{image1}When Jackie Valent tells people her dog's name is Stinky, they usually find it funny or cruel, but to Valent, the name is profoundly meaningful.
"Stinky was a nickname I had for my father. He had a great, yet somewhat twisted, sense of humor," says Valent. "'Stinky' also happened to be the last word I said to him before he died."
Inspired by her father, her two-year-old bulldog born just four days after her dad's death, and her passion for diversity in general, Valent wrote the children's book "Stinky the Bulldog" during a work conference in New York.
"Whomever was speaking that morning was unfortunately not keeping my attention, but I wish I could remember who that was because I would like to thank him," says Valent, a human resources professional who is a member of YPM's Mosaic Council and Milwaukee IDEAL, an organization working towards diversity and inclusion on a local level.
In the book, Stinky moves into a new house with his "mother," a human caregiver who resembles Valent, and immediately sets out to find a friend in his new neighborhood. Unfortunately, most of his neighbors are turned off by his name, assuming he must smell bad, and refuse to befriend him. Rejected and upset, Stinky returns to his mother who reminds him "the people you want to spend time with are those who see the good and not the bad."
Refueled and determined to find friendship, Stinky hits the streets again, and this time he, ironically, finds a young girl named Lily who is willing to be his friend.
Valent's greatest strength is her ability to distill an ocean-sized issue into a juice box-sized story. Obviously, Stinky's moral could have gotten heavy handed, but Valent -- along with illustrator Michael Richlen's lovable drawings -- keeps the message light. Hence, "Stinky" is a joy to gnaw on for a while.
"We are so quick to dismiss people because of the way they look, the way they speak, or some other superficial factor. We should all take the time to know the person inside ... that is what counts," says Valent, who self-published the first book and hopes to find a publisher for the remaining two books in the Stinky series.
Although a single woman without children, Valent says she chose the kids' genre because the message of the book was simple and it made sense to use that format.
"I also realized that adults could be reminded of the message while reading it to their kids," she says.
"Stinky The Bulldog" is available at Central Bark Doggy Day Care, Once Upon A Time bookstore in Greendale, Metropawlis on Brady Street and Intentions, inside the Shops of Woodlake in Kohler.
Valent will sign books at the Shops of Woodlake on Saturday, August 6, all day. She will also be at the State Fair's Central Bark Doggy Day Care booth on the evening of Friday, August 12 and all day on Sunday, August 14.
"Stinky the Bulldog's" Web site is www.stinkythebulldog.com
Molly Snyder started writing and publishing her work at the age 10, when her community newspaper printed her poem, "The Unicorn.” Since then, she's expanded beyond the subject of mythical creatures and written in many different mediums but, nearest and dearest to her heart, thousands of articles for OnMilwaukee.
Molly is a regular contributor to FOX6 News and numerous radio stations as well as the co-host of "Dandelions: A Podcast For Women.” She's received five Milwaukee Press Club Awards, served as the Pfister Narrator and is the Wisconsin State Fair’s Celebrity Cream Puff Eating Champion of 2019.
