100 Books Like Only One Woof

I am an art and architectural historian whose field also includes the histories of cities. My area of specialty is Africa. I am also a professor at Harvard who has lived in Cambridge, Ma. for over 30 years where I have become a civic leader, co-founding the Harvard Square Neighborhood Association to help bring improvements to the city and preserve historic buildings here. I teach a class on Harvard Square (and the city of Cambridge) and following January 6, I felt it was important to rethink the way we teach young people – encouraging them to understand the diversity of all our communities. 

I began my career with children as a preschool teacher and then as a pediatric nurse. In retirement, my love for kids and children's literature has led me to write stories that make kids laugh, feel loved, and inspire a sense of joy and wonder in the world. I especially love stories where animals, especially dogs, birds, and even fireflies are the main characters and tell the story. And, I  believe that part of appreciating the world and making it a better place is celebrating cultural diversity. That's the theme of City Market! There's just no substitute for reading to children. The benefits are truly endless and will last their whole life long.

I began my career with children as a preschool teacher and then as a pediatric nurse. In retirement, my love for kids and children's literature has led me to write stories that make kids laugh, feel loved, and inspire a sense of joy and wonder in the world. I especially love stories where animals, especially dogs, birds, and even fireflies are the main characters and tell the story. And, I  believe that part of appreciating the world and making it a better place is celebrating cultural diversity. That's the theme of City Market! There's just no substitute for reading to children. The benefits are truly endless and will last their whole life long.

I began my career with children as a preschool teacher and then as a pediatric nurse. In retirement, my love for kids and children's literature has led me to write stories that make kids laugh, feel loved, and inspire a sense of joy and wonder in the world. I especially love stories where animals, especially dogs, birds, and even fireflies are the main characters and tell the story. And, I  believe that part of appreciating the world and making it a better place is celebrating cultural diversity. That's the theme of City Market! There's just no substitute for reading to children. The benefits are truly endless and will last their whole life long.

From my work as a playwright and breakbeat poet, Artistic Director of Seattle Children’s Theatre, and full-time co-parent, I've dedicated my career to crafting engaging narratives that resonate across generations. With over sixty original plays to my name, I've honed a unique approach that intertwines hip-hop rhythms with rich storytelling. My debut picture book is a testament to this approach—inviting children and parents to discover the boundless creativity that can be found in everyday spaces. It’s my hope that this book inspires families to explore their homes with fresh eyes and open hearts, turning reading into an adventure of imagination.

You can experience Russia by exploring the churches and palaces of St Petersburg and Moscow. There’s nothing wrong with that, but it’s not my approach. For me, it has always made more sense to look at the largest country on earth from its edges, the distant mountains, steppes, forests, and waters that surround it. For three decades, I have travelled across this space, studied its languages, written books and articles about it. And I have tried to look through the lens of the diverse peoples and cultures that have been part of Russian history, for better or worse. The rise and fall of the Russian Empire are unthinkable without them.    

My imagination has always been captivated and fired up by reading traditional myths and fairy tales, as well science fiction. Growing up in the ’80s, I was particularly steeped in cinematic masterpieces such as Bladerunner and The Road Warrior, but I also loved reading classic sci-fi, as well as British literature, particularly the Brontes and Jane Austen. I enjoy and write speculative fiction because I believe it offers some of the best, creative ways to explore the timeless, universal truths underlying the human experience. Whether that exploration happens in subtle scenes of interpersonal interactions, or in the epic events woven in threads of dark and light across the tapestry of history, it’s all valuable and relevant.

I love dogs and I love books, so the combination is always beguiling to me. I have recently published my third book of dog art Rescue Dogs, I asked people to send me photos of their rescues, and as I now realise, all rescues come with a story, so they came with an extraordinary collection of stories about where they came from, how they were found, character sketches and descriptions of their idiosyncrasies. I realised that some of my favourite books have dogs heroes, there are 5 here but there could have been many many more.

I love great storytelling, whether it’s in the form of a great mystery, romance, science fiction/fantasy, or non-fiction. I even love a story well told through the medium of television (I see you, The Good Place!). The books on this list are books I’ve read and loved and/or used as research to write my own series of dog-based cozy mysteries.

When I’m not out rescuing lost dogs or walking our dog, Beau, in the hills of Sonoma County, I’m reading, writing, blogging, or offering writers' support. Our family started when we took in a baby for foster care, then a year later, after great effort, prayer, and help, we completed her adoption. As for canines, we’ve adopted four dogs, all from dogs returned to their breeders or an animal shelter. Three of our dogs happened to be only one year old when we took them in. I continue to research and edit my Dog Leader Mysteries blog. Twelve years blogging about saving dogs.