Bob Papa

George's World of Questions: George the Golden Retriever By: Maura Weis Illustrated By: Marcela Burt George, a golden retriever puppy, is so excited to go to the dog park with his mom! But when he gets there, he is confused by what he sees: lots of different dogs who look nothing like him! George's mom decides to take him on journey to learn how different things in the world can be from animals to flowers and even people, too! About the Author Born in Manhattan, New York, Maura Weis currently resides in Lake Worth, Florida with her husband and their three dogs. George is her Golden Retriever who inspired her to write this book. She is a mother of two adult children. Maura is an equestrian and a self-proclaimed animal lover. Having a child with special needs, she and her husband founded Hannah and Friends, a charity that provides homes for adults with special needs. About the Illustrator Marcela Burt enjoyed painting as a child growing up the youngest of five in Managua, Nicaragua. After moving to Key West, getting married, and starting a new chapter of life in the sunny Florida isle, she rediscovered this passion and talent. It came to be at once therapeutic and relaxing. As her friendship with author Maura Weis grew out of Marce's genuine love and obsession with Golden retrievers through various social media groups and platforms, she eventually began managing a fun Facebook page about Maura's real-life dog George. Together they came up with the plan and idea of developing George into an adventurous and mischievous children's book character. Marce's watercolors and digital art populate the pages of the Grumpy George series with a fun and playful style that matches both her own personality and the tone of the book.

Jerry Izenberg's career as a newspaper reporter and columnist spans generations. From the early 1950s to the present day, he has written about championship teams and Olympic icons, baseball and football superstars and boxing legends. Along the way he became one of the best American sports columnists. "Going 15 Rounds With Jerry Izenberg: A Collection Of Interviews With The Legendary Columnist" highlights Izenberg's career and some of his favorite stories. Even as he approached his 90th birthday in September 2020, Izenberg remains an important voice in the sports media world. In a series of conversations with Izenberg, his illustrious career is discussed. Some of the seminal moments of his childhood and adulthood are highlighted with vivid details. A gifted storyteller, Izenberg talks about his close friendship with Muhammad Ali, about meeting Nelson Mandela at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, about the one question he always wanted to ask Cuban leader Fidel Castro. He reminisces about his father's love for baseball,  and about his own realization as a young man that he wasn't an aspiring jazz musician despite his love for music. Yes, music played a pivotal role in his life as a writer. But how? That's a topic explored within these pages. He shares tales about newspaper mentors and colleagues, including Red Smith and Shirley Povich, Jim Murray and Stanley Woodward, Dick Young and Jimmy Cannon. He reflects on racism and race relations in the 20th century through the prism of sports. He discusses courage and heroism, using Olympic wrestler Jeff Blatnick and baseball player Jim Eisenreich as examples. He recalls his visit to Grambling University, a historically black university, to observe coach Eddie Robinson's football squad when he was the first white reporter to do so. He brings horse races from the 1970s to life, reminiscing about Secretariat and Canonero II. Jerry Green, Dave Anderson, Ira Berkow, John Schulian, Dave Kindred and Jeremy Schaap, among others, offer their assessments of Izenberg's career and what's made it special. They also weigh in on Izenberg's place in the pantheon of American sportswriters. Not strictly an interview book, this project curates a wide mix of opinions from and about Jerry Izenberg to help people develop a broader understanding of his background, numerous career accomplishments and commitment to the community. He was the founder of Project Pride, which provided scholarships to college-bound students from his hometown of Newark, New Jersey, and also provided a range of sports and academic activities for students for three decades. Cover photo: Jerry Izenberg and Muhammad Ali in 1991.  JERRY IZENBERG PHOTO COLLECTION