Lisa Cohn's Blog, page 6

Free eBook/Audiobook When You Donate to Oregon Humane Society–for the Animals

Hudson

We’re offering a free eBook and audiobook when you donate to Oregon Humane Society (OHS) and support the many animals the agency helps out.

We’re raising money as part of OHS’s annual fundraising campaign, Doggie Dash.

Donate any amount here:
Our Doggie Dash Page

As soon as you donate any amount, we receive a notification with your email. We’ll send you one of our “Bash and Lucy” children’s eBooks, along with the audiobook we created with the voices of kids age 5-14.

As a result of OHS’s good work, more than 7,000 pets found homes in 2020. But OHS doesn’t just do adoptions. The agency hosts free pet food banks, rescues pets affected by disasters such as hurricanes and wildfires and rescues pets from homes where they’re neglected. In 2020, OHS was among 12 other regional shelters and rescue groups that participated in the largest pet rescue flight in history.

Nearly 600 pets from shelters in Hawaii affected by COVID-19 were flown to Seattle as part of Paws Across the Pacific.

The agency also sends teams to rescue pets that have fallen off cliffs. You can read about such daring dog rescues in Lisa’s article for Dogster:

Oregon Humane Society Rescue Team Saves Dogs Who Have Fallen Off Cliffs

Interested in learning more about OHS? Check out the agency’s 2020 Annual Report

Again, please donate any amount to our Doggie Dash Page and we’ll send an eBook and audiobook.

Questions? Email us at BashAndLucy@gmail.com Once you donate, feel free to request one of our three books and audiobooks.

The post Free eBook/Audiobook When You Donate to Oregon Humane Society–for the Animals appeared first on Lisa and Michael Cohn.

Our Love of Dogs and Polar Bears, too: National Geographic Contribution

Illustration in National Geographic

By Lisa Cohn
You’ve heard about our love of dogs. But truth is, we love all animals–including polar bears.

Michael and I recently participated in a National Geographic story about climate change anxiety in kids.

The writer approached us because I had written a similar story for a local parenting magazine, PDX Parent.

As the National Geographic article below mentions, Michael loves polar bears. And he’s sad when he hears about how much they’re struggling due to climate change.

Climate change affects dogs and other pets. Take wildfires, for example. Last summer the wildfires here in Oregon were so extreme that Portland’s air quality was the worst in the world. That meant we couldn’t go outside, and we couldn’t take our golden retriever, Hudson, for his usual long walks because breathing the air was dangerous.

Another climate related change that affects Hudson is warmer weather in the summer. He much prefers cooler weather, and gets easily overheated when we’re playing in a park or hiking with him.

Sometimes her swims in the mud to cool off:

Hudson cools off in the mud during a hike in hot weather

To help address climate change, Michael and I attend climate related marches and events. We talk often about how we can help address climate change. In fact, this week, we read an excellent article in the New York Times explaining climate change to kids. We discussed what we’re doing to deal with climate change. For example, we have an electric car, which has zero emissions. We plant  flowers and trees with an eye toward attracting and nurturing wildlife. We have a bee house that gives Oregon’s non-stinging mason bees a home. We purchase solar energy from our utility through its “green power” program. And we’re on special “time of use” electric rates that provide incentives for us to use electricity when it makes sense environmentally. We also don’t eat much meat.

Read the National Geographic article that includes our input here:  Helping Kids Deal with Climate Anxiety.

Are you a reader who is worried about climate change and how it might affect the animals you love? We’d love to hear from you! Email us at BashAndLucy@gmail.com

 

The post Our Love of Dogs and Polar Bears, too: National Geographic Contribution appeared first on Lisa and Michael Cohn.

Donating Books to the Children’s Book Bank

This week, we were excited to donate about 40 Bash and Lucy picture books, along with hundreds of used books, to the Children’s Book Bank, located here in Portland.

We were looking for a place to donate both Bash and Lucy books and some of Michael’s used children’s books, and were thrilled to find The Children’s Book Bank. The non-profit organization provides books for children in need, through organizations such as Head Start.

“In low-income neighborhoods, the ratio of books to children is one book for every 300 children. Middle-income neighborhoods average 13 age-appropriate books per child,” we learned from the book bank’s website.

When we met with the bank’s volunteer coordinator, she emphasized the importance of children reading books with characters that look like themselves. That means diversity is critical. The main character in our books is white. But our illustrator–who is Mexican American–works hard to ensure diversity in the characters. Coach Danny is Black, and the kids on the team represent a diverse group. One of the main characters in our third and fourth books is an immigrant from Ukraine.

We absolutely loved visiting the book bank, seeing the shelves of books and learning about all the good the bank does for kids.

