I have a new review up over at the Voices of NOLA for the wonderful picture book Two Bobbies. Here's a bit:
One of the most enduring stories to come out of the aftermath of Katrina and the levee failure was that of the animals left behind. Day after day on television we saw someone waiting to be rescued with their dogs only to have to choose between rescue or their pets. The Animal Planet specials a few months later were the worst: we saw the thousands of pets in shelters surrounding the city, and people walking up and down calling out names hoping to find their missing best friend. The only reason I wasn’t a sobbing mess at the end of those was they always included a least a few happy endings (although honestly, those made me cry, too).
Kirby Larson and Mary Nethery saw a story about two such lost pets on Anderson Cooper’s show one night and were intrigued enough to find out more. The resulting picture book, Two Bobbies, is a great way for younger children to get a grasp on what happened in New Orleans while also enjoying one of the better stories of animal friendship I have ever come across. I’ll go ahead and divulge a spoiler here and let you know it has a happy ending — no Old Yeller fears — but the full scope of just how amazing this story is really has to be read to be believed.
I loved it and highly highly recommend it.
Also, if you are a NOLA resident who has not returned, the folks at Chin Music Press (publishers of the collection Do You Know What It Means to Miss New Orleans which features an essay by me and is going into a second printing this fall) are looking for you:
"Broken Levee Books, a new imprint from Chin Music Press, wants your story for our next anthology.
Whether you are unable to come home or have chosen to leave New Orleans, we want to know what that means. What do you miss about New Orleans? What does it take for you to adjust? What is it like to live elsewhere in America? You may write your own story or agree to be interviewed.
It is time for your story to be told.
Contact David Rutledge: dsr-at mark-chinmusicpress-dot-com"
