CeeCeeandFunnyMadame

The dog who modeled for the drawings in the book is a Standard Poodle. His full name is Blackbird. He was named for the late great Jazz Saxophonist Charlie ‘Bird’ Parker, the song ‘Blackbird’ written by Lennon and McCartney and because it’s funny to have a dog named Bird. The Standard Poodle is classified as a Gun Dog. In Germany the breed were known as Duck Dogs for their retrieving abilities. Poodles have also worked as circus performers, guard dogs and pulled carts delivering milk door to door. They were so admired in France that they were dubbed the French Poodle. Poodles have hair not fur so they need to have it cut or it would grow and grow like Rapunzel’s. Bird gets a simple crew-cut every few months and we leave it at that. The Poodle who appears in Counting in the Studio loves going to the beach, sipping water from a jug, sleeping next to his boy, and working in the studio which means, sitting patiently, offering his opinion when asked, barking if the garbage...

We were delighted to learn that Counting in the Studio was number 1 on Quimby’s top ten this week. Seeing how we’re all about counting, we love any number but we have to confess that we were hugely flattered to be their number 1! We encourage you to please visit Quimby’s and peruse their amazing collection and purchase something. Want to know more about the numbers? We refer you to Numbers: Facts, Figures& Fiction by Richard Phillips .  http://www.richardphillips.org.uk/number/ Here’s a quote from the book: "The letters A, B, C, D, E, M, T, U, V, W and Y all have one line of symmetry." On another front, we’re also very happy that Counting in the Studio has been added to the Children’s Collection at the Chicago Literary Café in the Chicago Cultural Center. Have you been? There’s lots to do, you must go!

Counting in the Studio is a counting book that is also our attempt to show the process of creative expression to young readers. We tried to keep it real. The delightful dog who appears on the pages of the book lives with the artist who has also depicted her own studio in the book. Inside the studio it is possible to stare out windows just like those in the book. The studio, at the back of the artist's home, is nestled on a side street in a Chicago neighborhood. The artist and the writer met at the studio to talk about the project before and after making their own separate work. The dog was always present and lent his inestimable support even when napping on the comfy, pillow-strewn chaise lounge which is up against a wall with drawings on it, just like in the book.