The Children’s Book Bank

The Children’s Book Bank aims to ensure preschool children are raised with books. The goal is for kids to read more often and for longer lengths of time. The book bank also aims to ensure children have improved attitudes about reading and develop critical reading skills. What’s more, a goal is for parents and children to connect with one another through books. And kids use books as a way to take a break from daily stressors, according to the website.

You can learn more about the book bank by visiting here. The organization accepts donations of new and gently used books. You can also use a credit card to donate here.

When we visited the book bank, we talked about how much Michael loves to read, and shared that  the Today Show featured him as a 5-year-old book lover and budding literary critic.

You can watch Michael on the Today Show here.

Do you have suggestions for organizations that serve low-income children and would like book donations? Email us at BashAndLucy@gmail.com  We’re also happy to donate our kids’ audiobooks, recorded with the voices of Michael, his friends, family members and dog!

recorded with the voices of Michael, his family members, his friends and his dog!

The post Donating Books to the Children’s Book Bank appeared first on Lisa and Michael Cohn.

Donating Books to The Children’s Book Bank

This week, we were excited to donate about 40 Bash and Lucy picture books, along with hundreds of used books, to The Children’s Book Bank, located here in Portland.

We were looking for a place to donate both Bash and Lucy books and some of Michael’s used children’s books, and were thrilled to find The Children’s Book Bank. The non-profit organization provides books for children in need, through organizations such as Head Start.

“In low-income neighborhoods, the ratio of books to children is one book for every 300 children. Middle-income neighborhoods average 13 age-appropriate books per child,” we learned from the book bank’s website.

When we met with the bank’s volunteer coordinator, she emphasized the importance of children reading books with characters that look like themselves. That means diversity is critical. The main character in our books is white. But our illustrator–who is Mexican–works hard to ensure diversity in the characters. Coach Danny is Black, and the kids on the team represent a diverse group. One of the main characters in our third and fourth books is an immigrant from Ukraine.

We absolutely loved visiting the book bank, seeing the shelves of books and learning about all the good the bank does for kids.

The Children’s Book Bank

The Children’s Book Bank aims to ensure preschool children are raised with books. The goal is for kids to read more often and for longer lengths of time. The book bank also aims to ensure children have improved attitudes about reading and develop critical reading skills. What’s more, a goal is for parents and children to connect with one another through books. And kids use books as a way to take a break from daily stressors, according to the website.

You can learn more about the book bank by visiting here. The organization accepts donations of new and gently used books. You can also use a credit card to donate here.

When we visited the book bank, we talked about how much Michael loves to read, and shared that  the Today Show featured him as a 5-year-old book lover and budding literary critic.

You can watch Michael on the Today Show here.

Do you have suggestions for organizations that serve low-income children and would like book donations? Email us at BashAndLucy@gmail.com  We’re also happy to donate our kids’ audiobooks, recorded with the voices of Michael, his friends, family members and dog!

recorded with the voices of Michael, his family members, his friends and his dog!

The post Donating Books to The Children’s Book Bank appeared first on Lisa and Michael Cohn.

Happiness is Browsing Again in the Library!

 

Roving Reader Leaders before COVID

Happiness is browsing again at the Beaverton Library, even if we’re limited to half an hour.

When I (Lisa) ran into the library to drop off some books just after it had re-opened, it suddenly hit me: I hadn’t stepped inside our favorite library, or any library for that matter, for nearly a year.

As soon as I dropped the books in the drop slot, set eyes on the colorful bookshelves and listened to the whispers of parents and children, I was overwhelmed by tears. Yes, it had been nearly a year since we had browsed these shelves and plunked down on the carpet to read whatever looked interesting. It had been nearly a year since Michael and I had led our Roving Reader Leaders book club in a cozy corner of the children’s section. While we have met virtually with the reader leaders for the whole year, a virtual meeting isn’t the same. We can’t see the excitement in the kids’ faces when they describe what they are reading. We can’t pass the books from one set of hands to another, sharing what we love most about Warriors or Wings of Fire or Ready Player One.

 

And we definitely can’t record video reviews of the books we’re reading, reviews like this one:

Although we miss our in-person meetings –which aren’t happening right now — it was exciting to be back in the library!

The post Happiness is Browsing Again in the Library! appeared first on Lisa and Michael Cohn.

Kids’ Audiobook Review: “Hearing the Boys’ Voices was So Fun…Made me Laugh”

Boys record Bash and Lucy books

We were thrilled when another children’s book author this week listened to our first kids’ audiobook, “Bash and Lucy Fetch Confidence,” and enjoyed the voices of the boys, age 5-7, who helped record it.

