The Nugget Newspaper - News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon

Sisters artist and author Dennis McGregor has finished the sequel to “You Stole My Name,” a collection of paintings and verses about animals with shared names.

The new book, “You Stole My Name Too,” features plants with animal names. Some of these combos, like Gooseberry, Crab Apple and Tiger Lily, are well-known. Others are more remote and may cause a bit of head scratching. Not everyone is familiar with the Hedgehog Cactus or an Ostrich Fern. It’s McGregor’s hope that children and adults may google a thing or two and discover which verses are based on fact and which are figments of his imagination.

This new book features the same look and feel as the first book, which was sometimes referred to as a “kid’s coffee-table book” for its large size and lush printing.

Over the past couple of years Dennis enjoyed sharing “You Stole My Name” with community groups, bookstores, art galleries, a supermarket, and even the local athletic club, but mostly schools. He soon found himself singing the book and engaging kids in a lively call and response. He hopes to continue such activities with the new book in the not-too-distant future.

McGregor is pleased that “You Stole My Name” sold well in stores throughout the area, particularly at Paulina Springs Books. He expects similar success with the new book but concedes that it must be printed first.

That’s where pre-sales on Kickstarter come in. The crowdfunding platform was effective in bringing his first two books to life. The entire book, along with merchandise like cards, T-shirts and prints can be viewed at www.kickstarter.com/projects/dennismcgregorsbook/you-stole-my-name-too starting Wednesday, April 14.