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, 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!… (mehr)