“I listened to Bash & Lucy Fetch Confidence this morning and I was blown away. Hearing the boys’ voices help tell the story was so fun and made me laugh out loud at times, while also sharing an important story in the process. Congratulations on Bash and Lucy and I look forward to getting my own copy in the mail (just ordered on Amazon),” said Beth Brown, Ph.D, author of Adventures of Divot and Swish.

Another listener recently listened and said, “It’s so cute. My wife says we need to do this with my kids. I can’t wait to share this with them.”

Kids tell us they love hearing other children’s voices in the audiobooks. Michael’s friends are especially thrilled to hear his voice.

Seven years ago, it was 5-year-old Michael’s idea to record our first kids’ audiobook using our voices and the voices of his friends. He loves audiobooks, and plays them nearly every day.

You can listen to Bash and Lucy Fetch Confidence for free here or you can find it on Audible here.

Our second book, Bash and Lucy Fetch Jealousy, was recorded when Michael was 7 and our other young recording artists were 7-10. Michael’s older sister, Ally, also did some voice-over work. You can find it for free here or on Audible here.

For our third kids’ audiobook, Bash and Lucy Fetch Team Vera and the Dream Beasts, the cast of recording artists expanded significantly. Six kids, three adults and our dog, Hudson, all lent their voices to the audiobook. The cast included Michael’s surrogate grandma, Vera, from Ukraine.  Listen for free here or find it on Audible here.

Our next book is all about our love for dogs. In the book, Mayor Ally and Assistant Mayor Vera find creative ways to ensure dogs teach townspeople important lessons and inspire people to be kind. That’s all we can say for now!

Speaking of dogs, be sure to watch our first book trailer, recorded when Michael was five and Hudson was a puppy:

The post Kids’ Audiobook Review: “Hearing the Boys’ Voices was So Fun…Made me Laugh” appeared first on Lisa and Michael Cohn.

Creating a Character who Embodies Goodness for Kids’ Book

Photo of Vera and Michael by Sankar Raman

Our fourth kids’ book stars Vera, a character based on Michael’s surrogate grandma, an immigrant from Ukraine.

One of our aims in the book is to create a character who embodies goodness, just as Vera does in real life.

When we spoke with Vera yesterday, she had recently received her first Covid-19 vaccination. Like many grandmothers, for months and months she hasn’t been able to hug her grandchildren. She has been isolated in her apartment much of the time.

When we asked her what she planned to do when she is fully protected by the vaccine, she said, of course, that she would have Michael and her other two grandkids come spend time in her apartment—one of Michael’s favorite things to do. He hasn’t been able to visit her apartment since the pandemic began in March.

But what she said next was so typical of Vera, who grew up in Soviet occupied Ukraine and lost all her land and savings to the Soviets.

After she hugged her boys, she said, she’d continue volunteering, as she had done throughout the pandemic. She plans to cook food that will be sold to support her church. She will continue to help out the people, many of them elderly, who live in her apartment building. She’ll deliver them food and help them with errands.

“People need so much help,” she said in her unmistakable accent. “I must do this to help them.”

She promised that, for now, she wears a mask and gloves when she volunteers.

Along with helping out in her church and apartment building, Vera has been busy making masks. We have helped gather materials for the masks and have delivered them to people who need them. At the beginning of the pandemic, when healthcare workers didn’t have masks, we gave them to nurses. We also donated them to the county health department, to kids in need and to the homeless. Vera fashioned the masks out of bed sheets and pillowcases and hand made the straps because elastic was hard to find. She conducted research that allowed her to perfect her creations, making the masks better fitting and safer.

Vera is the main character in our fourth book. She’s an assistant mayor who uses “Dog-tention” to help kids and adults find kinder ways to communicate and interact.

She also coaches kids, like Bash, to turn their sensitivities—apparent deficits— into strengths. In the book, all the kids in town want to participate in sessions with Vera, and this creates some competition among the children.

Learn more about Vera’s background:

She is a Girl-Power Grandma

Watch Michael dedicate our last book to her:

The post Creating a Character who Embodies Goodness for Kids’ Book appeared first on Lisa and Michael Cohn.

Why We Began Writing Our Kids’ Dog Books

Michael at age 5, with puppy Hudson

We started writing our kids’ dog books about seven years ago, after our dog, Lucy, died suddenly at the age of 6.

To help us overcome our grief, we decided to write a book, “Bash and Lucy Fetch Confidence,” about how a dog named Lucy instilled confidence in the boys on a soccer team. The aim of the book was to keep Lucy alive in our hearts.

