Writer and photographer John Sheirer has coauthored a book
with his dog Libby called Libby Speaks:
The Wit and Wisdom of the World's Wisest Dog. Here are ten fun facts about
the book.
1. Libby is a Border Terrier. The breed originated on the
border between England and Scotland, hence the name.
2. A portion of the proceeds from Libby Speaks goes directly
to the Dakin Pioneer Valley Humane Society, a fantastic animal shelter near
Libby's home in Western Massachusetts. John and his wife Betsy got Libby from a
terrific local Border Terrier breeder, but they have always been big supporters
of the work Dakin does for the community. Libby recognizes how fortunate she is
to have a happy forever home, and she wants to help other pets who are less
fortunate than she is. For more information on Dakin, visit http://www.dpvhs.org.
3. Libby's best friend is named Bella, a Golden Doodle who
appears with Libby in many of the book's photos. Bella is a year older than
Libby and sort of Libby's niece. Bella lives with Danielle and Mike, John and
Betsy's wonderful daughter and son-in-law. Bella is the first dog that Libby
met outside of her immediate family. Their first meeting wasn't what we might
call "good." Bella took one look at the new four-pound puppy and
barked right in her face! Fortunately, the two happy dogs got past their
initial meeting and became fast and permanent friends.
4. Libby likes to make appearances when John does photo
shows and public events for the book. As you might imagine, Libby is very well
behaved and far more popular than her photographer/coauthor.
5. Libby was preceded in her home by another Border Terrier
named Daisy. Daisy was featured in one of John's earlier books, Loop Year: 365 Days on the Trail. That
book recounts John's experiences hiking the exact same two-mile trail every day
for a year. Daisy accompanied John's on many of his daily hikes and is featured
prominently in the book. She lived happily to the age of 16 and passed away
about a year before Libby came along. After having such a wonderful experience
with Daisy, John and Betsy didn't even consider another breed. Daisy is also
featured on the back cover of John's book of short stories, One Bite. The photo shows her reading a
book, much like the photo of Libby on the front cover of Libby Speaks.
 |
| Daisy, reading |
6. Nearly all of the photographs in Libby Speaks were taken with a simple point-and-shoot Canon
Powershot. Libby is a great subject, and John is a self-taught photographer who
had to make only a few minor lighting and color adjustment in photoshop to
bring out Libby's beautiful features.
7. Libby admits that she isn't really the "world's
wisest dog." As she says in the book's introduction, "The truth is
that everybody is wise in one way or another. You are, and I am too, your
parents, the twins who live down the street, your cousin Baxter from Nebraska,
your teachers, the runny babbits with their bouncy white tails--even cats and
squirrels when they let me get close enough to have a conversation."
8. One of Libby's favorite toys is an old, discarded rubber
mini-football that she found in the woods near her home. She knows that it's an
"outside" toy, so she usually leaves it somewhere near the door and
picks it up the next time she goes out. She sometimes leaves it way down the
street, but she always remembers where it is and goes straight toward it on her
next walk. Hmmm … maybe she is the world's wisest dog after all!
9. Four new books featuring wonderful photos of Libby are in the works:
- a book about Libby's deep love for her favorite natural toy that grows on trees called I Like Sticks, set for publication this fall
- a children's book called Libby's ABCs
- a collection of poems that feature SAT-level vocabulary words called Little Dog, Big Words
- and, of course, the sequel to her first book, Libby Speaks, Volume 2: More Wit and Wisdom from the World's Wisest Dog
10. Did Libby really write Libby Speaks? You'll have to read it to find out!
***
John Sheirer is the coauthor and photographer of the book, Libby Speaks: The Wit and Wisdom of the
World's Wisest Dog, as well as several previous books of fiction,
nonfiction, and poetry. He lives with his wonderful wife Betsy in Northampton,
Massachusetts and is a full-time faculty member teaching English and
Communication at Asnuntuck Community College in Enfield, Connecticut. Libby and
John welcome everyone to visit Libby's
Facebook page for news about their lives and writing careers. John can also
be found at his homepage.
No comments:
Post a Comment