In an Amazon review of Bash and Lucy Say, “Love, Love, Bark,” a reader wrote, “The Mystery of the Missing Dog Books” is fun and heartwarming. Bash’s favorite dog books keep disappearing from the library, so he and his sister Ally team up with their grandma and Bash’s trusty dog Lucy to catch the thief.
The book promotes being kind and loving dogs, and they even create Dog-tention to turn mean people into dog lovers. It’s a cute story that’ll make you feel good inside and remind you how great dogs are.”
In the book, the fourth in our Bash and Lucy series, someone has been stealing Bash’s favorite dog books from the library, books that help calm him when the world is too loud, too bright, or too busy.
Bash enlists the aid of Grandma Vera, a feisty, do-good immigrant from Ukraine and the town’s assistant mayor, to help identify the thief. He also recruits his sister, Ally, a spunky mayor-dancer-librarian. Of course, the investigation also requires the super senses of Bash’s golden retriever, Lucy.
Ally and Grandma Vera, with Lucy by their side, tackle the mystery of the missing books while they pursue their mission of helping people get along better. Their message: Let’s embrace the goodness of dogs. To spread their message, Vera and Ally establish daily canine-adoring holidays. They also invent “Dog-tention,” which transforms troublemakers, naysayers, and bullies into dog lovers.
Can Bash, Vera, Ally, and Lucy find the book thief, end the arguing and bullying, and help people work together?
The authors hope to inspire readers to embrace Grandma Vera’s messages about kindness, empathy, and love.
Co-author Lisa is working on a new children’s dog book series–Lea is headed to college–that focuses on the same themes of kindness, empathy and love.
It will star Hudson, who recently passed away, and our new pup, golden retriever River.
Golden retriever River, our new family member
Questions? Be sure to email us at BashAndLucy@gmail.com
Golden Retriever River is the newest member of the Cohn family. Will this puppy be a character in a new book?
Amazon review of Bash and Lucy Say, Love, Love, Bark!
I Want to Live in Woof-Woof Nation!
“A loving tribute to our canine heroes that masterfully weaves fantasy and much-needed empathy. Who wouldn’t want a sister like Ally, a grandmother like Vera, and a dog like Lucy? This book will appeal to kids and adults with sensory challenges and anyone who thinks we should listen and love like our four-legged friends.
A good book to read to elementary-aged students.”
Pictured above is River, the Cohns’ new puppy. Plans call for Lisa to write a new book starring puppy River. Will it be a new series by Lisa, without co-author Lea, who is heading to college in a few weeks? Follow us to learn more.
We appreciated this note from a reader about our fourth kids’ dog book, Bash and Lucy Say, “Love, Love, Bark!”
“There is a kind of children’s book that does something quietly remarkable. It wraps a real message inside so much warmth and humor and personality that kids absorb it completely without feeling like they are being taught anything. Bash and Lucy is absolutely that kind of book. Dog-tention alone is one of the most creative concepts I have come across in middle grade fiction in a long time, and the fact that it actually works within the story, transforming bullies and naysayers through the simple power of loving dogs, is both funny and genuinely moving.
What drew me in specifically is the ensemble at the heart of it. Bash with his golden retriever and his need for calm in a noisy world. Ally the spunky mayor-dancer-librarian, which is a combination that should not work and yet clearly does. And Grandma Vera, a feisty Ukrainian immigrant and assistant mayor who has decided that canine appreciation holidays are exactly what this town needs. That group of characters has so much texture and so much heart, and the mystery thread gives the whole thing a propulsive energy that keeps young readers turning pages.
The audiobook format with its multi-generational cast of narrators sounds like an experience all on its own, the kind of thing families listen to together on road trips and then quote for weeks afterward.”
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Want to read the book? You can find it on Amazon or other online booksellers. We’re also offering autographed copies paired with the audiobook, read by teens, tweens and a Ukrainian grandmother. Email us at Bashandlucy@gmail.com to order it or find the autographed book/audiobook package on Etsy.
You can also listen to previews of our first kids’ audiobook, read by children as young as age 5, here.
In the kids’ dog book Bash and Lucy Say, “Love, Love, Bark!” someone has been stealing Bash’s favorite dog books from the library, books that help calm him when the world is too loud, too bright, or too busy.
Bash enlists the aid of Grandma Vera, a feisty, do-good immigrant from Ukraine and the town’s assistant mayor, to help identify the thief. He also recruits his sister, Ally, a spunky mayor-dancer-librarian. Of course, the investigation also requires the super senses of Bash’s golden retriever, Lucy.
