SATA

• A Fish Named Glub Kids Can Press (Toronto, ON), 2014
• Audrey (Cow) Tundra Books of Northern New York (Plattsburgh, NY), 2014
• Nine Words Max Tundra Books of Northern New York (Plattsburgh, NY), 2014
• It's Great Being a Dad Tundra Books of Northern New York (Plattsburgh, NY), 2017
• Dog Night at the Story Zoo Tundra Books of Northern New York (Plattsburgh, NY), 2017

1. Dog night at the story zoo LCCN 2016948349 Type of material Book Personal name Bar-el, Dan. Main title Dog night at the story zoo / Dan Bar-el, Vicki Nerino. Published/Produced Plattsburgh, NY : Tundra Books of Northern New York, 2017. Projected pub date 1707 Description pages cm ISBN 9781101918388 (hardcover) 9781101918395 (epub) Library of Congress Holdings Information not available. 2. It's great being a dad? LCCN 2016933061 Type of material Book Personal name Bar-el, Dan. Main title It's great being a dad? / Dan Bar-el, Gina Perry. Published/Produced Plattsburgh, NY : Tundra Books of Northern New York, 2017. Projected pub date 1704 Description pages cm ISBN 9781770496057 (hardcover) 9781770496071 (epub) 9781770496064 (trade pbk.) Library of Congress Holdings Information not available. 3. Nine words max LCCN 2013940753 Type of material Book Personal name Bar-el, Dan. Main title Nine words max / Dan Bar-el. Published/Produced Plattsburgh, NY : Tundra Books of Northern New York, 2014. Projected pub date 1403 Description pages cm ISBN 9781770495623 (hardcover) 9781770495647 (ebk.) Library of Congress Holdings Information not available. 4. Audrey (cow) LCCN 2013953683 Type of material Book Personal name Bar-el, Dan. Main title Audrey (cow) / Dan Bar-el. Published/Produced Plattsburgh, NY : Tundra Books of Northern New York, 2014. Projected pub date 1411 Description pages cm ISBN 9781770496026 (hardcover) Library of Congress Holdings Information not available.

• Dan Bar-El - https://danbarel.com/home-2/me/

  Me
  Me 2

  I am a children’s author, educator and storyteller. Among my fourteen published books so far are chapter books, picture books, and graphic novels.

  For the past twenty-three years, I have been working with children ages 3 to 13. I’ve been a school age childcare provider, a preschool teacher, a creative drama and a creative writing teacher. I’ve developed a multitude of creative activities for children including movie making and a radio show involving school-age childcare centres across Vancouver. As a preschool teacher, I developed Stories in Our Own Words, a program for 3 & 4 year olds based on the ideas of famed educator and author, Vivian Gussin Paley that fostered the development of the children’s own stories by recording them and then acting them as a group.

  In the past, I trained and worked professionally as an actor, have written for theatre, as well as written and performed sketch comedy across Canada. These days, when not writing or teaching writing to children through the organization CWC, I travel around the country visiting many schools and libraries.

  Hiking and travelling are two of my passions. Baking and then eating the results of what I’ve baked are some of my others. I live in Vancouver, BC with my partner, artist and goldsmith, Dominique Bréchault. We are both under the spell of Sasha, a cat with diabolical powers of cuteness.

  You can follow me on Facebook at:

  Dan Bar-el – Children’s Book Author

  You can learn a bit more about what goes on in my head from these available interviews:

  The Book Wars – Interview with Dan Bar-el

  CBC Radio – North by Northwest

  (interview with me begins at 8:45 in the audio recording)

• Kids Can Press - http://www.kidscanpress.com/creators/dan-bar-el/791

  Dan Bar-el - Author
  Dan Bar-el

  Biography
  Dan Bar-el is a children's author, educator and storyteller. His writing includes both chapter books and picture books. Things Are Looking Grimm, Jill was the winner of the 2008 Silver Birch Express award. Alphabetter was chosen by the B.C. government for the Ready, Set, Learn program, which made 50,000 copies available to preschool children across the province. Such a Prince was a 2009 Blue Spruce Honour Book, and Pussycat, Pussycat, Where Have You Been? has been nominated for a 2012 B.C. Book Prize.

  Although he's been writing all his life in one form or another, Dan got started writing for children while working at an after-school childcare center. He would bring in dozens of books from the library every week for the kids, and he ended up falling in love with picture books himself.

  With nearly twenty years' experience of working with children ages three to thirteen, Dan has had many opportunities to listen to their stories and attune himself to their sense of humor. But Dan writes for his own amusement just as much, finding inspiration through travel and reading, walking and observing, and lying on his back, staring up at the sky and wondering, “What if ...?”

  In earlier chapters of his life, Dan trained and worked as a stage actor and later wrote and performed comedy. Before dressing up as old women or Greek gods to promote his children's books, he'd already been costumed as a cowboy, a Mountie, a Scottish warrior, a Russian peasant, a mobster rodent, a rooster comedian and even a dead body.

  Awards
  That One Spooky Night
  2013 - Hackmatack's Children's Choice Book Award, Short-listed
  2013 - Best Books for Kids & Teens, Canadian Children's Book Centre, Winner
  Picture Books
  A Fish Named Glub, 2014
  Graphic Novel
  That One Spooky Night, 2012

• Penguin Random House - https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/authors/221299/dan-bar-el

  Dan Bar-el
  Photo of Dan Bar-el
  Photo: © Dan Bar-el

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR
  Dan Bar-el is an award-winning children’s author, educator, and storyteller. His writing includes chapter books, picture books, and, most recently, a graphic novel. For the past 20 years, Dan has been working with children ages 3 to 13. He’s been a school-age childcare provider, a preschool teacher, a creative drama teacher, and a creative writing teacher. These days, when not writing, traveling around the country presenting his books, storytelling, or leading various workshops at schools and libraries, he teaches creative writing courses to children with the organization CWC. Dan lives in Vancouver, British Columbia, and shares his life with artist and goldsmith, Dominique Bréchault, and Sasha, the most adorable cat in the known universe. Visit him at www.danbarel.com.

