BOW WOW!!! Martin's already won a medal from the Moonbeam Children's Book Award!
My 'job description' given to me by my dad, the priest, was to greet people and make them feel welcome. I was very good at what I did. I happen to be quite an attractive dog and I love everyone and everyone loves me. That's the way it ought to be, don't you think?
So begins Martin in the Narthex, written by Martin the dog, an Australian Shepherd and the official greeter at St. Barnabas in Fredericksburg, Texas, for almost five years. With canine insight, he describes his joyful role in helping to make the church a friendly, caring community. Readers of all ages will enjoy and understand this story of love and redemption.
The book's cheerful, engaging illustrations are the work of twelve-year-old Riley Cohn, who brings Martin's story to life with drawings that reflect her own unique way of viewing the world.
About the author:
Martin, an Australian shepherd, was born on February 14, 2000, in Weslaco, Texas. Reverend and Mrs. Richard H. Elwood got Martin the day after Easter that year, and he has been with them ever since. Dick and Jane Elwood, and Martin, moved to Fredericksburg in 2005 when Dick began serving as the interim rector of St. Barnabas Episcopal Church, one week after he had retired from active ministry. What was expected to be a twelve-to-eighteen-month assignment lasted four and a half years. His final service at St. Barnabas was Easter of 2009, which marked his forth-fifth year in the Episcopal ministry. Jame Leister Elwood is a Christian actress who has written and performed dramactic monologues about bibical women. She has taken her "Women of the Bible" all over the country to churches of every demonination. Following a two-year stay in Houston to be near their children and grandchildren, the Elwoods have made Fredericksburg their permanent residence. Martin continues to be a blessing to his owners and to countless others who have encountered him along the way. As he says, "All I have ever known is love. That's the way it ought to be, don't you think?"
Riley Cohn is a sixth-grade student at Fredericksburg Middle School. She lives with her parents and her seven dogs on five acres outside of Fredericksburg. She enjoys drawing, eating Popsicles, making drip castles at the beach, and swimming in the ocean when the water is cold. Through her amazing artistic talent, she can capture a person's true essence with the simplest of strokes. Her gift of autism has given her the ability to see the good and beauty in all. What a magical gift, don't you think?
Click here for Martin's first review
Here's a link to a story about Martin in the Narthex from the Houston Chronicle.
Here a link to a story about Martin in the Narthex from the San Antonio Express-News.
Book Signing Schedule for Martin (and follow Martin in the Narthex on Facebook)
406 Post Oak Road Fredericksburg Texas 78624