We never, ever expected that we’d appear on the Today Show, write two more books, create our own audiobooks with the voices of Michael and friends, and visit with kids worldwide, through Skype in the Classroom, about our writing and publishing experience! We also created Roving Reader Leaders, a book club that encourages kids to review books in parks, gyms, libraries and book stores. (For now, during the pandemic, that club is taking place online). The kids have also interviewed popular authors, including Troy Cummings.

Shortly after Lucy died, puppy Hudson (pictured above, with Michael) came into our lives. He became a lovable character in our third book, and even provided some voice-over barking in the audiobook!

Hudson helps record kids’ audiobook

Now Hudson is almost eight years old, and he was recently diagnosed with arthritis in his front legs. That diagnosis is an important reminder of how precious he is to us, and how much love and laughter he brings into our lives. He still takes long walks with us, loves to chase balls and, like a true golden retriever, offers us his sad eyes when we have to leave him alone in the house for a few hours.  At night, when he sleeps beside me, with our new kitten snuggled against him, I often wake up to check on him. When he’s napping in my home office, I pet and kiss him as often as possible.

Also like a true golden retriever, he lets the kitty sleep on the soft dog beds I’ve placed around our house. If my older son’s dog comes to visit and tries to eat Hudson’s food, Hudson steps back and lets her have the first bite.

Our next kids’ dog book is all about dogs. It takes place in a town run by two dog-loving characters, Mayor Ally (based on Michael’s sister) and Assistant Mayor Vera (based on Michael’s surrogate grandma, an immigrant from Ukraine). In the book, every day is a different holiday honoring our tail wagging friends. The town has a dog-themed name. Vera and Ally rehabilitate residents who break the law or get out of line by ordering them to read to Lucy in the library. After that, the wayward residents often rush to the humane society to adopt a dog.

Email us at BashAndLucy@gmail.com with questions or comments. Let us know if you’d like to do a Skype visit with your kids to chat about our writing adventure!

And don’t forget to watch our book trailer, which features puppy Hudson romping with 5-year-old Michael:

The post Why We Began Writing Our Kids’ Dog Books appeared first on Lisa and Michael Cohn.

Team Vera Provides Face Masks to Healthcare Workers and Others

Vera Moroz, immigrant from Ukraine who leads Team Vera

In our last book, “Bash and Lucy Fetch Team Vera and the Dream Beasts,” Vera is the assistant mayor and the coach of the most successful girls’ soccer team in the town. She’s a dog lover and an inspiration to kids.

In our next book, the girl-power grandma and immigrant from Ukraine takes on an even bigger role, lending her smarts, passion and generosity to the town of Woof Woof Nation in inspiring and sometimes funny ways. She lovingly helps reform kids and adults who are struggling. She shines a light on the wonder of dogs. And she helps Bash see the positive side of being super sensitive.

In real life, Vera is always looking to do good, as she does in our books.

Recently our do-good grandma began sewing face masks for healthcare workers and others who are at risk due to COVID-19.

Michael, Ally (the mayor-dancer-librarian in our books) and I have been helping her out, finding materials, doing some sewing and delivering the masks to community members.

Being a part of Team Vera has been extremely rewarding. We delivered our first masks to friends who are nurses. Their response: “Please make more!”

We sent masks to a friend who is working full-time at a nursing home. Her response: “Got my mask. Your kindness made my day. You rock!”

We sent them to friends who had no way to buy masks or make them. Their response: “Thank you, thank you, thank you!”

We’re very proud to be part of Team Vera’s goodness. We’re also excited about giving her an even bigger role in our fourth book.

Stay tuned! And be sure to watch Michael dedicate our last book to Vera, his surrogate grandma:

 

 

The post Team Vera Provides Face Masks to Healthcare Workers and Others appeared first on Lisa and Michael Cohn.

The Joy of Hiking with a Golden Retriever

While we’ve been in isolation due to Covid-19, Ally, Michael and I have walked nearly every day with our golden retriever, Hudson.

Hudson is a character in our third book and did some lively voice-over barking for our last audiobook His deep voice lends itself well to being an audiobook voice-over artist!

For an hour or two most days, we have hiked with our trusty golden retriever in Forest Park, one of the largest urban forests in the nation. We have found many quiet corners of the beautiful park.

Hudson is especially happy that Ally is home from college right now. Ally also appears in our third book, and is an important character in our fourth book, which we’re writing right now. She is also one of our voice-over artists.

 

Here are some photos of Hudson romping in the forest. We hope you enjoy them!

 

Hudson with his favorite object– a ball
Hudson gets muddy during our walks
Hudson with one of the last trillium flowers of the trillium season

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hudson is now 7 years old–and so is our book series! Here’s our original book trailer, featuring young Hudson and Michael:

The post The Joy of Hiking with a Golden Retriever appeared first on Lisa and Michael Cohn.