"WE GOT IT!!!"

Bulu's Website

That was the subject line of an email I recently received. Who sent the email? Dick Houston who is the founder and president of Elefence and author of Bulu: African Wonder Dog. And what was "It?" Approval from Random House for the donation of 30 copies of Bulu African Wonder Dog to the children at Friends of the Street Children!

And now I can finally tell you about the newest, exciting development in the project.




Bulu African Wonder Dog is one of the books I came across as part of SDSU's book review service. I planned to take it as part of the library, but it wasn't until I read it to my niece—her eyes growing wider with each page I turned—that I realized the potential it held. The were several problems: I wanted 30 copies, I have limited resources, and I needed them before April 8 or, put in another context, exactly 28 days away. Limited resources in mind, I checked Amazon. I could get several copies at a low price, but they were used and, once shipping was added, cost anywhere from $6 to $17. I put one in my cart, debated back and forth, and put the decision off. While reading the book to my niece, I had looked up the website with a video of some of Bulu's adventures.

I went back to the site, clicked on the Contact Us button, and sent off an email; it was March 12.

The next day, I got an email from Barbara Brooks who is the publicist for Dick Houston. She had forwarded the info, and while they didn't have 30 copies on hand, they were "'on-the-case'" to track them down. Not only that, Mr. Houston was interested in my project and would welcome a phone conversation about it. I sent both of them an email and we set up a conference call for St. Paddy's Day, March 17 (23 days away).

Video of Bulu

Usually, talking to people is a non-issue. Not this time. I was incredibly nervous as 9 a.m. crept closer. It didn't help when it passed. Finally, the phone rang, I answered it to hear a friendly, slightly Southern accent apologize for the delay; they were running into technical difficulties with the conference call. I don't think I have said this before, but I am incredibly thankful for technical difficulties—at least that time. It took us nearly 20 minutes to actually have all three of us on the same line, and by that time I had talked to both Dick and Barbara, and we were laughing at the absurdity of the situation.

It was a truly delightful conversation! I would have loved to meet Dick and Barbara in person; none-the-less, their kind-heartedness, appreciation for Africa, passion for animals, and genuine desire to contribute to the kids at Friends of the Street Children came through the line.

Just short of an hour later, we wrapped up our conversation. We had laughed, brainstormed, and connected over a little dog and a wonderful book. Not only that, Dick wanted to know if I was interested in a lesson plan for Bulu African Wonder Dog that had been put together. Was he serious? Did I want a copy? You bet!

The following day, said lesson plan, additional info, and the request for bullet points to send off to Dick's editor at Random House arrived. I typed up a summary of the project and forwarded it to Dick. Only a little bit over a half-hour later, "WE GOT IT!!!!" showed up in my inbox.

Twenty-two days before departure, Random House approved the request and 30 copies were on their way. I am so excited that sometime between now and then, you'll be reading a blog titled: "They're HERE!!!"