Thursday, May 19, 2005 - Bangor Daily News
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BANGOR - Writer and illustrator Virginia Sand of Bangor has two goals in life: to encourage the adoption of pet rabbits and to preserve and promote her Franco-American culture. 
To those ends, her new book, "My Rabbit, Sugar/Ma Lapine, Sucre," written in French and English, tells the story of how she and her husband, Robert, adopted a blind rabbit from the Waterville Humane Society. In the story, Sand talks about how to care for a pet rabbit.
A copy of the book will be given to those who adopt rabbits from the Bangor Humane Society. The book also is available for purchase from Sand. Its proceeds will benefit the Bangor and Waterville humane societies.
"Diversity is what makes our planet sing," Sand explained. "When we lose a language, a culture or a species, it profoundly takes away from the whole scheme of things. In going back to learn and reclaim my French language, as I've been doing since 2002, I discovered that much of the Franco-American culture is in the language. As a culture bearer, I believe that we preserve our various cultures through the arts: language arts, visual arts, culinary arts, musical arts, performing arts and literature."
Sand also is the author of "Embrace Life Cookbook," a collection of whole-foods recipes that reflect her Franco-American heritage. 
She will conduct a cooking demonstration using a recipe from the book 5-7 p.m. Friday, May 27, at the Natural Living Center in Bangor. Proceeds from that book will be donated to the [animal shelter] via the Franco-American Center at the University of Maine, which is helping Sand print copies of her rabbit book.
Sand is a former teacher, a gardener and a vegetarian.
"My Rabbit, Sugar/Ma Lapine, Sucre," is available for $5 plus $2 postage from Ginny Sand, 137 Larkin St., Bangor 04401. The "Embrace Life Cookbook" is $10 plus $3 postage. For information, call 947-1265.

Bio of Ginny Sand