Mine! is the first of a series of books called Tails of Two Cubans, introducing Xani and her half-brother Duke, both Havanese dogs (originally from Havana, Cuba). These unusual dogs are celebrated for their intelligence, sense of humor and companionship. They are also recognized circus animals and work dogs who can sniff out mold and, even with their small size, find ways to assist the handicapped. Like any two siblings in the same family, Xani and Duke have their unique personalities. In Mine!, Xani shares an average day with her half-brother Duke. There's a dash of math in claiming her half of a carrot, along with a bit of strategy she uses to reclaim her favorite pink princess from Duke's pile of toys.Xani and Duke have many of the same sibling issues as their human brothers and sisters and kids may see their own behavior in these stories.
It's no surprise that when Brett Aronowitz finally decided to write children's books, it would integrate everything she'd learned from her sixty-something journeys around the sun. A self-described lifelong learner, Brett also has what some call "a rich inner life," filled with possibilities shaped from a dramatic and unconventional childhood where she was exposed to some of the most brilliant minds of the 60's, while unknowingly witnessing her mother's losing battle to breast cancer. As the daughter of a writer, Brett's love of books helped her through the darkest of times, forging some of the most satisfying relationships with their writers. She explains it this way, "The magic of stringing words together to form sentences and sentences to form paragraphs is a deeply personal act. We witness another's mind and touch another's soul by reading a writer's words. We form a partnership; like holding hands. For what is a book without a reader?" Brett also subscribes to the motto: Learn to read so you can read to learn. She believes in the magic of the child's mind, and knows that kids are capable of a much greater capacity to learn and understand than we traditionally give them credit for. She strives to approach all her projects with the same magic. Brett's formal education began with kindergarten and, except for summer vacations, didn't end until she graduated from Chiropractic college in 1983. She continues to take art classes at the local community college, but also takes advantage of the myriad of online learning opportunities. Brett feels her science based education, which included gross anatomy dissection, has been instrumental in her artistic approach to capturing the human figure and reinforcing her confident line quality. Her passion for the sublime nature of watercolors reflects her deep spirituality and desire for mindfulness. Brett will tell you that painting with watercolors requires presence and reminds us that we are not really in control of anything. She jokes that she resembles a dog who circles around and around before settling in the perfect spot and says that's the way it feels to have found her niche as a writer of children's books. If you would like to know more about Brett or see some of her other work, please visit her website at http: //www.brettha.com.
