In August 1969, Kip Cosson, author, illustrator and publisher of a new children’s book titled “Dogs of Woofstock,” was nine years old and living in Texas. He did not attend the music festival on Max Yasgur’s farm in Bethel, which was officially called “3 Days of Peace & Music,” and is still remembered around the world as Woodstock.  But his book is loosely based on that iconic event.

Those who attended Woodstock—and there were more than 450,000 men, women and children—endured three days of rain, mud and music.  There was a traffic jam that extended all the way down Route 17B and along Route 17, causing festival-goers to leave their cars, trucks and motorcycles and walk the rest of the way to the festival site.

But they saw and heard performers like Janis Joplin; Arlo Guthrie; Joan Baez; Jefferson Airplane; Richie Havens; The Grateful Dead; and Crosby, Stills and Nash—all superstars of the time.  Many performers had to be flown to the site by helicopter because of the hundreds of abandoned vehicles on Route 17 and Route 17B.  Woodstock was one of the biggest music festivals in history.

“I always wanted to do a dog book, and now that we live in Bethel, the home of Woodstock, and we have a dog, I thought, ‘Why not do it now?’” Cosson said, remembering what inspired him.  “I started thinking about my dog Bosco and the next-door neighbor dog Mayu—they’re best friends—maybe they could put on a music festival.”  

It would be a music festival for dogs.  The performers would all be dogs and so would everyone in the audience.

And so “Dogs of Woofstock” was born.  It is Cosson’s first book with dog characters.  In the story, Bosco and Mayu decide to hold the festival in Bethel because that’s where the original Woodstock festival was held and where they live.  The book follows some of the activities and performers of the actual festival, but with dogs as characters.  

With both humor and in order to educate children about dogs, Cosson writes that once they decide on where to hold the music festival, Bosco and Mayu need to publicize it.  “Bosco and Mayu send their messages the old-fashioned way.  With one leg up and three legs down, the news is spread everywhere.  They leave it on a fire hydrant, fence, rock, bush, tree, mailbox, parking meter, garbage can.”  Dogs come to Bethel from around the world, causing one big traffic jam on Route 17B.

In the book, Cosson gave dog names to some of the singers who actually performed at Woodstock.  They include Itchie Havens, Bone Baez, Joe Cocker Spaniel and The Grateful Dog.

“Many of the dogs in the book are from pictures that friends, family members, and Facebook friends sent me.  I also have dogs with different disabilities, such as dogs in doggie wheelchairs, three-legged and two-legged dogs,” he said. Cosson drew a total of 975 different dogs, although only the performers and the main characters received names.  

Cosson had a second reason for writing “Dogs of Woofstock.”  He wanted to raise awareness of the plight of homeless dogs, dogs who are abandoned and living on the street, and his appeal to consider animal adoption is included in the book.  His own dog, Bosco, is one of the book’s two main characters.  Cosson adopted Bosco from a shelter in Arkansas.  Mayu, who was rescued in Peru, is the other main character. 

In the future, Cosson would also like to do a book signing as a way to raise funds for a local animal rescue group. 

In addition to “Dogs of Woofstock,” Cosson has written and illustrated six other books for children, each with animal characters and set in New York City, where he still maintains a home with his husband, John.  He has used mice and a penguin as his main characters.  Two of his earlier books have been honored as Best Children’s Book at the New York Book Festival.  “New York City A to Z,” an alphabet book, won the honor in 2015 and “New York City 1 to 20,” a counting book, won in 2020.

Because he has worked in interior design, Cosson said, “I have a strong eye for color, so these books are very colorful.”  He used vibrant colors in illustrating all the books, including “Dogs of Woofstock.” 

When asked why he writes for children, Cosson admits, “I have this childlike quality about me that I’ve been able to maintain and keep.”  He believes that this quality enables him to write things in his books that other adult writers would not think of doing, things that children can relate to, and that is one reason why his books have been successful.

In addition to writing, illustrating and publishing his books, Cossom designs, manufactures and sells children’s T-shirts.  He can be found most weekends selling his books and T-shirts at one of New York City’s many street fairs. 

He recalled the first weekend after he published “Dogs of Woofstock” and was at a street fair.  “I think I sold 50 books and 25 of them were the new book.” Although the book was written for children, it is their parents and grandparents who might have a real interest in it.  “One lady I met at the street fair told me, ‘I’ve got to get this book for myself.’  She was so excited about it.” 

Most children have no idea what Woodstock was and what it means to people who were alive during the tumultuous 1960s, but they can enjoy looking at the pictures of the dogs.  It can lead to conversations with the adults in their lives who were either at Woodstock or learned about it from newspaper and magazine articles, films or the museum at Bethel Woods.

“Dogs of Woofstock” can be purchased online at www.KipKids.com and at the Bethel Market Café in Bethel.