"Baby Birds: An Artist Looks Into the Nest" Has Landed!

I was playing bakketball with Phoebe and Liam and her friends from her college. It was sunny yesterday and I was barking because that's how you play bakketball. You stand over the ball and bark bark bark bark until the person is afraid to touch the ball. You bark like a slobbering wolf. Then you quickly try to pop the bakketball before they take it away from you.

You rasp your teef against it very hard and quickly while they scream and dither.

Then the big brown truck rolled up the driveway and everything fell to pieces. Mether got her overexcited smell and started running around in circles. 

When the brown man opened up the back of the truck it was full of boxes. All the ones with orange stickers were for her.

I was amazed. So many boxes. And not a bikkit anywhere. 

They are not thinking about me at all. 

Book book book book careful don't drop it ooh look how many bla bla bla bla bla

I did not hear "bikkit" even once.

I inspected the cabin. No bikkits. What is wrong with this brown man?

I sent Mether a subliminal message about bikkits. Here is what it said: 

"Get me a bikkit. Because the brown man forgot."

Mether said the orange sticker on the box says she can take orders now, but she cannot send the books out until about April 5 . Media Mail takes about a week, and the books aren't supposed to arrive until April 12. She says that is the "release date" for the book, everywhere.

Notice he does not have a treat in his hand.

This is the first shipment of Mether's new book. The tire went flat.

They couldn't pull the cart at all.

Mether got her favorite VolunTeens to help unload the books and carry them into the studio. That is Zach and Elizabeth and Phoebe. Liam was at school. She fed them some nice food for pay.

The VolunTeens carried the books through a little hallway.

I stood in the middle of the hall blocking the way and finally lay down so they would have to step over me.

It was the least I could do.

When they finally got all 180 books carried in I was exhausted.

Holding up progress is a lot of work.

You can order your copy of Baby Birds by clicking the new button in the right sidebar of the blog. 

The order form gets all your contact information in one place. It also gives you a box where you can ask Mether to sign the book special for someone. PayPal is the quickest and easiest payment option. Don't be put off by the word "donation." Your "donation" is 

 the price of your book(s) plus shipping. 

If you'd prefer to make out a check to Julie Zickefoose, the order form will give you her mailing address. When she gets your check she will sign and send your book. If you forget to send the check she won't send anything.

If you want more books than the order form allows, just write Mether a note in the comment box on the order form and she will answer you by email with a quote. Then she will scramble around for a bigger box.

Indigo buntings

One thing you should know about this book is it is an AMAZING deal. $28 for a full color, 3 1/2 pound book with gatefold plates and more than 400 paintings? I do not know how Houghton Mifflin Harcourt keeps the price that low. I truly don't. Mether is over the moon about this beautiful book.


Also, it is probably the ultimate Mother's Day gift. Because it's all about babies and how they grow and thrive. And what mother doesn't love to see that?

All carping about bikkits aside, thank you very much for your support. 

You're going to love this great big beautiful book of baby birds!

Love, Chet Baker

PS: Let Mether know in the Comments box if you'd like my pawdypadprint in your book.