• Scholastic - https://www.scholastic.com/teachers/authors/dan-bar-el/

  Dan Bar-el
  Dan Bar-el believes that the highest compliment a preschool child can pay is to call one silly. He carries the label with honor. "Preschool children have no patience for 'jokes,'" he says. "Ask one to tell you a knock-knock joke and, painfully, you'll see my point. But nothing gets a giggle like the absurd. Nothing is funnier than turning the rules on their heads." And that is exactly what Dan has done in his new book, in which each of twenty-six children is named for a child he has taught. The author of Things are Looking Up, Jack and Things are Looking Grimm, fill, Dan lives, writes and teac

• The Book Wars - http://thebookwars.ca/2015/05/interview-with-dan-bar-el-on-picturebooks-writing-and-collaborating/

  Interview With Dan Bar-el: On Picturebooks, Writing, and Collaborating
  POSTED ON SEPTEMBER 23, 2016 IN AUTHOR INTERVIEW, INTERVIEW, PICTUREBOOKS

  Dan Bar-el is an award-winning children’s author, educator and storyteller. His writing includes chapter books, picture books, and most recently, a graphic novel. For the past twenty years, Dan has been working with children ages 3 to 13. He’s been a school age childcare provider, a preschool teacher, a creative drama teacher and creative writing teacher. These days, when not writing, travelling around the country presenting his book, storytelling or leading various workshops at schools and libraries, he teaches creative writing courses to children with the organization CWC. Dan lives in Vancouver, BC and shares his life with artist and goldsmith, Dominique Bréchault, and Sasha, the most adorable cat in the known universe. — [X]
  You have some wonderful stories and most of them involve some equally wonderful illustrations. What is it about illustrated texts that interest you? Why (if at all) do you think it’s important to read picturebooks?

  The analogy I’ve always used to describe picture books is theatre, which was my first passion and perhaps explains my initial attraction to the form. Like a play, a picture book is a complete experience. The words may guide you through the narrative, but the illustrations envelop you. A conventional novel requires a reader to bring their imagination to the story, to build the author’s world with the supply of words she’s given us. But a picture book requires that you bring your curiosity and your openness. A picture book asks that you seek out what is not said or what may be hidden. A picture book is a world that you literally grasp in your hands. Everything is there – the palette of colours, the speed of time passing, the scope and definition of the landscape and the characters within it. A picture book says to a reader: these are the rules of my world; accept them and enter. This is the same thing one does when entering a theatre space.

  Continuing with that analogy, the style of the art, just like a director’s choice in setting or historical era, will add textures and layers to the narrative. Alternately, the illustrations can play counterpoint to the words in the same way an actor might make physical choices that are in direct contrast to his lines; in both cases, revealing more to the story than what’s spoken.

  Finally, a great picture book, like a great theatre production, depends on many talents, many skills coming together for the magic to happen, and it doesn’t happen all the time. Unlike theatre, in which a performance is a moment in time, never to be repeated in exactly the same way, a picture book experience can be revisited again and again.

  So for these reasons I think it is important to read picture books and read them at any age. They are not the simple cousins of “real” stories. They are a very different beast. And the text is akin to a poem in that a writer is trying to reduce, reduce, reduce, distill the story into fewer and fewer words imbued with all the force of the wordier original while also now making it open to interpretation. When I speak with middle grade students, I implore them to not stop reading picture books even though they’ve moved onto novels. A good picture book will offer new insights depending at what age you are when you come to it. I recently watched the 1949 Italian movie, The Bicycle Thief. This is a film so many of our great contemporary directors put on their list of masterpieces. The playwright, Arthur Miller, wrote an essay touting its brilliance, how is depicts a man fighting for his dignity in an indifferent, harsh world. But really, on the surface, it’s such a simple story told in a fairly straightforward way. All its power and energy is bubbling just below the surface. That’s what a good picture book can be.

  What is the collaboration process for a writer working with illustrators? Does it vary depending on the project or the publisher? What do you enjoy about it? What makes you hesitate about collaboration?

  The most frustrating aspect of the writer/illustrator collaboration is the lack of active collaboration. It’s bizarre really, in that I’m specifically writing a picture book story so it’s not as if I don’t have some kind of images in my head. And of course the illustrator is also acutely aware of how my words interplay and inversely perhaps even obstruct the visual narrative they are conjuring. So we should be talking!

  It is rare to have that give-and-take, organic development of a picture book. I’ve only had one opportunity while working with Rae Maté on Pussycat, Pussycat, Where Have You Been? It was a great experience. It took the story further because we were able to discuss the bigger themes and elements unspoken in the text. We were able to mine the story-within-a-story in which the girl and the cat were acting out his journey for each other rather than just for the reader, which allowed for the locations to be both real and make-believe. The questions that the girl asks are not just general travel-related but personal in revealing who she is, what she finds joyous or what causes her anxiety, as well as the specific relationship she has with her friend, the cat.

  Pussycat - story within a story

  All of this was brought out in our conversation, which was very exciting. We had lots of ideas, and of course not all of them were used, but the process injected a lot of energy into the work.

  The way it usually goes is that the editor serves as mediator. Depending on the editor, she will suss out my visual ideas and pass them onto the illustrator, or rather, whatever suggestions that are within the bounds of my job responsibilities. I respect those boundaries. I understand that there are authors who do overstep and try to dictate what they have no right demanding and an illustrator needs a firewall to keep them at bay. The only time I made a major fuss was when an illustrator’s choice of time period for the story would have changed completely the heart and mood of my story. The editor passed on my concerns and the illustrator understood and graciously re-interpreted it. I also embrace the non-collaborative collaboration with excitement too, always looking forward to seeing what the illustrator does with the text. I’ve been very fortunate, I’ve had really talented illustrators and in most every case I’ve been very, very happy with the results.

  Now, having said that, I should add that at this point in my career, I have the ear of some wonderful editors who really do want to know how I visualize the book and will try to meet some of my most urgent requests. In our conversations, I am allowed to fill in the elements that are unspoken in my text to show the book’s potential. For a visual writer like myself who can’t actually make the pictures, this is golden. Now I can pitch stories that have a much more interesting interplay with the images. As to choosing an illustrator, editors may ask my opinion, but that’s as far as it goes, because they have budgets to balance and illustrators have their own interests and/or work schedules that aren’t in sync with the publisher’s, and finally, the reason editors and publishers are in this business is because they love children’s books, so their creative input involves matching a particular artist to the story they want to bring to life.

