It's a bloody fun read for me, though.

Best children's book:

The Hidden Talent of Albert Otter by David Haywood and Peter Adamson (Public Address Books, $19.95).

Beautiful looking illustrations, I'm very envious. My children's book (about a bossy rodent named Chairman Mouse) remains entirely unrealised.

Been…

I was saving loch = Irish lough for afters...

"ough" starts about 3 minutes in

O-U-G-H
A Fresh Hack at an Old Knot
by Charles Battell Loomis

I'm taught p-l-o-u-g-h
S'all be pronouncé "plow."
"Zat's easy w'en you know," I say,
"Mon Anglais, I'll get through!"

My teacher say zat in zat case,
O-u-g-h is "oo."
And zen I laugh and say…

I have told him he has given…

The kid sounds able to cope with it all though- :)

Here, there
Heck, who'd want to learn English?

My favourite set is 'ough'...

edumacational

Jeez. Wot sort of techer is we leetig lose in our skools?

Ha! Nothing wrong with a bit of edumacation. Funnily enough, one of our boys who is very into his writing at the moment (he writes his mother letters – " Mum, can I use the computer after…

edumacational

Jeez. Wot sort of techer is we leetig lose in our skools?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FakIHtOQDrQ

Even his bones shine through."

Them's some lovely bones. :)

I guess I thought you were implying Jaws is a deep sea creature, which of course everybody knows isn't so...

My nephew does quite a lot, eats heaps, and has grown heaps (he's now 6'4, a big ginga who goes check on Jaws first thing, every time he visits.)

does very little except eat. And rest. And grow, a little.

I thought you meant your nephew, but you meant your axolotyl. Right.

this black…

... horse on suburban section...

Please don't waste...Sally.

David. That's all I've got on the horse. I could string it out for you – no doubt – but I'm writing a different piece at the moment that isn't bad, I hope. Touring the Aussie outback with the ballet company. Fully…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m3WIUODiVoU

A young musician having a snack, urban Vancouver style.

For what it's worth, I have an axolotyl.

It's worth a great deal, I can assure you.

I won't pretend not to know what an axolotyl is but nor will I pretend to know. That way I will remain equivocal and mysterious. I do like the idea of a tank,…

It's watercolour, with a secret ingredient! Not my ideal medium, but one I thought quite apt.

Sourced directly from the otters at the zoo? Or are we talking river water? Enquiring artistic minds...

monotreme obscenity

won't someone think of the echidnas...

Elric the Axolotl...
mexicans with good cell coverage?
talking about my re-re-regeneration...

He's gotten Dave Dobbyn to write a poignant theme song for the forthcoming sequel, in which Albert tires of royal wedded bliss and develops a wandering eye, much to the princess's anguish.

I refer of course to…

You'll find it in the wardrobe in the spare room.

He's not lyin'. But which wardrobe?

Ah, thankyou, my coat.

You'll find it in the wardrobe in the spare room.

Na-na-na-na, Na-na-na-na, Narnia, goo-oodbye!

Ah, thankyou, my coat.

As an Indian food-related aside...

Has anyone here tried a chicken tarka?

It's like a chicken tikka, but a little 'otter.

Groan. Cue Mrs Stephen Fry: "We've ordered the C.S Lewis set meal from our local indian takeaway. It's like the regular set meal, only naanier."

sign-o-rama or inscript-o-rama

I've been shopping for art (birthday soon) and this sounds very much like what we've seen lately. It turns out shopping for art isn't easy, who knew?

And Peter Adamson – beautiful drawings – you're using oil pastel? Crayon? Whatever, your work is wonderful, and will get a whole lot of wider exposure. Cheers!

It's watercolour, with a secret ingredient! Not my ideal medium, but one I thought quite apt.

Thanks again, Islander!

What about a collaboration to translate it into Italian? Mia moglia loved reading it to our three and wanted to send it friends/family in Italy.

Sorry, Matthew, I must be especially stupid tonight. A collaboration with you, of course. Sounds very interesting! Just drop me an email…

... horse on suburban section...

