dogs

foodie field trip: hawai’i doggie bakery

~ jama ~ 6 Comments

Ruff ruff, woof woof!

When we were in Hawai’i recently, Len and I discovered a fun shop where every doggie can have his day.

The Hawai’i Doggie Bakery at the Ward Warehouse Shopping Center was one of our favorite stops on Small Business Saturday. Featuring healthy, handmade, vet-approved doggie treats made from locally grown ingredients, this charming bakery/boutique made us wish we could turn into dogs right on the spot (Len = Dalmation, me = Airedale). Yip!

I’d probably go for a Doggie Bento, cause if I were a cool canine living the good life in Hawai’i, I’d want my treats to be made from the best local foods (homegrown bananas, taro, breadfruit, Okinawan sweet potato, lean chicken) without any salt, sugar, butter or preservatives. I’d have the shiniest coat, the cleanest teeth, and believe it or not, be even spunkier and more lovable than any living person could ever imagine.

Bento contains Mini Manapua, Begg Roll, Doggie Dim Sum, Hound-dog Half-moon and Tail Waggin' Wonton.

*rolls over*

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going to the dogs with leslie mcguirk and alex von bidder

~ jama ~ 10 Comments

Note: This is a polite post about a very polite book. Please wipe your paws before reading and wag your tail whenever one of our guests says something especially witty or charming.


Leslie and Alex at Books of Wonder, NYC, September 2009.

Welcome, friends!

Thank you for grooming yourselves and arriving precisely on time. Your table is ready!

Today’s menu features a mini-review and chat with the creators of this year’s most fetching picture book, Wiggens Learns His Manners at the Four Seasons Restaurant (Candlewick, 2009). The story of how author/illustrator Leslie McGuirk and restaurateur Alex von Bidder let the Four Seasons go to the dogs has set tongues wagging on Bark Avenue and beyond.

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Surprise Guest: Top Dog Diane deGroat!

~ jama ~ 18 Comments


Diane with her collaborator, Shelley Rotner.

Woof woof! Hot diggety dog!

I’m pleased as punch today to welcome back supremely talented and prolific author/illustrator Diane deGroat, who has totally gone to the dogs with fellow author Shelley Rotner to create a thoroughly delightful, tickle your funny bone picture book, Dogs Don’t Brush Their Teeth. 

   
     Picture book for ages 4-8, 32 pp.     

Just released by Orchard/Scholastic on August 1st, this fold-out concept book combines photographs with digital art to illustrate what dogs do, and what they don’t do, and has readers of all ages howling with laughter and begging for more.

You don’t have to be a dog lover to appreciate these charismatic canines, who, thanks to Shelley’s expert photography and Diane’s clever Photoshop manipulations, can be seen doing fun things like playing tennis, eating with a knife and fork, playing in a rock band, and of course, brushing their teeth (with White Fang toothpaste, no less). The fold-out format is highly effective at keeping the suspense and surprise padding along at a good clip with nary a whimper. And if all this adorableness isn’t enough, the acknowlegement page features all the dogs’ names and breeds with their profile pictures. Yip!

Some of you may remember that Diane was my very first alphabet soup interviewee back in October 2007, when she stopped by to talk about the snowflake she had created for the Robert’s Snow auction. That’s when we all found out about this:

Yes, Diane’s famous taxidermy collection! Quite fascinating, no? Since then, Diane has published two more titles featuring everyone’s favorite possum, Gilbert, in addition to the new dogs book. So, why did Diane have to remove the canine’s canines? And what other tricks did she and Shelley perform for these perky posable pups? 

Sit. Stay. Read on:

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