Ted Kennedy takes dog’s eye view of Senate

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Sen. Ted Kennedy is writing a
children’s book that will explain the workings of government
from the point of view of his dog Splash.

Publisher Scholastic said “My Senator and Me: A Dog’s-Eye
View of Washington, D.C.” was a 56-page picture book about a
day in the life of a senator and his dog, explaining how laws
are made. It will be published in May.

“Kids love animal stories and they will be captivated by
the tale of Senator Kennedy’s extraordinary Portuguese water
dog, and his adventures in Congress,” said Lisa Holton,
President Children’s Books and Book Fairs, Scholastic.

Scholastic said in a statement Kennedy was inspired to
write the book after working with a children’s reading program
in Washington for the past five years.

“Reading is a lifelong adventure and I hope that this book
will spark an interest in young people to learn more about
their government and to explore the joy of books,” Kennedy said
in the statement.

Scholastic said the book would offer a behind-the-scenes
look at the life of a U.S. senator from the perspective of his
canine companion, who was given the formal name Champion
Amigo’s Seventh Wave and nickname Splash by his original owner.

“Splash is always at Senator Kennedy’s side — in his
office, at press conferences, in meetings at the Capitol and
even right outside the Senate chamber,” the statement said.

Kennedy is not the first public figure to write a book
about his dog — in 1990 then first lady Barbara Bush wrote
“Millie’s Book,” a dog’s-eye view of the White House, and last
year Latin pop singer Gloria Estefan wrote a book about her
bulldog Noelle.