This was a fun book about Japanese-American artist and character designer Iwao Takamoto. Never heard of him? Well, depending on your age, he most likely designed a great portion of the cartoon characters you grew up on! Lady from Lady and the Tramp, Scooby Doo, Astro, Mutley, Charlotte from Charlotte's Web, Penelope Pitstop... the list goes on! The author, Leslie Stern, had the unique pleasure to grow up in a household with Mr. Takamoto who was her Stepdad. In this book (a great compliment to "My Life with a Thousand Characters" by Mike Mallory) Ms. Stern reveals the man behind the pen and shares wonderful stories from her life in Los Angeles. The book is also filled with beautiful illustrations, many never seen in print before. Personal drawings from Mr. Takamoto's hand when he wasn't busy illustrating adventures for Walt Disney, Hanna-Barbera, and many others. I recommend this book for fans of animation, comics, historians, pop-culture and anyone wanting insight into the creative process and living with a legend.