are infertile.
Her owners boast as she runs wild,
"She's not a spaniel, she's our child!"

Sedaris, David. "Dog Days." Esquire 134.2 (August 2000): 144. Academic OneFile. Gale. Nova Southeastern University. 5 Apr. 2008

Labrador Dalí

While we're on the topic of dogs and Dalí . . .

Check out Chicago band, Labrador Dalí. Click here to purchase their hit single, Cricket Hill, and here to buy the coolest t-shirt in the world.

New year's resolution

My new year's resolution is to eat more carbs. I've been on the Atkins Diet for the past 5 days, and I'm absolutely miserable. I lost 7 pounds, but who cares what I look like anyway? I'm a librarian not a movie star!

Speaking of librarian stereotypes, check out this post by the Annoyed Librarian. I agree with everything except the last three paragraphs. I must be a sap, but I'm really dedicated to the profession, and I think most of my coworkers are, too.

ANYWAY, it's been a really lazy day. Marc went fishing, and I overslept. When I woke up, I ate some low-carb ricotta cheese, drank a couple of Diet Cokes, talked on the phone, did a bunch of crossword puzzles, watched Comedy Central, walked the dogs, and played online karaoke. I didn't have anything to read because I finished reading all my library books yesterday.

I think I'm going to go hunt down some carbs before I turn into a troll and start gnawing on the furniture. Since the grocery store is closed, I'm probably going to have to settle for some stale Wonder bread and microwave popcorn.

Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas!

Much love,
Rebecca, Marc, Roxxy, and Jake

I love my dogs . . . even when they keep me up all night with their incessant barking. Can you guess which one is the quietest of the bunch?

Check out the beautiful music of Leslie Mills. (That's one of her songs on the dog video.) Isn't she pretty?