  When you first started writing, did you write for younger persons in particular? When you write now, do you write with an audience in mind? (I ask because books like Audrey and A Fish Named Glub are as “all-ages” as it gets. I especially want to push A Fish Named Glub to every adult I know.)

  I’m re-evaluating my answer to that question. Usually I would have said that I write for myself, the stories that I want to tell in the way that I want to tell them and it’s serendipitous that there are young age demographics that my stories appeal to. There is truth to that, but there’s more to it too. I came to children’s books later in life. I have no nostalgia about the children’s books I grew up with (mainly because I have a terrible, terrible memory), and if left to my own devices, I would gravitate to adult writers as much as those writing exclusively for children. I came to children’s books from my work in early childhood education and out-of-school care before that. I’m not a career teacher (with those particular skills and responsibilities) and I don’t have children of my own (with those particular skills and responsibilities and sacrifices), so the relationship I’ve built with children is based only on mutual respect. In other words, I don’t hold any authority with them other than that they trust that I have their best interests at heart. So I suppose I do have a younger person in mind when I write. That child is intelligent, thoughtful, comfortable with their emotions, and has a good sense of humour. I feel I owe it to children to assume each one has those qualities or is striving to develop them. I’m not consciously trying to create stories with broad, mass appeal, to “give them kiddies what they want”. It’s true, that I want adults to appreciate books like A Fish Named Glub, but when people say it’s such an existential story (implying it’s beyond the grasp of children), they do a disservice to children.

  SOURCE: HTTP://WWW.NATIONALREADINGCAMPAIGN.CA/CHILDRENS-BOOK-REVIEW-A-FISH-NAMED-GLUB/
  [NOTE: Click to enlarge picture!]
  Children do ask big questions, they struggle with big concepts like where they come from and what does death mean. They may reach conclusions that seem simple or incomplete to us, but first of all, that’s a judgement, and second, even if that was so, do their answers invalidate their questions? Ideally, I want children and adults to read my books together and have conversations, to ask questions, to maybe leave them answered until another time and be okay with that, so that the stories are not just consumed.

  Dream Boats is one of the most beautiful and diverse picturebooks I’ve ever read. What was the driving force behind writing a book like Dream Boats?

  Well, first of all, thank you for the very flattering lead-in to the question. Perhaps we should go with a red-coloured font to match my blush while I form my answer.

  I know exactly where the initial inspiration came for Dream Boats. I was doing substitution work at the Boat Daycare in East Van, and with all daycare centres, there is nap time following lunch that involves setting out individual mats in the designated quiet room for children to sleep on. Some centres spread the mats around willy-nilly, but here they were set out in rows, side by side.

  I have always found daycare nap times to be a very beautiful human experience (despite how difficult it is for me to sit on the floor without back support). All the children are on their separate mats drifting off to sleep, some right away, some requiring one of the supervising adults to rub their back or their arm, some engaged in self-talk, lulling themselves to slumber. The room gets quieter and quieter until all you hear is rhythmic breathing. Looking at the children asleep in rows as they were, made me think of a marina, with all these “boats” moored together, while at the same time the children individually were already launched into their dream worlds, and were somewhere far away.

  Haida1

  The dream world imagined in the book is both collective and personal. Using the metaphor of water being both dream and memory, the children’s boats drift into a shared ocean – the stuff of their dreams. I always saw the illustrations being collage on an epic scale, like street murals, incorporating the swirling elements of each child’s experience: their personal memories from their waking life, the memory-stories particular to each family that are often repeated at family gatherings, that belong only to them, and the story-myths inherited within a culture-specific community, passed on orally, or in books, and who knows, maybe within our DNA.

  Haida2

  The text shift between the lyrical and the prosaic. As in A Fish Name Glub, incorporating poetic writing is a way for me to convey a magical, beyond-the-ordinary plane of existence. So lines such as Water is memory; water is dreams/ Clear or mirror, deep as sleep, water flows inwards and Dream Boats follow / Take me, Dream Boat, and show me everything I know is reflected in illustrations showing all the children afloat in a celestial ocean (beautifully created by the artist Kirsti Anne Wakelin by the way).

  But when we delve into the separate dream adventures of each child, the writing is episodic and tightly packed as in: Maiqui rows across cold waters. High in the Andes Mountains, it is night. But it is not dark. Mighty Viracocha, maker of light, reaches into the shimmering lake. He tosses up stars that paint the sky with constellations. One is Yacana, the thirsty llama. And then a real llama greets Maiqui at the shore. Hello friend. Together they journey down treeless slopes past terraces of barley and quinoa towards his grandparents’ village. Maiqui hears music and sees dancing. He dances too, tickled by flute song. I’ve been criticized for these passages in some reviews because there are all these elements referenced but not explained and therefore it is supposedly confusing. But that’s an adult interpretation of children’s storytelling. When I’ve recorded stories dictated to me by preschool children, that is exactly how they tell stories. This happened and then this happened and then this happened. Their peers never seem to be put off by “illogical” sequences of events when we revisited the stories as a group. There’s not a lot of demanding for explanations. That tends to kick in when we get older. Now, the publisher did end up putting a glossary page at the end of the book, but really, I’m not sure it was necessary. Mighty Virococha, maker of light evokes a powerful image whether you know exactly what god he is or what myth is associated with him.

  Your latest release, Audrey (cow) is a touching and hilarious account of one cow that escapes the “Abbot’s War”. It started with an actual article you’d read. What is it about the news article that made you want to retell the cow’s story?

  I think that I was first struck by the inherent dramatic structure of her story when I came across the news article. She’s literally in a life and death situation, either she avoids the abattoir or it’s game over. And then, by escaping into the forest, the stakes rise again, as she had to adapt to new surroundings while still contending with humans attempting to hunt her down. So in that regard, the story was already written.

  The first question that came to mind was what made this cow special? What compelled her to make a choice that the majority of food cows don’t make? If it wasn’t just a random impulse, an adrenalin surge, let’s say, then what was it? A true will to live? A strong sense of self-worth?

  Processed with VSCOcam with b1 preset

  What kind of research did you end up doing?

