East End native Lisa Dabrowski is an artist of many stripes. She’s a familiar voice on WLNG 92.1 — you’ll hear her daily on commercials and quite often at remote broadcasts. She’s had starring roles in North Fork Community Theater productions such as “The Three Sisters” and “Harvey.”
And now she’s embracing her inner Shel Silverstein, showing the world her first children’s book, “Mr. Woolly and Friends in How the Barn Was Painted Purple.”
“The characters in the book are based on actual animals that I had as pets, — Patches the Cow, who was inspired by a cow that my mother had as a young girl, and Charlie the Horse, who was based on a friend's horse that I used to ride,” Dabrowski said.
Through the eyes of Mr. Woolly the sheep, the book explores not only the nature of barnyard animal, what they do and the sounds they make, but also themes of curiosity, tolerance, cooperation, responsibility — and the fact that mixing seven different colors of paint together makes the color purple.
After farmer Lisa leaves the barnyard for the day, Mr. Woolly gets his friends together to help him open seven shiny cans of paint and mix them all together. Roxy the Duck is another famous Dabrowski character with a supporting role in the book. Dabrowski brings a real-life Roxy the Duck to events at The Big Duck in Flanders and other locations in an effort to educate children about the history of duck farming on Long Island.
“My grandfather, John ‘Joe’ Jackowski, was a duck farmer,” she said. “I have always been 100 percent for preserving our agricultural heritage and local traditions on the East End.”
Dabrowski said she is planning a series of "Mr. Woolly and Friends" books, along with a line of toys and merchandise. he book is available worldwide, both as an eBook and hardcover, on Amazon, etc. - and at various North Fork locations.
Dabrowski will be signing "Mr. Woolly and Friends" at Burton's Book Store in Greenport on Saturday during the Maritime Festival from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Go to www.mrwoollyandfriends.com for more information.