Ally and Grandma Vera, with Lucy by their side, tackle the mystery of the missing books while they pursue their mission of helping people get along better. Their message: Let’s embrace the goodness of dogs. To spread their message, Vera and Ally establish daily canine-adoring holidays. They also invent “Dog-tention,” which transforms troublemakers, naysayers, and bullies into dog lovers.
Can Bash, Vera, Ally, and Lucy find the book thief, end the arguing and bullying, and help people work together?
The kids’ dog book authors hope to inspire readers to embrace Grandma Vera’s messages about kindness, empathy, and love.
Written by Lisa Cohn (Mom) and Lea Cohn (now age 17), award-winning authors who have appeared on the Today Show, AM Northwest, in Disney’s Babble, the Oregonian and other media outlets.
We just launched a giveaway of our new kids’ audiobook, Bash and Lucy Say, “Love, Love, Bark!” which is read by tweens, teens, a few adults and a Ukrainian grandmother. It also features the bark of Hudson, our golden retriever, who appears as a character in the book and audiobook.
Here’s the LibraryThing link for entering the giveaway, which ends March 25, at which point the winners will be chosen.
About the audiobook readers:
Mateo Tennyson Taylor: (Bash, James, Matthew)
Evoto
We were thrilled that the talented Mateo Taylor joined this project to read some of the main character’s lines: Bash, Matthew and James.
Mateo Tennyson Taylor is an award-winning actor based in Portland, Oregon. At age 6, Mateo made his professional acting debut at Portland’s Winningstad Theatre as Tiny Tim in A Christmas Carol. Mateo has played Gavroche in Les Miserables and has done several films in Oregon, Washington and California. At age 8, Mateo became brand ambassador for a Silicon Valley tech company, filming numerous industrials. He’s done commercial and theatrical voice-over work, including two campaigns for a national retail store and as the voice of Chase from Paw Patrol for its video game release.
Avery Christ (Adam, Paula, Rasheed, children’s group voices)
Avery has performed in numerous theatrical productions. Some of their recent roles include Wolf in Into the Woods, Underling in Drowsy Chaperone Jr the Musical,Teen Fiona in Shrek Jr the Musical, and Regina in Rock of Ages Jrthe Musical. They have been singing and playing piano for years and were very excited to try voice acting for the first time in Bash and Lucy Say, “Love, Love, Bark!”
Sunny Christ (Tristan, Chapter Titles, children’s group voices)
Sunny has performed in a number of plays, including Alice in Alice in Wonderland, Derrick McCreedy in Nancy Drew and the Case of the Missing Letter, Milky White in Into the Woods, and Ensemble in The Drowsy Chaperone Jr. the Musical. She has also taken piano, singing, and dancing lessons. Sunny was very excited to be performing in her first audiobook!
Ari Harris (Mayor Ally)
Ari Harris is a Portland native with a passion for creative expression. She has an AAS of Music Performance and Technology from Clackamas Community College, decades of experience teaching children under the age of 6, and a lifelong love of dancing, gardening, and painting. Ari and her husband, Peter LeClair, co-own and operate Robinwood Music Studio and perform around the Portland area as a folk duo called moongate. She lives in West Linn, OR with her husband, two daughters, and two cats.
Tate Noble (Coach, random characters with various accents, audiobook co-editor)
If we needed an accent, we asked Tate to do the reading. If we needed some comedy, Tate was our man. He conquered pretty much any part we threw his way!
Tate is an aspiring voice actor who has been doing impressions his entire life. He has been involved with multiple theatre productions since he was very young, and fell in love with acting as a whole. With this as his first venture into voice acting, he hopes to practice and further develop his skills in the future. He helped edit the audiobook.
Vera Moroz (Assistant Mayor Vera, Bash’s Ukrainian Grandma)
Vera grew up in Soviet-occupied Ukraine, in the village of Cherkasy, where she was born in 1942. She embodies strength, goodness, kindness, and intelligence–just like the Vera in Bash and Lucy Say, “Love, Love, Bark.”
When Vera turned six, her mother convinced the local teacher to let Vera attend school, in part because the bright young girl demanded it. Conditions were dismal. “The school was half-broken, only one big room. We had one long table and there was fourteen children, different ages,” said Vera.
Vera, a grandmother, now studies English, sells home-made food, and babysits to raise money for Ukrainians hurt by conflict.
