It's Art! It's Cats! It's A Book! It's Double Trouble A-Z: The Adventures of Bugsy And Knuckles By Lou Belcher

Welcome to the wacky, whimsical world of Bugsy and Knuckles, better known as Double Trouble, and who are the inspiration for the delightful book:

Book Cover Courtesy of Lou Belcher

Many in the cat world know that  Bugsy and Knuckles are kitty brothers, better known as The Boys who get along so well, and are so deeply attached to each other,  that they appear to have some sort of telepathic communication system that only they understand! Most of their antics take place on the blog that they share with "HH" aka Her Highness, who is known to the rest of the world as Lou Belcher, Author of The Zen of Max, and the blog (Before You Write), that she shares with Bugsy, Knuckles and their special friend, Checkers the Mouse.  In addition to being a superb author/free-lance writer, Lou is  also a talented artist.

Many of us have had the unique pleasure of watching her latest book: Double Trouble: The Adventures of Bugsy and Knuckles begin to come to life on her blog! We also have the distinct honor of remembering when Bugsy and Knuckles first came into Lou's life, when she adopted them from the SPCA of North Brevard three and a half years ago.

This is "Bugsy"
(Photo Courtesy of Lou Belcher)
"He is mellow most of the time
and rarely takes the lead.
Consequently, he doesn't end up
in trouble as often as Knuckles."

This is "Knuckles"
 Photo Courtesy of  Lou Belcher
"He is full of energy
and is always planning
an assault of some sort.
He usually fails,
consequently, he is the
comic relief in my life."

Bugsy and Knuckles are REAL LIFE brothers! They are litter mates! Where one is, the other is sure to follow. They share a passion for play and their special telepathic communication system allows them to "pull off capers that have earned them the title DOUBLE TROUBLE"

"Bugsy and Knuckles"
Illustration Courtesy of Lou Belcher

How did the book come to be?
Initially Lou planned to write a story about The Boys and realized that she had enough material for several books (which will follow!). She had a "board meeting" with Bugsy, Knuckles and their mouse friend Checkers, and decided that a cartoon book would be a good place to start!

Who are the characters in the book?
Well, Bugsy and Knuckles of course, and "HH" and as a special treat, The Boys decided that their best friend, Checkers the Mouse should narrate the book!  Checkers normally likes to stay out of the limelight but he said that HH promised him a substantial amount of cheese as payment for narration and he just couldn't refuse!!

"Checkers The Mouse"
Illustration Courtesy of Lou Belcher

Why an alphabet book?
From Lou:The idea for the cartoon book to be structured as an alphabet book came from The Boys wanting to show you all of their favorite things and activities.

Bugsy and Knuckles
love to SKYDIVE
one of the words featured in Double Trouble!
Illustration Courtesy of Lou Belcher

 In their enthusiasm, the list of what they wanted to show you grew longer and longer. So I gave them the assignment of choosing only four words for each letter of the alphabet, and I promised them we'd build a little glimpse into their lives from that.

"Double Trouble Trouble!!"
Illustration courtesy of Lou Belcher

Double Trouble is a "book about pictures, NOT reading", which makes it an ideal book to set out on the coffee table, to give as a gift to your humor/cat-loving friends for the holidays, or for ANY time!

I was particularly smitten with Double Trouble for a couple of reasons.

The Drawings Were Done By Hand
I am drawn to, and appreciate art (particularly cartooning, and art that is NOT computer generated). Having grown up with a father who was a famous Editorial Cartoonist, I have an understanding of the time it takes to create a drawing (with one's own HAND). The drawings may have a simplistic look, but achieving simplicity in a cartoon while evoking a response, is a talent that many would love to have, and few possess. Lou's drawings are light and playful and purrfectly capture the mischief making personalities of The Boys.

Non-Traditional Words Are Used For The Alphabet
Which makes Double Trouble a suitable read for ADULTS! It doesn't contain the usual "A is for apple", "H is for Horse", but instead there are words such as Amok, Acrobat, Jam, Jazz, Knickknacks and Octopus. Each word has it's own page with a corresponding witty caption depicting a unique adventure or experience that Bugsy and Knuckles had that involve that word. While children will also enjoy Double Trouble, it is far from being a book that is geared just towards children.

Whether Lou is writing or painting, she LOVES to make people laugh and smile! Another of her passions is cats. Lou succeeds in combining all of her passions in Double Trouble! If you can relate to,  and appreciate the antics of cats, and if you love humor and cartoons, you will find Double Trouble A-Z The Adventures of Bugsy and Knuckles to be the purrfect antidote for a stress-filled day!

AS WITH THE ZEN OF MAX, A PORTION OF THE PROCEEDS FROM DOUBLE TROUBLE WILL GO TO HELPING ANIMALS IN SHELTERS.

YOU CAN PURCHASE
DOUBLE TROUBLE A-Z THE ADVENTURES OF BUGSY AND KNUCKLES ON AMAZON, NEW GALLERY AND THERE IS A LINK ON LOU'S WEBSITE AS WELL. YOU CAN ALSO:

ENTER TO WIN!!
Lou is kindly offering TWO OF OUR READERS WHO RESIDE ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD the chance to win a copy of Double Trouble A-Z The Adventures Of Bugsy And Knuckles!  (An approximate $10 value).  Entering is easy! Just enter on the rafflecopter below!!  THE WINNERS WILL BE ANNOUNCED ON DECEMBER 20TH! 

GOOD LUCK!!
a Rafflecopter giveaway


In full disclosure: We were not compensated for this review/give-away. We were sent a copy of Double Trouble A-Z The Adventures of Bugsy and Knuckles in exchange for our honest review.

We are also proud to have this review/give-away be a part of the Caturday Art Blog Hop kindly hosted by Marie and Athena!    Check out the other Caturday Art Participants!