Brooke Barker writes and illustrates books about animals. Some of the creatures are familiar, others may be rare, all have captured her attention (and her sense of humor) for a wide variety of reasons. Her most popular work is titled Sad Animal Facts, but she has also put together a follow-up titled Sad Animal Babies, and her newest book is called How Do Meerkats Order Pizza?
We talk about her lifelong love of animals, some of the many places she’s lived, including Pittsburgh where she and her husband, Boaz Frankel, have lived for about five years now. (They also wrote a book together titled Let’s Be Weird Together.)
You can sample her work on instagram where she posts as @sadanimalfacts
And you can also find her books at libraries and at bookstores across the country (and around the world!) including at her beloved White Whale Books at 4754 Liberty Avenue in Pittsburgh’s Bloomfield neighborhood (where she also painted a mural on one wall). https://whitewhalebookstore.com/
Brooke also expresses some love for a local bakery called Five Points Artisan Bakeshop in Squirrel Hill at 6520 Wilkins Avenue. We love their vegan oatmeal & cranberry cookies!