Dara, Autobiography of a Chesapeake Bay Retriever
ISBN 188 9274 062; 104 Pages; $16.96; author's earnings support animal shelters.
Transcribed by Lolo Sarnoff; drawings by Cole Johnson, photographs by Linda Rosenthal, this engaging tale relates the life of a blooded Maryland dog who is abandoned in New England and ends up in a pound (i.e. on death row for dogs!) whence she is rescued by an artist. Though she resents the abuses she suffered at human hands, she makes a kind of peace with the imperfect world of Homo sapiens. A vibrant plot, a persuasive canine voice and the narrator’s intense character — Dara is no pussycat — give this yarn the potential to be a modern classic. Author's royalties support animal shelters.
Posterity
Press’ first animal book, Dara took third-place design honors in this
year’s Book Design and Effectiveness Competition, which is held annually by
Washington Book Publishers, the professional organization of publishers throughout the
mid-Atlantic states. That little volume, called "a gem" and featuring drawings
by Cole Johnson, was designed by Cyndi Cliff of Janin/Cliff Design.
Dara prompted profiles of its nominal ghostwriter (the human
mistress of the canine "author") in The Washington Post and Washington Times as
well as a major feature in Dog World magazine.
P.O. Box 71081 Chevy Chase, Maryland 20813 Telephone: 301•652•2384 Facsimile: 301•652•2543
