Dubs Goes to Washington: And Discovers the Greatness of America - Softcover

Dick & Eileen have been married for thirty-four years. Together, they have written nine New York Times best sellers, including #1 Catastrophe, Off With Their Heads, Outrage, 2010:Take Back America, Rewriting History, Hillary v. Condi, Because He Could, and Revolt! Dick’s Behind the Oval Office was also an NYT bestseller. One of the most prominent American political consultants, Dick Morris is well known for his probing, insightful, hard-hitting and clear commentary on FoxNews. Dick and Eileen write daily columns on US politics for their website dickmorris.com and have been columnists for the New York Post and contributors to National Review and many other publications. Dick writes a weekly column for The Hill. Recently, Dick began daily video commentary and a Saturday history lesson on dickmorris.com. Morris first came to national attention by providing the strategy for Bill Clinton’s stunning comeback re-election victory in 1996, rescuing his presidency after he lost Congress in 1994. Called “the most influential private citizen in America” by Time Magazine, Morris steered Clinton back to the center and was key in the Administration initiatives that balanced the budget, cut taxes, and reformed welfare. Morris also handled winning campaigns for more than thirty Senators and Governors. Globally, he has piloted campaigns for president or prime minister of Mexico, Colombia, Argentina, Uruguay, Kenya, Hungary, Poland, Taiwan, and Japan. Eileen is a lawyer and the CEO of dickmorris.com. Clayton Liotta is an illustrator, cartoonist, and film maker with quite a background. As a boy, a band of gypsies found him living under a squashed cabbage leaf. They whisked him away, and made him part of their roving caravan, where he learned the ancient art of broom making. He spent countless hours weaving straw into brooms and listening to stories told by tribal elders. Sitting around the campfire, Clayton was fascinated by the gypsies’ ancient tales. Soon, he found himself sketching in the dirt with leftover pieces of straw. Once they saw his interpretive drawings, the gypsies realized that they should preserve their unique stories on paper- along with Clayton’s sketches. An illustrator was born. Until now, Clayton’s work was known only in gypsy caravans. (And how many gypsy caravans do you see these days???) Clayton has since left the simple gypsy lifestyle for bright lights, big cities, cheeseburgers, fries, and cable TV.....Where he lives quietly!

   A missing tennis ball leads to a lesson in American history for golden retriever Dubs in this children’s book by Morris, McGann and Liotta.
   When Dubs discovers that his prized tennis ball has rolled away, he sets off on a mission to find it. The journey takes him throughout Washington, D.C., from the Lincoln Memorial to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, and to just about every point-of-interest in between. At each stop, before resuming the search for his tennis ball, Dubs reflects on the meaning or purpose of the site and how it personally affects him. While gazing up at the columns of the U.S. Supreme Court building, Dubs considers how “[i]f another dog took away my ball / the court would get it / back for me after all.” At the Thomas Jefferson Memorial, Dubs thinks, “If people are equal, can it possibly be / That dogs are too,...especially me?” By having Dubs not just recite what each site is and its role in American history but also briefly explain how the buildings or the actions of the people being memorialized personally affect him, the authors make it easier for children to relate to the imposing federal buildings and monuments. The rhyming scheme, though at times a bit clunky (“Dubs stopped by to visit the White House / To see the president and his lovely spouse”) keep the tone light, as does the missing tennis ball. Young readers will have fun searching for the bright yellow ball—always just out of Dubs’ sight—in each of the illustrations. The illustrations, by Liotta, both capture the playful side of Dubs and, at times, the solemnity of the monuments he visits. Each drawn from a different angle, they invite readers in for a closer look. At the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial, for example, Dubs hides beneath the folds of FDR’s cape, growling at Fala, the president’s Scottish terrier, who is also memorialized. At the World War II memorial, with his back to us, Dubs sits peacefully, surrounded by green memorial wreaths. The illustrations, coupled with the breadth of sites that Dubs visits, (15 in all), will keep readers interested while they learn about history and help Dubs find his tennis ball.
   A fun adventure that introduces young children to American history.