Hudson, age 13, is a character in Bash and Lucy Say, “Love, Love, Bark!” and also provides a bark-over in the audiobook. He’s now struggling with cancer, but amazes us with his resilience, optimism and strength. If he falls down, no problem! He just gets back up and keeps going.
Again, click HERE to enter the Bash and Lucy Say, “Love, Love, Bark!” audiobook giveaway.
Thirteen-year-old Hudson, recently diagnosed with inoperable canine cancer, is a model of resilience, positivity and grace in the face of sickness.
A month ago, when he was first diagnosed, he couldn’t stand up without help. But that didn’t stop him from meeting me when I came home. He crawled his way out of the kitchen–where he stakes out his food bowl–to the front door to greet me.
It didn’t stop him from jumping at the opportunity to go on two-mile walks on forest trails near our house.
Once we got him a Help ‘Em Up Harness, I could lift his hips, and away he ‘d go–stopping to visit with people who passed by and leaning into those he especially liked–a classic Golden Retriever move.
When a friend , Susan, and her dog came over to walk with us, I told Hudson, “Your friends are here.” This set off a frenzy of excitement. Hudson barked and begged to go outside, then hobbled out to greet them.
He didn’t hesistate to gobble down his food when I started adding new ingredients, like bone broth, to his meals.
Never grouchy, he welcomed grooming by our cat, Indigo, and when she stepped up her attention–as if realizing he needed extra kisses and love–he…well…tolerated it.
His fur isn’t falling out anymore. His deep bark is returning (although sometimes it’s still a croak) and his mobility has improved. While he still needs the Pull ‘Em Up Harness to get up the stairs at night and to walk down the stairs in the morning, he generally can get up and walk around by himself. It takes nearly an hour to trek two miles on our forest trails, with lots of ball-catching, treats and rests, but he’s always eager to hike, and hike some more.
And he’s wagging his tail more–when he greets strangers, when I come home or when it’s time to eat. He’s also gaining weight,
When a friend recently told me, “Hudson is so lucky to have you as his best friend,” I had to correct her.
No, I’m the lucky one.
Even when I’m helpong him up, hand-feeding him his meals (to help get his medicine down), or checking his breathing, he’s my cheerleader, my hiking companion, my anchor.
Even when I’m worrying about his panting, stumbles or energy level, Hudson makes me feel safe.
You can listen to Hudson bark in the last two of our four audiobooks. We’re releasing the fourth very soon, stay tuned!
Our third kids’ audiobook, Bash and Lucy Fetch Team Vera and the Dream Beasts, is read by co-authors Lisa Cohn and Lea Cohn (age 10 at the time) and four of Lea’s friends, age 9-13.
Also featured are the voices of Lea’s sister, Ally Cohn Merkel, and Ukrainian grandma Vera Moroz, who just celebrated her 84th birthday.
Listen to a sample:
Sensitive Bash gets grumpy and disruptive when his life is too bright, too loud, too smelly, or too busy. To help stay calm, he counts on his librarian sister, Ally, his friends, and especially his dog, Lucy. But Lucy has become a local superstar because she’s a soccer coach who barks, wags, and kisses Bash’s team to victory. Now, all the kids want Lucy to coach their teams, especially Paula, Bash’s girl-power cousin. Paula says her soccer team has the right to have Lucy coach her team because girls deserve the very best canine coaches under Title IX. How can Bash show he respects the girls’ rights while keeping dear Lucy by his side and on his team?
The chapter book features dream beasts designed by Lea Cohn, age 9 at the time it was published. The book was featured in Voice of America in a widely shared article that focused on the character of Vera, based on an immigrant grandma from Ukraine in real life.
REVIEWS: I’ve loved all of the Bash and Lucy books. But this one is my favorite. Great female characters in this book, including mayor-librarian-dancer Ally, whose smarts, talents, and kindness make her a great role model. I also really like the tough, loving and much admired Grandma Vera, the assistant mayor and coach of the most successful girls’ team in the state. Another female role model is Paula, who is intent on ensuring Title IX is enforced, and the girls get the best coach, even though that coach happens to be a dog named Lucy. This book is great fun to read, but I also couldn’t help but think about the way immigrants are maligned these days and how nice it was to see one championed in a Bash and Lucy book. Keep them coming please!
–Amazon review
My thoughts: Bash and Lucy Fetch Team Vera and the Dream Beasts teaches an important message candy wrapped with humor. Bash learns that under the Title IX law, girls have equal rights as boys when it comes to the best coaches and education. This is an early chapter book with expressive illustrations.