  Not too much. I did read up on the different animals up to a point – what they eat, their habitat, etc. – to keep it as real as was necessary within the rules of the world I’ve set up. The animals are basically animals in that no one is standing on two legs and smoking cigarettes when out of sight of humans. They are still limited by their physical forms but it’s their intelligence and emotional life that is shown bigger than we often credit animals with. Now, I did discover that there have been other cows who have escaped and yes, there is actually a sheep tornado, which you can see in a video on YouTube.

  I’ve received several emails and reviews that praise the story for championing animal rights, and I’m glad that the story resonates with readers within that focus. But in all honesty, my intention was to write a human story. The circumstances of Audrey’s plight, the death sentence based on nothing more than who you are, the will to live, the undying love of a parent, the altruistic efforts of others to save a life, the stranger in our midst that we choose to embrace or shun or prey upon – that’s our story throughout history.

  Why did you pick the news special format for the story? (I thought it worked brilliantly!)

  I always knew that I wanted it written in first person, from Audrey’s point of view, and over the years, whenever I’d try to get her to tell the story, she’d always identify herself as a poet cow, and the voice that kept coming out sounded like a young Judy Garland – naïve, big dreamer, somewhat breathless in her desire to live life. I don’t remember exactly when it dawned on me to have all the characters, both animal and human, share the narration duties, as if they were being interviewed in an Errol Morris documentary (minus the eerie soundtrack). But what I did know was that if I could deal with our modern, heightened ironic sensibility within that premise (because let’s face it, we are forever winking at children in our stories these days), then I could then be free to tell a genuinely sentimental story without apologizing, like they used to do in old movies (hence all the old movie star names given to the characters).

  I should add that more and more I like telling stories with animal characters. Trying to tell realistic modern stories in a time when technology dictates so much of our life and that technology is constantly changing seems to put a best before date on a story before it’s been finished. I guess historical novels would be the next choice.

  Can we have a hint of what you’re working on next?

  I have another picture book coming out but not until spring 2017 (a time conflict with the illustrator sadly pushed its release back). The book is called So What Should Dad Be? It’s funny, it’s straightforward simple (and not so simple), very child-friendly, with an uh-huh moment at the end.

  I’ve also just signed a contract for a middle-grade graphic novel called Dog Night at the Story Zoo. My editor for the book, Samantha Swanson, pitched it as (performance event /radio show) The Moth but with animals. I’ve tried to cram as much humour, cheezy and otherwise, into this script as possible. It was a hoot to write. I’m looking forward to seeing what an illustrator can do with it. Both books will be published by Tundra Books.

  Writing-wise, I’m trying to develop a picture book series. I’m also working on a graphic novel for perhaps preteens that takes place in the 1930s. And maybe, hopefully, there’s a sequel to Audrey (cow) in the future too.

  Thanks so much for doing this interview with us, Dan! I so enjoyed corresponding with you! 🙂
  To the readers and fellow unicorns, if you want to look up Dan’s varied and wonderful works (and I highly recommend that you do) go here! And if you’d like to get in touch with him, he also lives online here.
  Happy Friday everyone!

• Red Cedar Book Awards - https://www.redcedaraward.ca/blog/2016/04/05/author-interview-dan-bar-el/

  Author Interview : Dan Bar-el
  We’ve got a very exciting author interview to share with you on the Red Cedar blog today – Sara Westerholm is a Grade 6 French Immersion student at Signal Hill Elementary in Pemberton, B.C., and she interviewed Audrey (Cow) author Dan Bar-el.

  audrey

  Hello Mr. Bar-el,

  My name is Sara and I am interviewing you for the Red Cedar Award, so before I get started I just wanted to say that your book “Audrey Cow” was one of the best books I have ever read! I loved Audrey so much, she was so loving and strong, which leads me into one of my questions,

  How do you come up with characters in your books? All your characters are just SO inspiring.
  It all started with the cow, Audrey, which was based on the actual Charolaise cow from Cincinnati, Ohio who escaped from the slaughterhouse. I began by asking myself questions. What was so unique about her in character, in intelligence, in willpower and fortitude, in how she viewed life, that would compel her to escape and stay uncaptured for so long, when most cows do not do that? From the answers I came up with, a character started to take shape.

  With the other animal characters, part of my process was to look at each animal’s behavior or the typical traits we associate with those animals, and then apply human qualities to them. For example, we know that pigs are very intelligent creatures, so how would a “brainy” pig interact with the world? Would he be more interested in facts and information than making emotional connections with others? Would he feel somewhat superior to others because of his smarts?

  How does it feel to be nominated for the Red Cedar Award?
  It feels great! This is the first time I’ve been nominated for a Red Cedar, so that makes it particularly special. I like that this is an award determined by the readers. It means that students are engaged with the books they are reading. At some point, each voter has to make a choice and decide that this book means more to me than that book. It’s not even so much about the book that wins. It’s about each individual student learning something about themselves as readers. The choice they make will reflect their tastes, it will underline what’s important or meaningful to them, and what stories resonate inside their mind and heart. Authors love when readers tell them that they like their books, and authors can handle when a reader says they don’t like their books. What hurts an author the most is when their stories are ignored or the reader is indifferent. That’s why an award like Red Cedar is important. It makes the books matter.

  Your book “Audrey Cow” was a very inspiring novel, so it must have taken a long time to write, right? So, how long did it take you to write the amazing book that is “Audrey Cow”?
  Although I wasn’t working on it exclusively, Audrey (cow) did take five or six years to come together. I always knew that I wanted it written in 1st person, from Audrey’s point of view, and so every year I’d take out my latest draft and work on it for a bit, but the story would never take shape and I’d lose interest and put it away. It wasn’t until I decided to have not just one narrator but thirty narrators that I became really involved in telling the story and for a year, it was my main focus. But consider that even after my publisher, Tundra Books, accepted my story, I still had several additional drafts to work on with my editors before it became the book that you read.

  As I said before, your characters are very amazing so, are any of the characters in “Audrey Cow” based on people you have met before?
  That’s an interesting question. I’ve never been asked that. Some of the characters are kind of based on old Hollywood actors and actresses, like Oliver and Stan, Greta, and Torchy, but, of course, I’d never met them personally. I would say that there was no one particular in my life that I based these characters on, but I would say that in their creation, I got to know each of them very well, and had grown to care deeply for them. Eddie and Boris touch my heart as does Audrey and her mother, Jeannine. Doris makes me laugh and I also feel protective of her. I feel a bit sorry for everything that goes wrong for Kasey. And I could go on about Agnes and Norma and all the others too. Maybe, because this is a story told in voices, I’ve brought each of the characters deeper inside me in order to hear how they speak.

