Mark Ulriksen

If you’re a regular reader of The Bark magazine or The New Yorker, you’ve seen Mark Ulriksen’s work.

He’s out with a book called Dogs Rule Nonchalantly which is chock full of his dog artwork, along with a funny and a little tug-at-the-heart storyline. If you’ve ever loved — or been loved by — a dog, you’ll get a kick out of this book.

Throughout the illustrated book, you’ll meet the seven dogs that shaped Ulriksen’s life and artwork, with illustrations of each, show more naturally!

There’s Saber, the Springer, a happy duck hunting dog; Henry, the Labrador, a gopher hole digger extraordinaire; Doog, the poodle who sounded a little neurotic; Cleo, the St. Bernard, who would escape from the yard and visit Ulriksen at school (how cool would that be?!); Ted a very handsome chocolate Labrador whom Ulriksen describes as perfect (as the lover of Labradors, I’d have to agree); Tiger, the mutt whose favorite food was the cheesecake Ulriksen’s mom baked; and Bernie, the hyper dog who peed in his food.

Ulriksen’s illustrations could stand by themselves, they’re terrific, but the accompanying text is what brings the book to life.

I love this passage:

A dog will greet you like
a long lost friend,
jumping on you with muddy
paws, tail wagging, and
a cold wet nose pushed into
your face or your crotch.

Truth!

There's a terrific illustration of a man (Ulrikesen) hugging a dog on his lap. I love it, especially with the accompanying text:

Everything’s better
with a dog.

Yeah, what he said!

It’ll make a great Christmas present for the dog lover on your list!

If you’re still on the fence, look what Neil deGrasse Tyson writes about the book: “I’ve never met Mark Ulriksen, but after reading Dogs Rule, in which he displays uncanny sensitivity to a dog’s mind through his illustrations and text, I’m left wondering whether he is, in fact, a dog.” I love me some NdGT! show less

Amazing wonderful art paintings makes it five stars for me. Fun little bursts of words to go with the pictures. Would be great to read with a child, and a great encouragement for them to be an artist. Great to take it down again and look at the pictures. I even went and looked at them again before putting it in my 'need to find a place in the book case for this one' pile.

The words to go with the pictures are just normal good stuff. My favorite bit was:

“A dog's life is filled with simple show more pleasures: playing, roaming, carousing, exploring, conquering and, most importantly, loving.
They do it all with vigor and gusto.”

If you have this book, I would be interested in hearing what your favorite painting is out of them. My favorite is 'Spring Fever.'

At the end of the book there is a guide to all the paintings with the name and year. Went online where you can find prints of his art to purchase, maybe if I can find space on a wall... show less

Amazing wonderful art paintings makes it five stars for me. Fun little bursts of words to go with the pictures. Would be great to read with a child, and a great encouragement for them to be an artist. Great to take it down again and look at the pictures. I even went and looked at them again before putting it in my 'need to find a place in the book case for this one' pile.

The words to go with the pictures are just normal good stuff. My favorite bit was:

“A dog's life is filled with simple show more pleasures: playing, roaming, carousing, exploring, conquering and, most importantly, loving.
They do it all with vigor and gusto.”

If you have this book, I would be interested in hearing what your favorite painting is out of them. My favorite is 'Spring Fever.'

At the end of the book there is a guide to all the paintings with the name and year. Went online where you can find prints of his art to purchase, maybe if I can find space on a wall... show less

Harvey is so excited when the mayor appoints him Parade Chairman for a big celebration that he forgets something very important but, fortunately, his dog, Fred, remembers.