Please don't waste all that great material on my thread, Sally. We'll have it for another PA guest post, thanks!

David never gave me a brief, so the camera quietly panned away after the second to last page. And I'm very grateful for that!

I think everyone's grateful for that, dude — it would have put quite a few children in therapy, I'm guessing...

Sacha and **Bart…

*all axolotyls.... their adventures – in a tank anyway- are exceedingly boring. Non-existent actually-

This cannot go entirely unchallenged.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nuEavVRNT4
Jump to about 2 mins.

We always used to answer

"How much wood would a woodchuck chuck
if a woodchuck could chuck wood?"

with

"Why would a woodchuck chuck wood
if a woodchuck could…

David never gave me a brief, so the camera quietly panned away after the second to last page. And I'm very grateful for that!

Some things best left to the imagination...
Timeless work Peter, pure and evocative.

Just popping in to offer my sincere thanks for all the really nice things that have been said so far about our book. It was a big chunk out of my home time and it's great to see such positive feedback.

I'm looking forward…

if a woodchuck could chuck

My daughter wrote this for school back in June (she had been reading a lot of Shel Silverstein prior to this):

The Woodchuck

How much wood would a woodchuck chuck
If a woodchuck could chuck wood?
Well I asked the woodchuck
And the…

Deutsch editions

What about a collaboration to translate it into Italian? Mia moglia loved reading it to our three and wanted to send it friends/family in Italy.

Will the next book feature a monotreme by any chance? There's not enough books about monotremes...

How about monotremes and obscenity?

Why did I get an axolotyl?
Is a rescue axolotyl.
My nephew was going to throw it down a drain (seawards inclined) and I was frightened…

Do you know, that despite having stayed at my house several times since my buying the book, she has never inscribed it.

Adding another to the list of Totally Unsurprising Things, often when Megan and I are together, we forget things.

For what it's worth, I have an axolotyl.

Does it act and own a cellphone?

Did you get the email about my limited print run chapbook As Above, So Below – Wit and Wisdom from the Hutt a deliciously thin tome, the blank pages are great for shopping lists and phone messages...

No. ......did I miss something?

An 'easy' book for me to use. It…

For what it's worth, I have an axolotyl.

You do *not* want to know the Adventures of An Asexual Axolotyl-

(*all axolotyls are asexual…

Beautiful pics.

It was my sister's horse. She would have ridden it from the paddock where it…

despite having stayed at my house several times since my buying the book, she has never inscribed it

That wine stain counts, right?

That reminds me... can I have David's book inscribed by Emma, like last year?

Do you know, that despite having stayed at my house several times since my buying the book, she has never inscribed it.

Maybe I should take it to Chch in a couple of weeks, and get…

Has anyone here tried a chicken tarka?
It's like a chicken tikka, but a little 'otter.

Tasty!
Some like it 'otter...

There are disadvantages to cash transactions in bars, though I treasure the inscriptions..

That reminds me... can I have David's book inscribed by Emma, like last year?

An email went out to previous PA Books buyers last week

There are disadvantages to cash transactions in bars, though I treasure the inscriptions..

Same problem here.

Of course it could simply be that David hates us – yeah that'll be it.

...on the lookout for easy things to print/publish!!!!!

Did you get the email about my limited print run chapbook As Above, So Below – Wit and Wisdom from the Hutt a deliciously thin tome, the blank pages are great for shopping lists and phone messages...
;- )

Has anyone here tried a chicken tarka?

It's like a chicken tikka, but a little 'otter.

Why just today, I bought a book about turtle-stacking on the recommendation of Lisa Simpson.

The eminent critic Clancy Wiggum concurred, as I recall.

I always make a special point of lingering by the otters at the Wellington Zoo. They project cheerful, eager energy and good nature, even if they are vicious little buggers with teeth like razors and rancid fish-stink

I believe those particular "vicious little buggers" are asian claweds. Many years ago…

I think you should consider supplies to be practically infinite.

