Council for Wisconsin Writers

Supporting Wisconsin writers from 1964 to 2022

Great Lakes ship dog

by

WHSP Makes History with Picture Book and “Sport”

Here’s news from Wisconsin Historical Society Press that kids and their parents and teachers will love!  Sport plush available

Wisconsin Historical Society Press Logo
For Immediate Release

MAY 2019
Contact: Kristin Gilpatrick, Marketing Manager
Sport_ Ship Dog of the Great Lakes
“Sport was just a dog,
but he was always a good dog
and a good shipmate,
a friend to everybody and
everybody’s friend.”
Captain Harry Maynard, 1926
Lighthouse Tender Hyacinth
New Kid’s Book Shares True Story of Great Lakes Ship Dog, Sport
 
Sport_ after being rescued _Illustration by Renee Graef_
Sport, after being rescued. (Illustration by Renee Graef)

The Wisconsin Historical Society Press is delighted to announce the release of our first-ever children’s picture book, Sport: Ship Dog of the Great Lakes, by retired children’s librarian Pamela Cameron and award-winning American Girl and My First Little House Books illustrator Renée Graef. Through beautiful illustrations, accompanying maps, diagrams, vocabulary, and historical notes, they bring the real-life adventures of Sport beautifully back to life.

A charming and engaging story for young readers, Sport’s story began in 1914 when crew of a Lighthouse Tender Ship Hyacinth rescued a puppy from the Milwaukee River. The Newfoundland-retriever mix, Sport, soon became a valued member of the crew and a recognizable mascot of the Great Lakes — towing ropes to shore, helping the Hyacinth maintain safety buoys, playing on the ship’s baseball team, and more.
Through Sport’s adventures, young readers learn about life on America’s inland sea and the ways that lighthouse tender ships kept the lakes safe.
Sport, Ship Dog of the Great Lakes (ISBN: 978-0-87020-914-7, Hardcover: $17.95, 32 pages with 21 color illustrations, 9 x 11) is published by the Wisconsin Historical Society Press and distributed through the Chicago Distribution Center at the University of Chicago. Find “Sport: Ship Dog of the Great Lakes” at your favorite book retailer or online at  www.wisconsinhistory.org/shop. 
Sport plush availablePLUSH COMPANION TOO!
A limited-edition plush companion,Sport, is available at select book retailers and through our online store!
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ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Award-winning children’s book illustrator Renée Graef has illustrated more than eighty books for children, including the Kristen series for American Girl, B is for Badger, and many of the My First Little House books by Laura Ingalls Wilder.
Pamela Cameron has been an elementary and middle school librarian and a public librarian in Wisconsin and Michigan. She is a member of the Association for Great Lakes Maritime History, the  Great  Lakes Lighthouse Keepers Association, and the Great Lakes Historical Society.
 
 
EARLY PRAISE FOR THE BOOK

“If we were to rate books with stars from 1 to 5 with 5 being the best, we’d give ‘Sport: Ship Dog of the Great Lakes’ a 5-Star rating. The story is great and the artwork absolutely fabulous!”

Lighthouse Digest, April 2019
LAUNCH EVENTS
Sport will again be traveling the Great Lakes when his story is shared at book events in Wisconsin, Michigan and beyond. Graef and Cameron are sharing Sport’s story with children at several Wisconsin schools as well as at the following public book talks: 
 
Saturday, May 11, 2019 — Children’s Book Talk & Activity Event
11:30 a.m.
Women and Children First Bookstore, Chicago, Ill.
 
Sunday, May 12, 2019 — Book Launch Special Signing
11 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Northpoint Lighthouse, Milwaukee, Wis.
 
Monday, May 13, 2019 — Book Talk & Signing
6 p.m. 
Wisconsin Maritime Museum, Manitowoc, Wis.
 
Sunday, May 19, 2019 – Book Talk & Signing
1 p.m.
Peninsula Bookman’s NEW Sister Bay store, Sister Bay, Wis.
 
Thursday, July 18, 2019 — Book Talk & Signing
TBD
Onboard the S.S. Badger ferry, middle of Lake Michigan
 
Friday, July 19, 2019 — Tribute to Sport Event
TBD
Maritime Museum, Ludington, Mich.
Sport will also appear at the upcoming TALL SHIPS events in  Green Bay and Kenosha, Wis.
For details on these and more events, visit www.wisconsinhistory.org/whpress!

 

The Wisconsin Historical Society Press has been publishing the best of  
Wisconsin history and culture as part of the Wisconsin Historical Society since 1855
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Wisconsin Historical Society Press

816 State Street

Madison, WI 53706

wisconsinhistory.org
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