  I love writing and I find there are always things that I want to go back and change in my writing, so, if you could go back and change one thing about your book “Audrey Cow” what would it be?
  I wouldn’t say this about a lot of my books, but with Audrey (cow), I have a lot of satisfaction in its finished form, not just the writing, but the illustrations, the cover, the way it’s told in five acts rather than chapters, the fake quote at the beginning, all of it was what I had envisioned. With the writing specifically, I was fortunate to have had two amazing editors who worked very hard with me to make the writing as strong as possible.

  However, if there is one loose end, it’s with Buster, the pig. Audrey’s situation at the end of story in much better than it was at the start, but Buster shares the same fate as Audrey, and nothing has changed in his life. If there’s a sequel to this Audrey (cow), then maybe it needs to address Buster’s future.

  Thank you so much for this great interview, Sara, and a thank you to Ms. Benes, the Teacher-Librarian at Signal Hill Elementary! Stay tuned to the Red Cedar blog for more author interviews coming your way!

  This entry was posted in Uncategorised on April 5, 2016 by Cathy Mount.

Print Marked Items
BAR-EL, Dan Dog Night At The Story
Zoo
Myra Junyk
Resource Links.
23.1 (Oct. 2017): p18.
COPYRIGHT 2017 Resource Links
http://www.atcl.ca
Full Text: 
BAR-EL, Dan
Dog Night At The Story Zoo
Illustrated by Vicki Nerino. Tundra Books, 2017. 100p. Illus. Gr. 3-6. 9781-101-91838-8. Hdbk. $14.99
[E]
Dan Bar-El's new graphic novel invites readers into the "secret lives" of pets! The zoo is closed, night has
fallen, but instead of being asleep, all the pets have left their homes to attend Dog Night at the Story Zoo.
Penguin introduces the first storyteller, Boomer. He tells his fellow pets and zoo animals about his need to
fetch. He explains that he is not a typical dog because he takes "fetching.. .to a whole new level." (p. 14) He
wants a home, but his obsession with fetching hurts his relationships with humans. No one wants him as a
pet, so he lives a free life fetching wherever and whenever he can. Then he meets a new human who
appreciates his talents--and finally finds a new home!
Three other dog stories follow. "The Storm Before the Calm " is told by poodle Emma. She admits that she
is very "yappy." She goes from one home to another until she saves the life of her elderly human Ellen and
wins the affection of her boyfriend Bemie. Emma's yappiness finally came in handy! Walter is a very shy
bulldog who tells a story about being, "Tender Inside. " He reads a poem entitled, "What Can You Do for a
Bulldog? " which reveals his caring nature. Finally, Wilmette the bloodhound reveals a complicated mystery
entitled, "Hound of Bakersville," in which he uncovers a dastardly plot by his evil owner Stuart. In the end,
Wilmette finds a new home and saves the day!
These well written and highly amusing stories portray sensitive dog storytellers as very intelligent
individuals who care about their humans and want to live a full life. They may have flaws such as Boomer's
obsession with fetching, but in the end, they want to be part of a family and care for their humans. Their
intelligence should also not be underestimated. Wilmette the bloodhound solves a complicated mystery and
ferrets out "the most elusive criminal" - his owner, (p. 73) The vibrant illustrations in this graphic novel
complement the strong message of pet intelligence and caring. This is a wonderful book which will thrill all
readers and pet lovers in particular!
Thematic Links: Storytelling; Pet Care; Humour; Mystery; Relationships; Graphic Novels; Communication
[E] Excellent, enduring, everyone should see it!
Source Citation   (MLA 8th
Edition)
Junyk, Myra. "BAR-EL, Dan Dog Night At The Story Zoo." Resource Links, Oct. 2017, p. 18. General
OneFile, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A514884070/ITOF?
u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=d4d33ec7. Accessed 16 Feb. 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A514884070
Dog Night at the Story Zoo
Dan Bar-El
Children's Bookwatch.
(July 2017):
COPYRIGHT 2017 Midwest Book Review
http://www.midwestbookreview.com/cbw/index.htm
Full Text: 
Dog Night at the Story Zoo is a graphic novel illustrated in full color by Vicki Nerino and tells of Open Mic
Night at the Story Zoo, when dogs of all kinds tell their tales. From yappy dog Emma in 'The Storm Before
the Calm' to a dry poetry-reading dog who frustrates the penguin MC, this is a hilarious series of canine
encounters which are fun and vivid tales perfect for cartoon fans who love dogs.
Dan Bar-El
Tundra Books
350 Front Street West, Suite 1400, Toronto, ON, Canada M5V 3B6
http://penguinrandomhouse.ca/imprints/tundra-books
9781101918388, $14.99, www.amazon.com
Source Citation   (MLA 8th
Edition)
Bar-El, Dan. "Dog Night at the Story Zoo." Children's Bookwatch, July 2017. General OneFile,
http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A500224167/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=ff597431.
Accessed 16 Feb. 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A500224167
It's Great Being a Dad
Publishers Weekly.
264.16 (Apr. 17, 2017): p69+.
COPYRIGHT 2017 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
Full Text: 
* It's Great Being a Dad
Dan Bar-el, illus. by Gina Perry. Tundra, $16.99 (32p) ISBN 978-177049-605-7
"It's great being a unicorn," boasts a pink specimen with a rainbow horn. "Who wouldn't want to be a
unicorn?" Bigfoot and a robot make similar claims, but each creature runs into a snag ("What's not to like
about being a robot? Rain, that's what!"), requiring intervention. After these beings and others are revealed
to be a crew of kids playing in the yard, a resourceful father steps in to save the day. Perry's wide-eyed,
brightly colored fantasy creations wonderfully evoke a pretend-play world where anything can happen but
plenty still goes awry, and Bar-el's (Audrey {Cow}) deadpan narrative delivers laughs on every page. Ages
4-8. Author's agent: Hilary McMahon, Westwood Creative Artists. Illustrator's agent: Teresa Kietlinski,
Bookmark Literary. (Apr.)
Source Citation   (MLA 8th
Edition)
"It's Great Being a Dad." Publishers Weekly, 17 Apr. 2017, p. 69+. General OneFile,
http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A490820874/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=dabce501.
Accessed 16 Feb. 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A490820874
Bar-el, Dan: IT'S GREAT BEING A DAD
Kirkus Reviews.
(Apr. 1, 2017):
COPYRIGHT 2017 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
Full Text: 
Bar-el, Dan IT'S GREAT BEING A DAD Tundra (Children's Fiction) $16.99 4, 4 ISBN: 978-1-77049-605-
7
The finer points of various jobs are explored in this tribute to...dads?"It's great being a unicorn. I love being
a unicorn. Who wouldn't want to be a unicorn?" The bright, cartoon, rainbow-bedecked spread hardly seems
like it belongs in a book about being a dad. Ditto the spreads about being Bigfoot, a robot, the Loch Ness
Monster, and a "fairy queen ballerina doctor." For each of the characters, there are positives and negatives to
their roles. For instance, the unicorn's horn gets in the way of grazing and eating cake off a table, which
subsequently gets stuck on said horn. Bigfoot tries to come to the rescue, but it has challenges of its own.
And so on. It's not until the magic wand of the fairy queen ballerina doctor is snatched by a "sneaky flying
alligator pirate" that dads are even mentioned. A turn of the page reveals a dark-skinned dad standing amid a
scene of imaginative play: it's great being a dad, as dads can fix it all. What's not to like? "Sudden
makeovers." Perry's gouache and Photoshop illustrations clue readers in only on the final spreads, the kids'
clever clothing and costuming choices making their characters come to life. Only one child is white; the rest
are various shades of brown, though all have distractingly stylized noses. The title doesn't really match the
content, though it may spark readers' own imaginations. (Picture book. 4-8)
Source Citation   (MLA 8th
Edition)
"Bar-el, Dan: IT'S GREAT BEING A DAD." Kirkus Reviews, 1 Apr. 2017. General OneFile,
http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A487668542/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=82523576.
Accessed 16 Feb. 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A487668542
Bar-El, Dan: J'adore etre papa
Resource Links.
22.4 (Apr. 2017): p50.
COPYRIGHT 2017 Resource Links
http://www.atcl.ca
Full Text: 
(G)
BAR-EL, Dan
J'adore etre papa
Illustrated by Gina Perry.
Editions
Scholstic, 2017. Unp. Illus. Gr. K-3. 978-14431-5987-6.
Pbk. $11.99
English version reviewed in v.22, # 3, February, 2017.
Source Citation   (MLA 8th
Edition)
"Bar-El, Dan: J'adore etre papa." Resource Links, Apr. 2017, p. 50. General OneFile,
http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A495033986/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=1502687e.
Accessed 16 Feb. 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A495033986
It's Great Being a Dad
Randall Enos
Booklist.
113.13 (Mar. 1, 2017): p73+.
COPYRIGHT 2017 American Library Association
http://www.ala.org/ala/aboutala/offices/publishing/booklist_publications/booklist/booklist.cfm
Full Text: 
It's Great Being a Dad.
By Dan Bar-el. Illus. by Gina Perry.
Apr. 2017.32p. Tundra, $16.99 (9781770496057). PreS-Gr. 1.
At first, this picture book seems to be pure fantasy: it opens with several mythical creatures sharing the ups
and downs of their unique features. A unicorn's adorable horn is great until it gets stuck in things. Bigfoot's
warm fur is a plus, but the big feet can be a problem. Robots have amazing capabilities but tend to rust. For
a "fairy queen ballerina doctor," though, there seems to be no downside--until a "sneaky flying alligator
pirate" comes along and steals her magic wand. Then dad steps in, revealing that all the magical characters
are actually children at play. Dad easily remedies each situation (including encouraging certain little
brothers to play nicely). There's a lot going on here, but both text and illustrations work to keep it
manageable. The creatures--both mythical and human--look as if they were fashioned in clay with google
eyes (think Gumby), clearly standing apart from the brightly colored, uncluttered backdrops. Dads, fantasy
play, and good behavior: a great combination. --Randall Enos
Source Citation   (MLA 8th
Edition)
Enos, Randall. "It's Great Being a Dad." Booklist, 1 Mar. 2017, p. 73+. General OneFile,
http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A488689613/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=8e621fca.
Accessed 16 Feb. 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A488689613
Bar-El, Dan: It's Great Being a Dad
Lara Chauvin
Resource Links.
22.3 (Feb. 2017): p2.
COPYRIGHT 2017 Resource Links
http://www.atcl.ca
Full Text: 
[G]
BAR-EL, Dan
It's Great Being a Dad
Illustrated by Gina Perry. Tundra Books, 2017. 32p. Illus. Gr. K-3. 9781-77049-605-7. Hdbk. $22.99
