Guest post: "Do Dogs Dream?" by Sal Barbera
If you're a dog owner, then like me,
you've probably watched your pet sleeping.
And after numerous times of seeing that
odd 'third eye' and the blinking and nose twitching you've probably started to
wonder just what in the world your dog is dreaming about.
I know that: 'Do dogs dream?' isn't an
everyday question. But if you own a dog, you wonder about:
·
The eyes rolling around.
·
The paws running through the air whilst
lying on their side.
·
The sudden whoop, whoop, whoop sounds.
·
And a tiny growl or low bark.
All while soundly sleeping.
As both an author and illustrator, I've
taken some artistic license with my sleeping dog, Max (who is my dog character
Sweetles ™) and made some assumptions about his dreams. He didn't mind at all.
I asked him.
My wife Sheri and I discussed what
events would occur in Max's dreams.
We know he dreamed about the simple
things in his life like:
·
A standard poodle at the park.
·
A little girl that had stopped to pet
the top of his head and casually tug his ear a bit.
·
A noisy quail family bobbing, pecking
and scurrying past the window.
But we decided he must also dream of
things more cerebral and important.
Although we never had any concrete
evidence we decided that he actually dreamt up profound and ingenious solutions
to personal or social problems he encountered during the day. Like social
injustice for example.
We liked that idea so much that we
applied it to an entire series of books I'm writing called 'A Sweetles Dream'®. (Sweetles is one of
the dozens of names that we called Max.)
In the beginning of the books, Sweetles
™ is seen playing in a field or park or marsh and he sees something that
he goes home and dreams about. In my first book, Mary Elizabeth The Spotless Cow, he sees a little cow frolicking across
the field. That night he dreams of a cow without spots. Sounds so simple, and
yet this cow arrives at a new farm where all of the other cows have spots. And
so they don't like her because she's different from them. So they won't have
anything to do with her. Her challenge is to get them to like her and
ultimately become her friend.
This is what can come from wondering
what your dog dreams!
I'm going to leave you with Sweetles ™
motto: 'Have fun, learn and play - that's
a Sweetles day!'
About
the book:
The
story of "Mary Elizabeth The Spotless Cow" takes us on the journey
she travels to figure out how to get the cows at a new farm to like and accept
her.
While
she hopes to find friendship at her new home, instead she learns what it means
to be different from everyone else. (Spotless!) Mary Elizabeth uses clever
ideas and a sense of humor to help her on her quest for friends at the new
farm.
This
inspiring tale shows how perseverance in spite of obstacles, using a sound
thought process to arrive at solutions and the importance of having fun, using
humor and enjoying playtime can build friendships.
When
you buy this book, 50% of net proceeds go to Phoenix Children’s Hospital Child
Life Program to make a difference in the lives of children with critical and
life threatening illnesses.
Watch the trailer: http://youtu.be/72fOn1tEbDM
Purchasing information: During the month of October, purchase Mary Elizabeth The Spotless Cow from the
Sweetles website for only $12.00 (List price: $17.99). When
you buy this book, 50% of net proceeds go to Phoenix Children’s Hospital Child
Life Program. Visit http://www.sweetles.com/product/books/mary-elizabeth-the-spotless-cow-book/
for more information.
About the author:
Sal is the author and illustrator of “A
Sweetles Dream”® book series. As the Creative Director for Hartman-Barbera
llc, a family media & entertainment company,
he is also an animator, sculptor, painter and all around fun guy. Sal lives the
phrase: “A day without laughter is a wasted day”. To that end, he uses his
writing, illustrating and animation skills to create endearing characters and
comedic stories.
Sal's sense of humor and empathy for his
characters explore personal and social situations in ways that makes it
enjoyable for both adults and children to experience together. Born in New York
City, Sal moved to North Bergen, NJ where he grew up on a steep hillside
neighborhood with his four older sisters. He currently lives in sunny Arizona
with his wife and artistic partner, Sheri, who he defines as his inspiration.
On any given day Sal might be painting, sculpting, drawing, animating, writing
or enjoying one of his favorite pastimes: cooking, television, movies and golf.
Visit
Sal Barbera’s website at http://www.salbarbera.com.
Mary Elizabeth The Spotless Cow Virtual Book Tour
Schedule
October 1st
Interview
at Blogcritics
October 2nd
Book
spotlight at The Writer’s Life
October 3rd
Book
spotlight at As the Pages Turn
October 4th
Book
review at Alicia Finn Noack
October 7th
Book
spotlight at 4 the Love of
Books
Book
spotlight at Literarily Speaking
October 8th
Book
review at A Year of Jubilee Book
Reviews
Book
spotlight at Between the Covers
October 9th
Book
spotlight at The Book Rack
October 10th
Book
review at The
Children’s and Teens’ Book Connection
October 11th
Guest
post at Paperback
Writer
Book
spotlight at Review from Here
October 14th
Interview
at Straight from the
Author’s Mouth
October 15th
Book
spotlight at Broken Teepee
Book
spotlight at Beyond the Books
October 16th
Book
review at Lynn’s Corner
Book
trailer reveal at If Books Could
Talk
October 17th
Guest
post at The Story Behind
the Book
October 18th
Interview
at The
Children’s and Teens’ Book Connection
October 21st
Book
review at My Devotional Thoughts
Book
spotlight at Deco My
Heart
Book
spotlight at A Year of Jubilee Book
Reviews
October 22nd
Book
review at 4 the Love of
Books
October 23rd
Guest
post at Mayra’s Secret
Bookcase
October 25th
Book
review at Mary’s Cup of Tea
October 28th
Book
review at Thoughts in Progress
October 30th
Book
review at Maureen’s Musings
October 31st
Book
review at Blooming with Books
Guest
post at Lori’s Reading Corner
Comments