Barking Planet Children's & YA Books

Visiting the Planet of the Dogs

We Wish...

We wish we could talk with a child who has actually visited the Planet of the Dogs.

We know that adults have never been there...the dogs knew that only kids could understand them.

However, we also know that there probably haven't been any children visiting there since long, long ago when dogs were just beginning to come to planet earth to help people. 

Children reading the Planet of the Dogs series often ask questions...

They want to know more about what it was like in Muttville, Biscuit Town and Shaggy Corners.

They ask about the dogfood trees and the songs that the Dogtown Chorus sang.

And they ask about how the Puppy Schools changed as more and more dogs came down to Planet Earth.

That's why the new book is coming out next year -- the Planet Of The Dogs Travel Guide

Of course, this is only a copy of the original version...the original Planet of the Dogs Travel Guide was written by the dogs and children who visited long, long ago.

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To read sample chapters from the Planet of the Dogs series, please visit www.planetofthedogs.net

 

 

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The Reading Tub is a force field for children's literacy, founded on the premises that, "Reading with a child is invaluable, and learning to read begins - and is reinforced - at home...reading is the single most important skill an individual can possess." 

The Reading Tub "reviews books that famililes will want to share together."

They also help to make things happen..."We facilitate the process of getting books to at-risk readers. Authors/publishers donate new books to us and we then place them with nonprofits working directly with readers-in-need. These are kids who have no books at home (the #1 roadblock to becoming a successful reader) or who are failing reading benchmarks." 

We are, naturally, believers in all that the Reading Tub stands for and does. Reading opens doors to the mind, doors to life, doors to the future.

There is much more to tell about the Reading Tub ( http://www.thereadingtub.com), and we will continue their story in our next blog, including their role in Share a Story--Shape a Future, A Blog Event for Literacy.

Meanwhile, we want to introduce you, in the photo, to the Founder and Executive Director of the Reading Tub, Terry Doherty, and her daughter, Catherine. 

Catherine, like her Mom, enjoys books and reading...and she loves animals.

 

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Planet of the Dogs was reviewed on the Reading Tub and I was interviewed- here is the link http://thereadingtub.com/displayAuthor.asp?id=72

 

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We are making a summer book tour of several independent New England book stores this summer. If you are a NEIBA member, and would like us to visit your store -- with complimentary books -- please email us at barkingplanet at aol.com 

Barking Planet Productions home base is in Marblehead, MA.

We are members of the Independent Publishers of New England (IPNE) and the Independent Book Publishers of America (IBPA).

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Tails of Bella the Therapy Dog...

Among her many talents, Bella visits hospitals and nursing homes on a regular basis; and, once a year, she participates in a school reading program...In April, 2009, she visited the Fitzwater Elementary School in Willowgrove, PA, as a therapy reading dog.

Bella's owner, Jodi, says, "It is extremely rewarding to watch a child's eyes light up as he/she reads a book and shares their enthusiasm with a furry friend...Bella liked one of the books so much she started to lick the book...haha!"

You can visit Bella at http://bellathetherapydog.com

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"The average dog is a nicer person than the average person."

Andy Rooney

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The Human Canine Connection

At the heart of the Planet Of The Dogs series...

The human canine connection lies at the heart of all our books. This connection is a fundemental to the lives of dog lovers everywhere.

In our books, when dogs first come to earth to help people, it is the children and the healers who are the first humans to experience this connection.

Since no one had ever seen dogs before, and most adults reacted with caution and fear,the dogs had to prove themselves. Once this was done, many people were able to open their hearts and minds, and they experienced the human canine connection .

I first learned about the human canine connection when, as a young boy, I read Real Stories of Real Dogs by Albert Payson Terhune. It was also during this time period that I had a dog of my own, Spot, a smooth-haired fox terrier ( the photo above is of our family dog, Dafi, our current human canine connection).

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Good Morning America, the popular television show, recently featured a delightful segment by Ben Stein on the human canine connection as a way to get through the recession. If you haven't seen it, I urge you to do so...http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=4920260n

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The human canine connection often plays an important role in the reviews received by the Planet of the Dogs series. This was especially true when our books were reviewed by Don Blankenship, on the excellent web site Books for Kids:            http://www.booksforkids-reviews.com

Don and his partner-reviewer, Pam T. -- wife-mom-student of the universe --  have an extremely thoughtful, informed and relevant site, with well written reviews. Their reviews are helpful to parents, educators and librarians alike.

Don has acknowledge the importance of the human canine connection in his own life, He and his "wife of45 years have lived in the woods in the Ozark Mountains for 24 years...We are both dog lovers...and very involved with the local library, local humane society, and our church...our current home library contains well over 2,300 volumes."

He has been a health care consultant and college instructer since retirement from the USAF; in recent years, in addition to reviewing Books For Kids,  he has focused on teaching, specializing in younger children and the severly handicapped.