"So what's not to like about being a unicorn ... Bigfoot ... a robot" and more ...
Dan Bar-el's book It's Great Being A Dad explores the somewhat hilarious abilities that creatures we find in
fairy tales and legends may have: like Robots with flashing lights or a fairy queen ballerina doctor! But yet
they all have little obstacles they face, like a unicorn trying to grab a rainbow coloured slice of cake off a
table and its horn gets stuck or the Robot's fear of rain!
Each time one turns the page we are introduced to another imaginative creature outlining their abilities,
fears and possible strengths. The Loch Ness monster doesn't love being called a monster, "so what's to like
about being the Loch Ness Monster?" You must read to know or perhaps look at the images by Gina Perry.
Make believe candy coloured scenes are rendered with cute cartoonish characters. These illustrations add to
the whimsical storyline with full page scenes of forests, bubbles and lollipops. Other pages are filled with
action sequences of flying alligator pirates or the prancing fairy queen ballerina doctor.
As we read through and visit a panoply of characters and their corresponding scenes on each page, it slowly
reminds us that all these creatures are children in a make believe world and all the strengths and abilities
they perceive add up to the best super hero of all: Dad.
Dad doesn't get away that easy though, in the end ... perhaps you may need to jump into this fantastical story
book to find out!
Thematic Links: Animals; Fantasy; Fairy Tales; Celebrations; Dads; Outdoors; Creatures; Summer
[G] Good, even great at times, generally useful!
Source Citation   (MLA 8th
Edition)
Chauvin, Lara. "Bar-El, Dan: It's Great Being a Dad." Resource Links, Feb. 2017, p. 2. General OneFile,
http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A492222352/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=b28ddacc.
Accessed 16 Feb. 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A492222352
It's Great Being a Dad
James A. Cox
Children's Bookwatch.
(Jan. 2017):
COPYRIGHT 2017 Midwest Book Review
http://www.midwestbookreview.com/cbw/index.htm
Full Text: 
It's Great Being a Dad
Dan Bar-el
Tundra Books
75 Sherbourne Street, 5th floor, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M5A 2P9
www.tundrabooks.com
www.penguinrandomhouse.ca
9781770496057 $16.99
It's Great Being a Dad receives fun drawings by Gina Perry as it provides a very different kind of
celebration of Father's Day: one which revolves around a unicorn, a ballerina, and a helpful father. A gang
of mythical creatures is loose and it's only inevitable that they will cause trouble, presenting the kinds of
problems a father may prove helpful in solving. A zany set of encounters challenges even this special father
in a fun story with unpredictable characters and dilemmas.
Source Citation   (MLA 8th
Edition)
Cox, James A. "It's Great Being a Dad." Children's Bookwatch, Jan. 2017. General OneFile,
http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A479406083/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=a0b1ed25.
Accessed 16 Feb. 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A479406083
Audrey (Cow)
Children's Bookwatch.
(Jan. 2015):
COPYRIGHT 2015 Midwest Book Review
http://www.midwestbookreview.com/cbw/index.htm
Full Text: 
Audrey (Cow)
Dan Bar-El
Tundra Books
75 Sherbourne Street, 5th floor
Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M5A 2P9
9781770496026, $21.99, www.tundrabooks.com
Audrey is a cow who thinks the grass is greener outside of her farm; but when Roy the horse tells her that
she's headed for the slaughter house, Audrey decides that running away from home is a requirement for
survival, not just a dream. But it will take animal and human intervention to help her escape. The story is
written as an oral account, receives fine black and white drawings by Tatjana Mai-Wyss, and offers enough
of an easy read to delight kids who are well beyond the picture book age, but still want black and white
illustrations to break up the print and enhance the story.
Source Citation   (MLA 8th
Edition)
"Audrey (Cow)." Children's Bookwatch, Jan. 2015. General OneFile,
http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A397580584/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=8a335add.
Accessed 16 Feb. 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A397580584
Bar-el. Dan: Audrey (Cow)
Michael Rogowski
Resource Links.
20.2 (Dec. 2014): p10.
COPYRIGHT 2014 Resource Links
http://www.atcl.ca
Full Text: 
BAR-EL. Dan
Audrey (Cow) [E]
Illustrated by Tatjana Mai-Wyss.
Tundra Books, 2014. 232p. Gr. 3-6.
978-1-77049-602-6. Hdbk. $19.95
Audrey (Cow) tells a wonderful tale of a cow longing for the open world. After seeing her mother taken
away to a slaughter house, Audrey plans an escape with the help of Eddie, the farm dog, and Buster the pig.
The story is captivating and very entertaining. The difficulties Audrey has in escaping and the aftermath of
the event goes through many great twists and turns. I never felt bored, I needed to turn the page to find out
where the story would go next.
Each character in this novel is full of life and personality. I love how they interplay in the story and with one
another. You definitely feel for each animal and human involved in the story. Audrey's enthusiasm for life is
very contagious. The park ranger and the news reporter are two of my favourite characters, and the way they
interact with one another is hilarious.
The greatest strength of this novel is really the narrative style. It's told in an interview-like style by each
character in the story. It's as if you are watching a documentary film as the characters recount each thing that
has happened to them. This was brilliant in a number of ways: it really establishes that the characters are
real, you get their side of the story as its happening and it also furthers and develops their voice in the story.
This narrative style would be a great tool to use in the classroom when trying to convey the idea that
everyone has their own take on a story. It has a great message of cooperation and teamwork. Finally, it
shows how important it is to put someone else first. Everyone in this book puts someone else first before
thinking about themselves. Even Audrey, who is the main focus of the novel, shows how she puts others
first before thinking about her big escape.
I would highly recommend this book to anyone. be it in a classroom setting, at a local library book club, or
even for someone looking for their next read. If you enjoyed the whimsy of Charlotte's Web, or the
adventures of Babe, this book is for you. If you enjoy a unique narrative style, give this book a try. I was
pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed this little tale of a cow's great escape and the adventure that lay
ahead.
Thematic Links: Farm, Animals; Story Telling; Wild Life; Adventure
[E] Excellent, enduring, everyone should see it!
[G] Good, even great at times, generally useful!
[A] Average, all right, has its applications
[P] Problematic, puzzling, poorly presented
Source Citation   (MLA 8th
Edition)
Rogowski, Michael. "Bar-el. Dan: Audrey (Cow)." Resource Links, Dec. 2014, p. 10. General OneFile,
http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A404446157/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=6888aca9.
Accessed 16 Feb. 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A404446157
Audrey (Cow)
Publishers Weekly.
261.41 (Oct. 13, 2014): p60.
COPYRIGHT 2014 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
Full Text: 
Audrey (Cow)
Dan Bar-el, illus. by Tatjana Mai-Wyss. Tundra,
$19.99 (240p) ISBN 978-1-77049-602-6
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]
More than 30 voices, both animal and human, contribute to this cleverly constructed story of a cow bound,
like her mother before her, for the abattoir (or "Abbot's war" as the animals of Bittersweet Farm call it).
Framing the story as a series of interviews, Bar-el (Nine Words Max) creates a humorous chorus of
perspectives, temperaments, dialects, and cadences. A dreamer and a poet, Audrey refuses to accept that
she's headed "straight to the meat section of the supermarket" and becomes determined to flee the farm.
With the help of her barnyard friends--including a clever dog, a "master strategist" pig, bickering geese, a
pompous rooster, and a nosy horse--Audrey pulls off a comically or chestrated escape, aka "Operation
Urgent Fury." As a bumbling reporter and a wildlife enforcement officer follow her trail, Audrey relies on
forest animals to elude capture and find her happy ending. Mai-Wyss's (A Giraffe Did One) b&w
watercolors bolster the lighthearted atmosphere of this thoroughly charming story of a cow determined to
chart her own destiny, inspired by an actual incident. Ages 7-10. Author's agent: Hilary McMahon,
Westwood Creative Artists. (Nov.)
Source Citation   (MLA 8th
Edition)
"Audrey (Cow)." Publishers Weekly, 13 Oct. 2014, p. 60. General OneFile,
http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A386341438/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=b4afe321.
Accessed 16 Feb. 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A386341438
Bar-el, Dan: AUDREY (COW)
Kirkus Reviews.
(Sept. 15, 2014):
COPYRIGHT 2014 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
Full Text: 
Bar-el, Dan AUDREY (COW) Tundra (Children's Fiction) $19.99 11, 1 ISBN: 978-1-77049-602-6
Move aside Wilbur and Babe. There's a new farmyard hero in town, and she has no desire to end up
hamburger. Audrey isn't like the other cows. They might accept their lot as "food cows," but she has other
ideas. After her mother is taken away to a slaughterhouse, the feisty Charolais concocts an elaborate escape
for herself using the expertise and help of her barnyard friends. However, the escape itself proves to be only
half the battle, and Audrey's experiences in the wild forest with its unpredictable denizens put both brains
and moxie to the test. In a multiple-perspective, documentary-like format, each animal tells its part of the
story with terrific humor and personality. From pompous Charlton the rooster, who considers his role in the
story a moment of deus ex machina ("as the Romans would call it"), to a parliament of consensus-minded
sheep to a thoroughly prejudiced squirrel, the many voices make the book an ideal read-aloud for a
classroom and ideal fodder for readers' theater. Bar-el is also unafraid to engage in truly lovely descriptive
writing (one cow's grief over losing her son is said to be akin to "a mist like we'd get on gray, foggy
mornings that made the farm seem as if it were fading away along its edges"). Part Great Escape, part
Hatchet, part Charlotte's Web, all wonderful. (Animal fantasy. 8-12)
Source Citation   (MLA 8th
Edition)
"Bar-el, Dan: AUDREY (COW)." Kirkus Reviews, 15 Sept. 2014. General OneFile,
http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A382317117/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=d874fa04.
Accessed 16 Feb. 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A382317117

