Following are reviews people have sent to me and links to published reviews. Please feel free to add your comments in the box at the bottom of the page.
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Allia Zobel-Nolan on Great Rescues
Received my copy of GREAT RESCUES, a most exquisite book/calendar jammed-packed with irresistible fine-art paintings of cats of all kinds, and wonderous stories about them, painted and penned by BERNADETTE E. KAZMARSKI…I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS BOOK; give it 4 paws up. See for yourself @ http://greatrescuescalendar.com/
Yes, you’re already there, but please also visit Allia’s website, www.alliawrites.com! She’s the author of…at last count something like 170 books (probably more by now), including gift books for cat lovers and illustrated children’s books, and she’s won so many awards you’ll just have to go and read about them all. I’m thrilled at her comments!
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Ingrid King of The Conscious Cat Reviews “Great Rescues”
I’m a big fan of animal artist and writer Bernadette Kazmarski. Her photographs and cat paintings capture the essence of cats in ways that only a small handful of artists are able to do. Bernadette is a multi-faceted creative spirit: artist, writer, graphic designer, painter, animal advocate, environmentalist. From commissioned pet portraits to animal inspired merchandise ranging from prints to textiles to greeting cards, looking around Bernadette’s websites are a feast for the senses.
Read more” Great Rescues: a 16-month cat calendar and gift book | The Conscious Cat.
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Chris Davis of Lighthearted Press Reviews Great Rescues
“When my Great Rescues Calendar arrived I tore open the package like a kid on Christmas morning!”
Chris Davis, a mentor and inspiration, writes a review of Great Rescues Calendar and Gift Book on her blog: Chris Davis Blog: Great Rescues Calendar gets a 4 paws-up rating!.
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A Review by Marion Lane, former editor ASPCA Animal Watch
Bernadette Kazmarski calls Great Rescues, her one-woman work of wonders a “calendar,” and it is, but that’s just for starters. Literally. The first thirty-two pages of the 8”x8” spiral-bound book comprise a sixteen-month calendar that runs from September 2011 to December 2012. Each two-page spread features the true story of one or more rescued cats, together with Bernadette’s exquisitely detailed portraits of them (all in all, twenty-two cats are pictured). The calendar pages have room for appointments, some blank lines for notes, a famous feline-friendly quotation, a tip that sets the tone for the month, and more special days that honor cats and other animals than you’ve ever seen listed in one place.
The middle section of the book contains a few pages to update the rescue stories and discuss the making of the individual portraits, then a dozen pages of resources. A cat rescuer herself for twenty-five years, Bernadette states that the information she has chosen to include is what people most commonly ask about. All the basics are there, and they reflect the central theme of the book—which is the human/cat bond: adoption, routine and emergency veterinary care, spay and neuter, household hazards, pet loss support.
At this point the book becomes a journal. There are forty pages with lines ready to record all the clever things your cats do or to track their growth or maybe chart their veterinary visits and medication schedules. Or not. Here’s a different plan: How about committing to one action per day, small or large, in support of cat rescue? S-t-r-e-t-c-h your imagination to come up with as many different actions as possible, maybe even a different one for every day of the year. Bernadette has sprinkled ideas throughout Great Rescues that will spark your creativity.
This book is dedicated to Bernadette’s first family of cats. All long since departed from the physical world, she notes that they are made immortal in everything she creates. That’s a lot of immortality, as she has drawn the portraits, written the stories, compiled the resources and then designed the thing and finally published it herself. Lovely to look at and read and hold in the hands, Great Rescues is an altogether “up” experience, where people are compassionate and good, and however troubled their beginnings, all cat stories have happy endings.
Marion Lane
Former Editor, ASPCA Animal Watch Magazine
Cobleskill, New York
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Amy Shojai “Mentions” Great Rescues on her blog today!
Monday Mentions: Cat Art, Dog Sperm Detectors & PhD Sheep « Amy Shojai’s Blog.
My colleague Bernadette Kazmarski has published her first book Great Rescues Calendar that sings the praises of the many cats she’s met over the years.
And she featured Cooper’s portrait!
Amy Shojai, CABC is a certified animal behavior consultant, award winning author, and spokesperson to the pet industry. If you have a library of animal health and behavior books, you’ll probably see her name on at least one of them. She is also a founding member of and former president of the Cat Writer’s Association, which is how I met her.
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Enter to win a calendar, comment on Cat Wisdom 101!
Layla Morgan Wilde, host of Cat Wisdom 101, wrote a review of Great Rescues and you can enter a contest to win one just by commenting on her blog post!
Click this link: Christmas in July Contest
And don’t forget to look around and find the interesting and informative things Layla has to offer cat lovers. She was on The Daily Show along with Jackson Galaxy last week!
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Chris Davis of Lighthearted Press
Bernadette, I sat down last night and read your calendar from cover to cover – it’s fabulous! Like a good book, I didn’t want it to end. Every cat lover should have one of these calendars. The stories are uplifting, and the notes and quotes you put on the calendar pages are helpful and inspiring.
I think you’ve created something very special here. Your stunning artwork jumps off each page. I enjoyed reading the additional info at the end, where you told more of each heartwarming story.
As an extra special gift, you included all those resources and important info at the back for anyone who shares their life with a cat. What a treasure! I’m delighted with this extraordinary work of art. I think all the love and care you give to your kitties was also given to this calendar…and it shows!
Congratulations, Bernadette – you’ve got a winner, here!
Cheers, Chris
And please visit Chris’ website to see her illustrated books! You’ll love them—and she’s working on a new one!
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