10-year-old Amanda’s thoughts: I liked that they loved dogs so much and let them be coaches. I think it’s cool that Ally is everywhere. Whenever you need her, she’s there. I like that the grandma is a coach and teaches the best girl team. I also like the grandma’s accent.
We received an ARC of this book. This is our honest and voluntary review. –Posted on Amanda’s Books and More.
Great story! Well-written, entertaining, and hits on a lot of issues children deal with today- jealousy, anger, over-stimulation, etc. Very relatable for dog lovers too! Highly recommend for children of all ages.
The audiobook for our award-winning book, Bash and Lucy Fetch Jealousy, features the voices of kids age 7-10 and co-author Lisa Cohn.
Listen to the audiobook sample:
Find the audiobook on Audible. To get a copy of the paperbook, email BashAndLucy@gmail.com. (We’re not sure why it costs $80 on Amazon!)
Bash and Lucy Fetch Jealousy, the second book and audiobook in the Bash and Lucy series, is a Mom’s Choice award winner.
In the book, Bash’s dog, Lucy, helps coach his soccer team, and Lucy leads the team to the championships. But Bash is overcome with jealousy when Lucy enchants a team of Special Olympics kids who say they want her to coach their team. Can Bash overcome his jealousy and learn to share Lucy with kids who say they need her?
Reviews:
This is a cute story with cute pictures, written for young children. It teaches about jealousy as well as integrating children with disabilities into the story. I think children would enjoy Bash & Lucy Fetch Jealousy, especially the way Lucy is depicted. I like how the authors got ideas for this story from classes in different elementary schools. (Authors’ note: We did Skype in the Classroom lessons with kids from all over the world, and asked them what to include in the book).
–Bound for Escape
This is the first Bash and Lucy book that we have read and we really enjoyed it. I loved the way Lisa Cohn made it easy to talk to my four year old about jealousy and different ways to handle the emotions that go with it. My daughter was astounded when I told her that a child helped write the book. I found the book to be well written and inspiring, a story that can help my daughter overcome the negative feelings associated with jealousy. We were asked to review this book and give our honest opinion.
We now have four kids’ audiobooks available on Audible–and soon, other audiobook websites. We’ll be releasing our latest audiobook, Bash and Lucy Say, “Love, Love, Bark!” chapter by chapter in a few weeks on this blog.
Let’s begin with the first, Bash and Lucy Fetch Confidence, released in 2015. It features the voices of co-authors Lisa Cohn and Lea Cohn (age 6 at the time) plus three other children, aged 6-8.
Listen to the full audiobook:
You can also listen to a preview and buy the kids’ audiobook for $3.46 on Audible.
REVIEWS
“Bash and Lucy”, whose authors were featured on the Today Show, is a Mom’s Choice Silver Award Winner, and finalist, 2013 USA Best Book Awards.
In this contemporary boy-and-dog tale, talkative Bash has a big problem in soccer: His beloved dog, Lucy, is a pro at nabbing the ball, but sometimes at the wrong moment. Coach wants to ban Lucy from soccer practice and games, separating Bash from a companion who boosts his confidence in sports – and life.
In this audiobook for kids age four to eight, Bash and friends help Coach understand that with Lucy by their side, they feel more confident, laugh more often, and are comforted when they make mistakes.
Reviews of the paperback version, which you can buy on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or other websites.
Such a cute book…awesome illustrations, too. I really like the idea of using the dog to help teach the concept of teamwork, the importance of confidence, and how the dog represented to the boys these ideas. I also enjoyed the flow of the book…It’s a nice story that can teach some great lessons to kids in sports.
–Kirk Mango, National Champion, Hall of Famer, & author of “Becoming a True Champion” on Amazon
Bash and Lucy,” an endearing story about a boy and his soccer-loving dog, is a book that kids (and the adults who read it to them) will enjoy. Any kid who plays soccer, any parent who’s watched or coached soccer, and anyone who’s loved a dog will find something to love about this book!
-–Susan Moshofsky, teacher, parent, and former soccer mom on Amazon
Bash and Lucy Fetch Confidence” is a wonderful story that teaches kids and their families about the important relationships we can have with dogs and illustrates beautifully how there can be more than one way to do something…and that the best way isn’t always the obvious way! It promotes relationships above results and creative thinking above the status quo. A great read for any dog lovers!
–Phoebe Spier, Musician and Child/Youth Development Professional
You can buy the paperback or the audiobook on Amazon.
If you’d like an autographed copy of the book, email LisaEllenCohn1@gmail.com