Junyk, Myra. "BAR-EL, Dan Dog Night At The Story Zoo." Resource Links, Oct. 2017, p. 18. General OneFile, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A514884070/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF. Accessed 16 Feb. 2018. Bar-El, Dan. "Dog Night at the Story Zoo." Children's Bookwatch, July 2017. General OneFile, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A500224167/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF. Accessed 16 Feb. 2018. "It's Great Being a Dad." Publishers Weekly, 17 Apr. 2017, p. 69+. General OneFile, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A490820874/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF. Accessed 16 Feb. 2018. "Bar-el, Dan: IT'S GREAT BEING A DAD." Kirkus Reviews, 1 Apr. 2017. General OneFile, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A487668542/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF. Accessed 16 Feb. 2018. "Bar-El, Dan: J'adore etre papa." Resource Links, Apr. 2017, p. 50. General OneFile, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A495033986/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF. Accessed 16 Feb. 2018. Enos, Randall. "It's Great Being a Dad." Booklist, 1 Mar. 2017, p. 73+. General OneFile, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A488689613/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF. Accessed 16 Feb. 2018. Chauvin, Lara. "Bar-El, Dan: It's Great Being a Dad." Resource Links, Feb. 2017, p. 2. General OneFile, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A492222352/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF. Accessed 16 Feb. 2018. Cox, James A. "It's Great Being a Dad." Children's Bookwatch, Jan. 2017. General OneFile, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A479406083/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF. Accessed 16 Feb. 2018. "Audrey (Cow)." Children's Bookwatch, Jan. 2015. General OneFile, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A397580584/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF. Accessed 16 Feb. 2018. Rogowski, Michael. "Bar-el. Dan: Audrey (Cow)." Resource Links, Dec. 2014, p. 10. General OneFile, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A404446157/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF. Accessed 16 Feb. 2018. "Audrey (Cow)." Publishers Weekly, 13 Oct. 2014, p. 60. General OneFile, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A386341438/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF. Accessed 16 Feb. 2018. "Bar-el, Dan: AUDREY (COW)." Kirkus Reviews, 15 Sept. 2014. General OneFile, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A382317117/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF. Accessed 16 Feb. 2018.

