Groucho's Eyebrows

Barbara Lavallee, centers on a girl and her cat.

Laura Hummel - Children's Literature

Kristie is delighted to receive a fluffy white kitten with funny black eyebrows. She named him Groucho after a famous man who made people laugh. Kristie dresses Groucho up and takes him for rides in a doll stroller. She wraps him around her neck and cuddles with him. They even play a game of hide-and-seek in the snowy outdoors. Groucho is Nanook, the polar bear, and Kristie is an Artic tracker. But the game becomes serious when the kitten slips out the door into the snowy wilderness. The devastated child follows tracks in the snow that lead to other animals, but not her beloved Groucho. How can she possibly find a snowy white cat in the winter woods? The heartwarming tale comes to a satisfying conclusion as the clever child focuses on her cat's distinctive feature. Based on a real snowy white cat named Groucho, the story is beautifully illustrated. Soft breezy watercolors spill across the pages and capture the loving emotions and wintry scenes. 2003, Alaska Northwest Books/Graphics Arts Center Publishing, Ages 6 to 10.

Brown is a writer, editor, freelancer, program and book developer, journalist, quilter, mother, grandmother and wife. Her work has been nationally honored for compassionate, insightful depictations of Alaska natives and for children's literature. She began her award-winning literary career in journalism, and in 1984 was the founding editor of 'Heartland", the Sunday magazine of the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner. Later she wrote for the Anchorgae Daily News, then shifted into editing the popular monthly magazine Alaska, with a readership of more than a quarter million. She holds a Bachelor's degree in journalism and a Master of Fine Arts degree.

Barbara Lavellee has worked as an art teacher and now is a full-time artist. She travels widely, both "just for fun" and to research her illustrations. To find images to compliment the text of Uno, Dos, Tres: One, Two, Three, she visited many different markets in Mexico. Ms. Lavallee's artwork appears in several books for children, including the acclaimed Mama, Do You Love Me? by Barbara M. Joosse. She lives in Anchorage, Alaska.