It will be like in the Library of Babel, except every book will be The Hidden Talent of Albert Otter, apart from one copy of the Edmonds' Cookbook.

Carol Stewart wrote:

Ewe otter bee mighty proud, David. It looks inspired. Please please print some more!

Don't worry Carol — it's only the first edition that's…

But I'm sure that even a second edition copy will provide for your financial needs come retirement.

I'd bulk up on the Deutsch editions if I were you, Ross.

And readers will doubtless be glad to know that it's printed by Apple Pie Design, home of the lovely Ian Dalziel.

Yes, the lovely Ian Dalziel is very lovely and deserves a dedicated post (if not a book and a documentary). When Bob-the-boy is asked about his…

Any in the Narnia books?

yup

Any in the Narnia books?

Don't know, but there's a Lottie the Otter in Return to the Hundred Acre Wood, the recent authorised sequel to The House at Pooh Corner.

Further to Ian's offerings, I thought Beatrix Potter might have been a rich source of literary otters, but the only one I remember is a passing reference to 'wicked otters' in The Tale of Mr Tod.

I haven't seen Tarka the Otter – it's next on my list of to-dos.I have seen a rather unsettling doco on a woman who kept a 'pet' tiger... Tigers get such…

Metal work? :)

Ouch! Yes, much worse than maths, though once down I feel metal work would stay down. Maths homework would be a regurgitator. All those mistakes.

I hope it starts a craze of otter ownership.

An otter is for life, not just for Christmas.

Have you seen Tarka the Otter? The way otter ownership is described is rather like looking after a couple of dozen inquisitive preschoolers on a sugar binge. With extra added strong smell…

And readers will doubtless be glad to know that it's printed by Apple Pie Design, home of the lovely Ian Dalziel.

So that's why that bugger keeps hanging around here.....on the lookout for easy things to print/publish!!!!!

An email went out to previous PA Books buyers last week

There are disadvantages to cash transactions in bars, though I treasure the inscriptions..

Which homework do you think would be hardest to swallow?

Metal work? :)

I hope it starts a craze of otter ownership. Better an otter than a tiger...You'd have to have floorboards, preferably polished, not carpet. Lino would be okay. And a pool.

I would give up vast amounts of money (which I don't actually have, but anyway) to have a pet otter.…

Proud owner of #7.

Hah. FIRST! (Thanks to being 2 1/2 hours behind most of the rest of you, so I was still up and about when the e-mail alert came through.) 'Though I have not as yet seen the book, because it has been delivered to my parents' place,…

I hope it starts a craze of otter ownership. Better an otter than a tiger...You'd have to have floorboards, preferably polished, not carpet. Lino would be okay.…

And readers will doubtless be glad to know that it's printed by Apple Pie Design, home of the lovely Ian Dalziel.

I want my hammer back!

There is a little something extra in your package — but nothing so good as that hammer, alas.

Ian MacKay wrote:

Now David. Was this story autobiographical? It was his maths.

I may have occasionally licked a maths textbook, Ian — but…

There's not enough books about monotremes...

I have a draft of a very overcooked alphabet book lying about somewhere, with the working title The Platitudinous Platypus...

The real Albert Otter (left) and the fictional Albert Otter (right).

Whoah. That's uncanny.

As one who was privy to the PRE-first-edition edition, and has thus been reading the book at bedtime for a week or so now, I can offer some reviews:

"I really liked it. My best bit…

Now David. Was this story autobiographical? It was his maths.

I just checked, and the email *was* sent to you

I want my hammer back!

You deserve extra points for not calling this post "The Life of Otters".

WHAT? Sold out the first edition when this is the frist time we have seen it? Humbug!

Very sorry, Ross! An email went out to previous PA Books buyers last week, and the first edition sold out on pre-purchases. I just checked, and the email *was* sent…

2. So I can't get this in the 50% off any 1 Kids' book sale Whitcoulls is currently having (which isn't really limited to 1 book)?