W IS FOR WOOF; A Dog Alphabet

What walks on four legs, runs in a 1,150-mile race, detects bombs, tracks bad guys, and still enjoys an afternoon of chasing Frisbees? It's Canis familiaris, otherwise known as the dog. Whether a mutt or purebred, the domesticated dog has been a part of human society for thousands of years. W is for Woof: A Dog Alphabet offers a canine course through simple rhymes accompanied by informative, entertaining sidebar text. Subject matter includes behavior, obedience training, grooming, and health care. O is for Obedience A dog who sits, and comes, and stays, and, overall, one who obeys, is calm and happy and carefree because she knows how she must be. After reading W is for Woof, you will have a better understanding of what makes "Rover" tick from the top of his head to the tip of his tail.Ruth Strother was the first editor-in-chief of BowTie Press, the book division of Fancy Publications which publishes magazines such as Dog Fancy and Popular Dogs. Her books for children include My Pet Dog, which was nominated for the 2000 ASPCA Henry Bergh Children's Book Award. Ruth lives in southern California. Artist Gijsbert van Frankenhuyzen has illustrated more than 20 books with Sleeping Bear Press, including the bestselling The Legend of Sleeping Bear; Mercedes and the Chocolate Pilot; Friend on Freedom River; and his popular Hazel Ridge Farm stories. Gijsbert lives in Bath, Michigan, with his wife, Robbyn. They both travel to schools in the Great Lakes area.

Ruth Strother has been in the publishing industry for over twenty years. She was the first editor-in-chief of BowTie Press, the book division of BowTie, Inc., publisher of Dog Fancy magazine, among others. She is the author of fourteen books for children, including My Pet Dog, which was nominated for several prestigious book awards. Ruth was born in New York and spent her childhood in Minneapolis, pouring over any dog books she could find. She has worked and volunteered at zoos and humane societies, and was lucky enough to be able to combine her passion for animals with her career. She now lives in Southern California with her husband and daughter and their two labs.

Gijsbert van Frankenhuyzen was born in the Netherlands in 1951. With his seven brothers and sisters, he grew up exploring nature and his sketch pads were filled with observations from those family outings. Always drawing as a young boy, his father encouraged Gijsbert to make art his career. After high school, he attended and graduated from the Royal Academy of Arts in Arnhem, Holland.

Gijsbert, or "Mr. Nick" as many children affectionately call him during his school visits, immigrated to the United States in 1976 and worked as Art Director for the Michigan Natural Resources Magazine for 17 years. In 1995, he illustrated his first children's book, The Legend of Sleeping Bear, finally fullfilling his dream of illustrating children's books.

Residing in Bath, Michigan, Nick and his family share their 40-acre farm with sheep, horses, dogs, cats, turkeys, rabbits, chickens, pigeons and a revolving door of orphaned and injured wild life. The family's nature journals logged 20 years of wild life rehabilitation on the farm and it is through these journals that the popular Hazel Ridge series was created. The farm, the land and the animals make great subjects for the artist to paint.

Mr. Nick travels to schools and conferences to share his passion for drawing—encouraging kids to make their hobby their career.