This is a delightful children’s book about a run-away dog whose family had to move from Paris to a new job in America and were going to give him to the mean lady who lived upstairs. No way was he going to live with that lady. When moving day came he devised a way to escape when no one was watching and ran out onto the Rue Madeleine. He ran and ran in the driving rain until he ended up at the front of the Paris Opera House. He was taken in by the caretaker of the Opera House who fed him and warmed him up. He could not keep Coco, but took him on daily walks in a nearby park trying to find a good home for Coco. It is in this park that Coco meets Ginger and their love affair begins. Ginger was owned by the wife of the Spanish ambassador who immediately fell in love with the little Coco. She told the friendly man that she would be happy to take Coco home with her. She knew that Ginger was taken by Coco and that her children would happily take Coco in and love him. Coco was so happy to finally find a good home and people who really loved him dearly. He thought often about the family he had grown up with, but was truly happy in his new home. Soon the ambassador returned to Madrid, Spain and Coco went, too. She loved her new home in Spain and was very happy playing with the children and trying to learn to understand Spanish.
The author of Coco LaRue and Ginger Too, Roger D. Hoffman, is a retired Special Education teacher living in Westminster California. Working with hundreds of children over the past 35 years, Hoffman discovered the great love they have for animals, especially dogs. He, too, has always loved dogs and has adopted several over the years, but his favorites were Coco and Ginger. These two lived together with him and were inseparable. Their love for each other prompted Hoffman to characterize them in this delightful children’s book.
About the Illustrator
Christopher Kawagiwa is a student at California State University, Long Beach. He was recently accepted into the Bachelor of Fine Arts program in illustration and will be graduating with this degree in 2006. After completing his education, he plans to study in Florence, Italy.
Christopher has enjoyed drawing since childhood, winning multiple awards at the state and national levels. Growing up in a household of many pets, several unusual, that included chickens and ducks, he also shares a fondness for animals, especially dogs.
He is also a cartoonist for a monthly comic strip "Peppy-kun" running in the Rafu Shimpo, a Japanese/American newspaper published in Los Angeles, California. The strip concerns the daily happenings of a boy and his long-haired Chihuahua inspired by the dog, Ginger featured in this book.
This is the first book he has illustrated and looks forward to pursuing more projects as an illustrator in the future. He can be contacted at:operative311@hotmail.com.