Smokey's Book Giveaway on French Word-A-Day

Book Giveaway on French Word-A-Day

Pub Day!

Hudson, the lovable pooch who first appeared in Paris-Chien: Adventures of an Expat Dog, is back and thirsting for new adventures — this time vacationing in the glorious south of France. 

Escaping the sweltering August heat of Paris, he is enchanted by the beauty of Provence and eager to  become a Provençal dog. But this city dog discovers he's flat-footed when it comes to herding sheep, has no snout when it comes to sniffing out truffles, and can barely pedal his bike in the Tour de France. It's only when he stops imitating the other dogs and follows his heart that he discovers his own unique talent.

I love oysters

I started this little painting a while ago and never finished it. Until today. Thinking about eating oysters from the market in Paris.

olive trees puglia

Beautiful old olive trees blurring by driving our rented cinque cento down the road in Puglia.

november morning a'dam

Waking up to this blue view is why we ask for the same room in the same hotel on the Amstel when we go to international documentary film festival in a'dam.

Castellemmare Beach 2015

Picnic in Provence: A Memoir with Recipes

I read nearly half of Elizabeth Bard’s new book, Picnic in Provence, on a flight from L.A. to New York. This honest and often humorous account of becoming a mother and moving to a small village in Provence is pure pleasure. I interrupted my husband from his book several times to share a paragraph or two.

Bard bravely explores the difficult personal conflicts that arise from cultural differences between herself and her French belle-mère. And between her newly French self and her American mother. Her description of celebrating a Jewish holiday in France is enlightening and sobering. 

“Five generations of my Russian peasant ancestors are rolling over in their graves. Long did they toil, sweat, struggle, to escape the shtetl. Hopeful, they passed through Ellis island to live the American dream of a chicken in every pot and a dryer in every mudroom. And now one of their progency is reduced (voluntarily no less) to hanging her washing on the line of the garden. Oy.”

Elizabeth recounts experiences with idiosyncratic French customs, a residue of Napoleonic France. The judge who approves baby names to ensure that parents don’t give their children offensive or silly names that might subject the child to ridicule. She is encouraged to attend perineal rééducation classes paid for by the state. She is admonished by a man on the street, “Attention aux kilos” while snacking on a pain au chocolat between meals.

There are Delicious Recipes: Dark chocolate Mendiants topped with chopped nuts and dried fruits. (Mendiant chocolat is my favorite ice cream from Berthillon Paris.) Zucchini cream soup. Chicken livers salad. Broiled sea bass. Yellow lentil puree (memories of last summer in Puglia). Tuna tartare.

Bard met Diane Johnson, doyenne of American expat writers and author of Le Divorce, after the publication of Lunch in Paris, and her endorsement appears on the cover of her new book. At a dinner party at Diane's home in Paris in 2009, I passed my phone around the table to share initial sketches for Paris-Chien, my first book. Diane's encouragement and story advice were incredibly helpful to me.

As good as Lunch in Paris was, Picnic in Provence is even better!

The Story of Cherry the Pig.

I love the illustrations, the palette, the story and the message. I love everything about it.

I discovered The Story of Cherry the Pig on peek, aren't you curious. They curate a collection of beautiful children's books every season. Paris-Chien has been included in two French collections, and Hudson in Provence will be in the 2015 Holiday collection. Thanks peek, and thanks for introducing me to Cherry.

"Hi, I'm No. I'm a very good boy...

Magpie That posted about one of my favorite dog books, Marta Altés book No! The storyline, from the dog's point of view, is so clever.  Here is one of my favorite illustrations.

I was reminded of when I first discovered Marta Altés work, a few years ago, at La Hune, one of my favorite bookstores in Paris. (Sadly, I've heard it will be closing.)  I was immediately drawn to the cover of My Grandpa and plopped down to read it right there. It's a beautiful story, très emouvant, and also available in English.

