Long, long ago...
When the dogs first came down to planet Earth, great forests and wooded areas were found in many lands. Forest and trees play a major part in all of the books in the Planet of the Dogs Series.
Trees allowed people to build homes, walls, boats and plows...trees provided fuel for fires for cooking, warmth and metal making...when people learned to sail, tall trees provided masts for their ships...wood was important in warfare providing shafts for spears and arrows...handles for axes and clubs.
Finland, where we live for much of the year, is a land of great forests and over 188,000 lakes. The Castle In The Mist, like several castles in Finland, is located on a lakeside in the land of the Forest People.
An Epic of Finland...
The Kalevala, the book of ancient Finnish mythology, came from the oral traditions of the Finnish forest people. They were written down over the years in the early and mid-nineteenth century by a visionary Finn, Elias Lonnrot(1802-1884), a scholar of folk poetry and doctor of medicine.
The Kalevala can be read as an epic for all mankind. There are never ending struggles to overcome dark forces, heroes finding courage for battle against huge odds, and mysteries of nature found everywhere in the forests, lakes and rivers -- in all the places where the Finnish forest people have lived for thousands of years.
The stories of the Kalevala had a strong influence on JRR Tolkien when he wrote The Lord Of The Rings.
The Forest People and Beyond...
The stories in our books are influenced by the history and myths of many cultures in addition to the Finnish...Celtic, Scythian, Etruscan, Hellenic, Persian, Mongol and more. These, in turn, have influenced not only the series thus far, but they are the sources for the back stories. There are back stories for the families in Green Valley, the orgins of the Stone City Tribes and the Black Hawk Warriors, the settlement of the Forest People, and the history of the King of the North.
There is a question implicit in the conquest of the land of the Forest People in Castle In The Mist: what does conquest mean where people can disappear when invaders come...when they can go to places in the forest unknown to the invaders; or beyond the forest and into in the hills, or the mountains.
In the forests, unless there are good roads, travel by horse or vehicles with wheels is difficult and often impossible. Forest people understand their environment in ways that outsiders cannot. Finnish history is filled with evidence to this effect, as is the history of peoples in mountainous areas.
Children's imaginations about the forests and the deep woods have always been fed by stories and fairy tales. In the Castle In The Mist, the dogs love the forests and use them. The dogs follow a non-violent path until their courage, loyalty and cleverness cause Prince Ukko and the Black Hawk warriors to free the children and bring peace to the land of the Forest People.
Visit our website for sample chapters: http://www.planetofthedogs.net
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Independent Publishers of New England (IPNE) Fall Book Exhibits
Vermont in the Fall...If you are going to the Burlington Book Festival, September 25-27, visit the Main Street Landing Performing Arts Center where the Planet Of The Dogs Series will be part of the IPNE Exhibit.
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Bookstores!...The Planet OF The Dogs books will also be part of the IPNE Exhibit at the New England Independent Booksellers Convention (NEIBA),October 2-3,...Connecticut Convention Center in Hartford, CT.
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Librarians!...The Planet Of The Dogs Series will travel again to the Connecticut Convention Center as part of the IPNE Book Exhibit for the New England Library Association (NELA) Convention...October 18-20.
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Therapy Reading Dogs...
If you have a therapy reading dog participating in a reading program for kids, let us know (email: [email protected]) and we will send you a complimentary copy of Snow Valley Heroes, A Christmas Tale.
This is what Don Blankenship in his review on Books For Kids-Review said about the book..."What a truly wonderful and unique Crhistmas story for the whole family..."
We are participating in therapy reading dog programs in NY, NJ, PA, RI, FLA, CT, WI and NH...our therapy dog friend in New Hampshire is...
ROCKY, the Therapy Dog...
Rocky was a sick dog, wandering the woods in North Carolina with BB's embedded in his head. He was rescued and healed by Forever Home K9 Rescue and was adopted by the dog-loving Varney family in New Hampshire. Rocky found himself in a new world with snow, caring owners, and new friends, Bud and Sadie, who were also German Shephards.
Rocky's is a graduate of Tail-Waggin Tutors, part of the Therapy Dogs International Program (TDI). They evaluate, train and register therapy dogs in 50 states and Canada for work in nursing homes, hospitals and for reading programs with children. TDI has been active in this work since 1978.
Rocky makes regular visits to the NH Veterans Home where he has warmed the hearts of many, including former POW's and those suffering from dementia. In this photo, Rocky is with Carol Varney, Carol's mother, and her nurse, Nancy.
Shephards are very protective dogs. They instinctively care about people or animals under their care. Dogs like Rocky also have a strong inner peacefullness which generates trust in people, and helps them to feel a relationship, a calming effect. The range of people that therapy dogs can reach is awesome. In this photo, Rocky is having his first Tail Waggin Tutors session.
Visit Rocky's blog -- Http://rockytherapydog.blogspot.com ...in addtion to reading about Rocky's adventures, you will find many photos of the joy that Rocky brings to the world.
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Planet Of The Dogs Travel Guide...
The book has at last been found ...written, long. long ago by the Council Of The Dogs with help from Daisy and Bean...scheduled for publication in 2010.
When the dogs found that more and more people on planet Earth needed help, they devloped this Travel Guide to help initiate the many children who were needed to help introduce the dogs to the adults world.
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American Dog Magazine...
We just learned that American Dog Magazine in their Spring,2009 Issue picked Every Rescued Dog has a Tale, by Deborah Eades, as a Bedtime Book to Read.
We agree...this is a heartwarming read that takes you on the road and into the shadow land where dogs are rescued from hard to believe, but true, situations. Many stories, many dogs, a bit of humor, lots of humanity and happy endings.
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"No animal should jump up on the dining room table unless absolutely certain that he can hold his own in conversation." -- Fran Lebowitz
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Hi Katja and thanks so much for your kind comments.
Hope to see you...Stella abd Bob
Posted by: Robert McCarty | March 09, 2012 at 07:58 PM
Hi Bob and Stella
It's a pleasure to follow your stories and such a blessing for the soul to watch your drawings. So much thoughtfullness is given to me, when I read them.
Keep up the good work and hope to see you next time I stop by in Helsinki.
Love
Katja and girls.
Posted by: Katja Wass | March 08, 2012 at 12:48 PM