• Book Page
  https://bookpage.com/reviews/17352-dan-bar-el-audrey-cow#.WpH5XhPwZR0
  Word count: 308

  AUDREY (COW)
  Down on the farm
  BookPage review by Jill Ratzan

  BookPage Children's Top Pick, November 2014

  First there was Wilbur the pig. Then there was Ivan the shopping mall gorilla. Now there’s Audrey the cow.

  Farmer Glenn might think Audrey is a food cow, but according to Audrey, she’s a poet cow, a white Charolais who can appreciate the finer things in life, like landscapes to admire and flowers to eat. More than two dozen distinct voices, including cows, dogs, sheep, pigs, deer and humans, take turns relating what happens as Audrey draws on her dead mother’s tales—and her farmyard friends’ resourcefulness—to plan a daring escape.

  Like Katherine Applegate in her Newbery Medal-winning The One and Only Ivan, author Dan Bar-el starts with a true story and expands on it, granting voices and agency to his animal characters. Also like Ivan, occasional black-and-white drawings (here by Tatjana Mai-Wyss) add visual interest and help emerging readers relate to the unusual narrators.

  Elementary school readers can cheer for Audrey’s quest while an older audience can giggle at the clever wordplay: The French-derived word for slaughterhouse, abattoir, is misheard by the animals as “Abbot’s War,” and gossip literally comes from the horse’s mouth. Don’t stop to question who exactly these voices are talking to—or why people seem to have cell phones at some opportune moments but not others—because doing so would spoil the fun of this gentle tale. Instead, focus on the postmodern storytelling, the perfect combination of humor and pathos and the determination of a cow who isn’t willing to give up.

  This article was originally published in the November 2014 issue of BookPage. Download the entire issue for the Kindle or Nook.

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