White Bean Mash

Wanting a veg dinner. We have a head of radicchio and a bag of grape tomatoes. Can roast these. There is a can of butter  beans in the pantry that has been there for ages. There are two cans. Google. Find Nigela Lawson's White Bean Mash. We have garlic. We have rosemary in the garden. And a lemon.
Alternating bites of roasted radicchio and roasted halved grape tomatoes with lemony garlicky white bean mash.  So enamored I forgot to take a photo. Here's Nigella's. And here's the recipe. (I used 2 cans, not 3.)

Thank you Gelsons, and Robin.

The best butter I've found locally. Made in Belgium with large salt crystals from France. Nothing more delicious for breakfast than a slice of Viktor Bênes six-grain toast with this salty butter and my friend Robin's Seedless Vashon Blackberry Jam, vintage 2014.

Leo Greenfield

The tagline reads,

"This blog is dedicated to the documentation of street style and culture.
All illustrations are of real people and are drawn from memory."

I love your illustrations, Leo Greenfield.

Quelle Coincidence. SARDINES!

Quelle coincidence!

I was working on this painting when I checked my email and saw David Lebovitz's latest update on Rödel SARDINES!

Thank you, Delia Ephron.

“Charming and adorable Hudson is back.
This time vacationing in the south of France, having a great doggy time.”
— DELIA EPHRON, author, Sister Mother Husband Dog (etc.)

Joyeux Noël

I just found out that Joyeux Noël, Merry Christmas in French, comes from the phrase les bonnes nouvelles, or the good news, referring to the gospel.

Nativity scene Santons made in Provence.

The traditional Christmas Bûche de Noël yulelog, from Saveur (Credit: David Sawyer)

Vin Chaud

Joyeux Noël = Merry Christmas
 Bonne Annee = Happy New Year 

Joyeux Hannakuh =  Happy Hannakkuh

Heat up red wine with cinamon sticks, cloves, orange slices, honey to taste.

Amazon Bestsellers Rank: Top 100

Paris-Chien is 
#41 in Travel > Paris and 
#61 in Children's Books > Explore the World > Europe

Pas mal.

Connie's Book Club, Modern Dog

"Two things inspired this delightfully charming illustrated children's book—Jackie Clark Mancuso's own time in the City of Light and a scruffy little Nowich Terrier named Hudson. In Paris-Chien, Hudson, newly relocated from the US to France, learns that while moving to a new place and making new friends can be difficult, it can also be an amazing adventure. A wonderful book to share with the children in your life."

No Dogs Allowed: from Sketch to Painting

The Square des Missions Étrangères near where we lived in the 7e, is a lovely place to relax with a friend, a book, or an ice cream from Le Bac à Glaces just down the street.

But dogs aren't allowed, nor are they welcome in the more than 400 small neighborhood parks in Paris. I thought Parisians loved dogs!

Seeing sign after sign prohibiting dogs from entering small parks in Paris gave me the idea for my first picture book, Paris-Chien: Adventures of an Ex-pat Dog.

Here is my photo of the Square des Missions Étrangères.

I made a sketch in pencil then went over it with a waterproof brush marker.

I scanned the sketch and printed it on watercolor paper with my large format Epson Artisan 1430,  and painted in gouache. I prefer Linel and Winsor & Newton.

Here is the final version which appeared in the book.

Bonnes nouvelles! I am happy to report that the dog park situation has changed.

 The first espace canin de liberté in Paris, where dogs can run, play and socialize freely, opened in late 2013 at Square Jacques Antoine near Place Denfert Rochereau in the 14e.

You can watch a funny video of the dog park opening here, copyright Célia Bonnin

It's in French, but you can still enjoy the video.

Thank you, Kit Lit Review

"Children who like dogs will love Paris-Chien, as will adults. Anyone who has experienced the dog culture of Paris will recall memories of time spent there on each page. The animals are adorable, with many breeds represented."

 Read the full Kit Lit Review here.