QUICK TAKES - April 17, 2009

Now that Bo has his paws firmly planted in the White House, let the marketing begin!

A small Virginia publisher is racing out the first picture book for kids featuring the precious little Portie, with the pup on the cover in his colorful lei.

“Bo, America’s Commander in Leash,” retailing for $14.95 and aimed at kids 4 to 10, will be sold through major retailers and should be out in about five days, said the author, Naren Aryal, who is also the publisher and chief executive of Mascot Books in Herndon, Va.

How’d they do it so fast? After all, Bo just made his official debut Tuesday.

Aryal said Thursday that he began writing a generic Portuguese water dog story about two months ago after the Obamas seemed to have their dog choices down to a Portie or a Labradoodle to accommodate first daughter Malia’s allergies. Bo himself was inserted last minute and some fresh White House traditions like First Lady Michelle Obama’s new vegetable garden were incorporated to make the book more Obama specific.

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Associated Press