Pippi the black lab, local sensation, and social media influencer, has put pen to paw to once again to add to her body of work as an author. In her previous picture book, Tails with Gig, Pippi regaled readers with stories of life growing up as a pandemic puppy. In her engaging, witty, (and opinionated) style, Pippi burst onto the literary scene in 2022, silencing critics who suggested she was just another pretty face.
With Pippi Rocks!, the author has moved beyond memoir and into the historical genre. Her new dog-published work reflects a maturity that readers might expect from a seasoned writer after an entire year of reflection. (Pippi sighed that it’s seemed more like seven years to her.)
“My book is about the Babson Boulders. You might remember hearing Gig and me talk about them,” the author said in a Facebook post. “They are the big rocks in Dogtown in Gloucester, Massachusetts. Roger Babson, my relative (through Gig, of course) founded Babson College but more important, he hired unemployed stone masons during the Depression. They chiseled inscriptions in those boulders with sayings such as “Help Mother,” “Work,” “Get a Job,” and others. I chose my favorites and then dictated stories to Gig about the sentiments expressed in the mottos.”
Along with Pippi’s dear human friends Gig Babson, who provided secretarial services, and Kathy Madonald, who created the book’s wonderful illustrations, Pippi threw a launch party over the weekend at Centennial Park in Wellesley. Guests dressed up, mingled, and enjoyed dog ice cream dixie cups and peanut butter pumpkin dog biscuits.
Photos by Beth Hinchliffe.
Net proceeds from Pippi Rocks! will go to Angell Animal Medical Center in Boston, where Pippi was treated during an illness last winter.
Pippi Rocks! can be purchased at Wellesley Books, and other booksellers.
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About Katherine L. Babson, Jr. and Katherine K. Macdonald
About Katherine L. Babson, Jr.
An avid hiker and life-long dog owner, “Gig” finds her life full of adventure with her pandemic puppy, Pippi, by her side. A retired attorney, a former Wellesley Select Board member and Town Moderator, Gig has served in Wellesley town government for over 50 years.
Gig is a graduate of Wellesley High School and received her AB from Vassar College, her MBA from Babson College, her JD from Boston College Law School, and an Honorary Doctor of Law from Babson College. Pippi’s adventures are chronicled on Facebook at @KatherineBabson.
About Katherine K. Macdonald
Outdoors woman, animal lover, and artist, Kathy enjoyed illustrating Pippi’s mischief. Kathy received her BA from Central Connecticut College, with a major in English and a minor in art. She received her MBA from Olin Graduate School of Business at Babson College. She is primarily an oil painter and recently exhibited at PAAM in Provincetown, MA.
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