illustration. dogs. liza. oakland.
Dear Friendlies,
there’s a new Friendly in our midst. Lucy Sisman (who has an incredibly impressive roster of print clients) is working on a great literary blog called wwwword, and she asked if I’d like to be interviewed for their blog. The result? One of the nicest pieces of writing about my process to date, and an in-depth look at the creation of A Dazzling Display of Dogs.
Thank you, Lucy!
Friendlies,
we’re getting the band back together again – again – for a singing and book signing at Bookshop Santa Cruz. This is one of my very favorite bookstores, and we’re excited and grateful that they want to host and event with us. We have a long history with the town of Santa Cruz, and Bookshop is one of the best things about Santa Cruz. We always go there when we visit. Usually we go to Zachary‘s to fuel up, then down to Bookshop. It’s a thing we do.
So come on down, check out the surf, grab a book. Come say hi!
WHAT: Dog Dreams singing/signing at BSSC
WHERE: Bookshop Santa Cruz, 1520 Pacific Avenue,
Santa Cruz, CA
WHEN: January 19, 2012, 7:30 pm.
Some video has emerged from the Dog Dreams opening at the Oakland Museum: here it is. It’s super goofy.
OH MY GOSH I ALMOST FORGOT AND THERE’S THIS! SUPER CUTE! (t/y Carolee)
xm
Furry Friends,
please join Janet Fine and I at Artisans Gallery in Santa Cruz, California for June’s First Friday! I will be showing images from my letterpressed book Dog Dreams, and our dear friend Janet Fine will be showing images based on the Dog Dreams theme. Super excited to show with Janet – her work is great.
Punch and Pie. And dogs.
If you’re in the Santa Cruz area, I hope you’ll be there! By the way, Santa Cruz is a lovely place to spend a weekend away (hint, hint).
xm
Frenz,
I’m totally overwhelmed by the positive response – we packed Diesel Books! It was SRO! We also sold out of copies of A Dazzling Display of Dogs (but not to worry – if you want a copy, you can order one here).
For those of you who braved the rainy weather and [maybe even] came out with your kids on a Wednesday night – I thank you! I hope you had as much fun as we did. Thanks also to Tricycle Press (this is, sadly, one of the last books they will publish), Suki and Andy for the music, and Loriana and Carolee for helping out and setting up. Thanks to Betsy Franco for making the trip to Oakland, and to Diesel Books for being so accommodating. If you’re in the Bay Area, go buy your books there! It’s a great shop.
Here’s a little video that Michael Zelner shot (thanks Michael!):
What’s next for the book? Well, The Mutts are going to be recording these songs for real sometime soon. Betsy and I are going to be making a book trailer or two for the two books we’ve published together thus far. There are also rumblings about another collaboration. Stay tuned.
xm
Arf,
Arf arf arf arf arf.
Please join us at Diesel Books in Oakland as we celebrate the release of the latest kids book by Betsy Franco and Michael Wertz, A Dazzling Display of Dogs. This book is the follow-up to A Curious Collection of Cats, honor winner for Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award, NCTE Notable Poetry Book of 2009. A Dazzling Display of Dogs is already getting rave reviews. It was great fun to make – see a sneak preview of more images here.
We’re super excited to return to Diesel Books for the launch party – the launch for the cat book was super fun.
We are such goofs. There will probably be more of this. Plus pens and books and things. And cheese. There will be cheese. I hope you can make it. Can you? Say yes!
UPDATE: looks like we’ll be joined by Betsy Franco herself at this event! She’ll be sharing images from the book and discussing her creative process. We’ll also “enjoy” some light entertainment by the MUTTS: Andy Cowitt – ukelelelele, Suki O’Kane – Toy Drum Kit, Michael Wertz – vox.
xm
Friends to the Four-Pawed:
my second picture book, A Dazzling Display of Dogs (written by Betsy Franco – yes, that Betsy Franco), has been released and is available at your local bookstore and online. We’re super excited about it over here, and hope you’ll get yourself a copy!
The book release party has been set for March 23, at Diesel Books here in Oakland. Andy and I will probably, as with the Curious Cats opening, embarrass ourselves in front of you. Just to let you know.
Here’s a great review from School Library Journal:
Starred Review. Grade 1–5 – This follow-up to A Curious Collection of Cats (Tricycle, 2009) is dazzling indeed. Each of the 34 poems features a different animal, most of them engaged in true dog behavior. From farting in the car to wheezing and snoring while sleeping, these pups are funny and lovable even when they’re being annoying. The verses and the book’s design are beautifully matched. In “Emmett’s Ode to His Tennis Ball,” the text is enclosed in a circle held firmly in the dog’s mouth. It begins, “Slobbery, sloppy, slimy, sphere—oh, tennis ball, I hold you dear….” Like the poems, the pictures are funny and dynamic. The pages are definitely full, yet careful use of color, typeface, and detail means they never look chaotic. A note says the pictures were started in pencil and then finished using monoprints and Adobe Photoshop. Overall, a delight for kids, their adults, and maybe even their beloved canine companions.—Lauralyn Persson, Wilmette Public Library, IL
Sadly, ‘A Dazzling Display of Dogs’ is one of the last books that Tricycle press will publish. I am so grateful to my editor Abigail Samoun for making this book happen!
See more images from the book here.
xm