Don and his wife live close to nature -- hiking, canoeing and gardening -- and as he says, "roaming the hills with my dog." 

Don's life personifies the human canine connection and his reviews of the Planet of the Dogs series have been very reaffirming to both Stella and me. In one of them he wrote, "I have been lucky enough to have had companion animals (dogs) since I was born; I have raised dogs, trained dogs, hunted with dogs, lived with dogs, worked with dogs and shared my life with dogs for well over sixty years now...trust me, this author knows dogs."

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 To read sample chapters and for more information on our books and the human canine connection, please visit: http://planetofthedogs.net

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Things began to change rapidly in the time period after the dogs saved Christmas. More and more people began to hear about dogs. 

They also heard about the Day Of The Dogs...they learned about the Black Hawk Warriors leaving the land of the Forest people and the Castle in the Mist. 

And they experienced the human canine connection...

As knowledge of the dogs helping people increased, the need grew for more dogs on planet earth. This meant that more and more children had to visit the Planet of the Dogs...

And so it was that the Council of the Dogs decided that since there were so many visitors coming, a Travelers Guide was needed.

This resulted in our next book -- the Planet of the Dogs Travel Guide...the ultimate guide for the human canine connection...

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This summer...We are making a book tour to visit the Children's section of several independent book stores in New England (NEIBA)...Email us at [email protected] if you would like us to visit...we will be bringing with us complimentary reader copies of the Planet of the Dogs series...

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Therapy Reading Dogs...the human canine connection

We support therapy reading dogs in RI, NY,FLA, NJ, WI, NJ, PA, and ME..Until the end of May, we will send complimentary books to libraries with Therapy Reading Dog programs...email us at [email protected]

Barking Planet Productions are members of IBPA and IPNE.

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"Man is a dog's idea of what God should be." Holbrook Jackson

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Castles, Kids and Dogs

Castles Inspire the Imagination...

For many centuries, castles and fortress cities played a pivotal role in the domination of one tribe or group of people over another. They have determined the outcome of warrior attempts at conquest in new territory. They have offered a safe haven to ordinary people as well as rulers and their soldiers.

Castles inspire the imagination and they play an important role in all the books of the Planet of the Dogs series. They are an integral part of the stories and they help young readers to gain understanding of the past.

Who lived in them? What was it like to live in a castle? Were people happy there? What about the ordinary people who lived outside the castle, but within the surrounding walls? And what of those who lived  outside, far beyond the protection of the castle and its walls? What was it like..?

In Planet Of The Dogs, the home base of the Stone City Warriors is surrounded by high thick walls and dominated by a castle. For three generations, the warriors of Stone City have had an impenetrable sanctuary, leaving only on journeys of conquest. It is one of these -- their plan to take possession of the village of Lake Falls and all the farms and homes of the people of Green Valley -- that brings the first dogs to planet earth.

Away from their castle, despite their many years of succesful conquest, the Stone City Warriors are vulnerable... and they have never seen dogs.

In Castle In The Mist, the castle occupied by the Black Hawk tribe plays an active role and actually becomes a protaganist throughout the story. The children of Bik, leader of the Stone City Warriors, are captured and taken to the land of the Forest People where they are held prisoners in the Castle In The Mist.The dogs must find a way to free the children

 

 

It is the Ice Castle that holds the prisoners in Snow Valley Heroes, A Christmas Tale. However, the prisoners in this book are not children, but reindeer -- two of Santa's reindeer. They are part of a dark plot of revenge by the King of the North who has found a way to stop Christmas. The dogs must find a way to free the reindeer and save Christmas.

 

 

In the Planet of the Dogs series, part of our intention is to inspire the imagination, to take kids on a journey to the past, where they can imagine the role of castles in the lives of people as well as the wonderful role that dogs have played.

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Visit our website, http://www.planetofthedogs.net, for sample chapters and more information on the Planet of the Dogs series.

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This photo was taken on our visit to Raasepori Castle in southwestern Finland. The castle was built in the 14th century by the king of Sweden. At that time, it was surrounded by water and accessible only by boat. We went inside, climbing rock staircases, and very impressed by the immense walls...it  certainly inspired my imagination.

 

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BOOK NEWS...Massachusetts Librarians-please visit the Independent Publishers of New England (IPNE) exhibit at the MLA Conference, May 4-8...look for our Planet of the Dogs series...

New England Independent Bookstores...Stella and I will be in the USA for a summer visit...we would like to visit your store...contact us at [email protected] and we will make arrangements...

National Dog Day is August 28...

The title of Barb Teschel's new book is:                       Frankie, the Walk'n Roll Therapy Dog Visits Libby's House...

Frankie's therapy dog trainer was Julie Hauk, the Wisconsin elementary school teacher who developed the Pages for Preston therapy reading dog program for her second and third grade students.         

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"No one appreciates the very special genius of your conversation as the dog does" -- Christopher Morley

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