Peacock Books & Wildlife Art News

Peacock Books & Wildlife Art features four of Lisa Loucks-Christenson's Syndicated Comics, Peacock Books & Wildlife Art  is the Home of Don't Eat Bees! An original story and illustrations by LIsa Loucks-Christenson. 

Published: May 21, 2025, 3:33 a.m. CDT
By Lisa Loucks-Christenson
Rochester Sun Times News

Rochester Author Developing Major Copyright and Trademark Suit Against Bertelsmann, Penguin Random House, Doubleday, Dev Petty, and Mike Boldt; Infringement Alleged Across Books, Films, Illustrations, and Comics

ROCHESTER, Minn. — Lisa Loucks-Christenson, an award-winning Rochester author and illustrator, is preparing to bring comprehensive legal action against Bertelsmann (Germany), Penguin Random House, Doubleday, author Dev Petty, and illustrator Mike Boldt. The forthcoming suit will allege willful copyright and trademark infringement involving Loucks-Christenson’s Don’t Eat Bees! franchise—including her books, films, original text, illustrations, and published comics.

Loucks-Christenson has sent numerous cease-and-desist letters and published original comics across at least five of her syndicated series, each clearly asserting that Don’t Eat Bees! is her original work. The franchise is published in the United States as a product of her registered trademark Bow Wow Detectives® and is licensed in Australia under her registered trademark Story Antics®, both of which Loucks-Christenson owns and uses to protect her intellectual property in their respective markets. Despite these efforts, she alleges, the publishers and creative team have continued to market and sell a book that closely imitates her title, artwork, and branding.

The dispute centers on Loucks-Christenson’s Don’t Eat Bees! franchise, which she has promoted and sold internationally since 2019. In addition to her books and art, Loucks-Christenson has exclusively sold original and limited-edition art pieces, greeting cards, and published comics—including the Don't Eat Bees! Adventure Comic™—through her official store, Peacock Books & Wildlife Art, and her authorized retail network. Her comics, art cards, and prints, featuring her award-winning illustrations, are only available through authorized outlets and have been exhibited in galleries and permanent collections.

The legal action in development will seek statutory damages for willful infringement on 22 original pencil illustrations used to create 21 original pastel illustrations, plus one additional pencil sketch included in the first book of the Don’t Eat Bees!™ franchise. Loucks-Christenson will also pursue a separate claim for the complete pastel and text work as a whole, totaling 24 claims. Under U.S. law, statutory damages for willful infringement can reach up to $150,000 per work.

Loucks-Christenson said she will also pursue claims in Australia under trademark and copyright law for the personalized, handcrafted editions of Don’t Eat Bees! sold there, which are created individually for each customer and use Australian English. She holds the registered Australian trademark for Story Antics® and will seek an injunction and destruction of infringing copies, as well as statutory damages for both the book work and the 23 original pencil illustrations.

The Don’t Eat Bees! franchise extends beyond books and comics. Two films are currently in development: one is an animation based on the first book, with plans for future adaptations, and another is a larger project combining Loucks-Christenson’s wildlife photography and animation. She also wrote and performed the “Don’t Eat Bees Song” and is a registered ASCAP member and publisher.

Loucks-Christenson’s Don’t Eat Bees! has been internationally recognized, winning two 2020 Royal Dragonfly Book Awards, and has been promoted by Story Monsters and widely featured online, in media, and in stores. She has a history of reviewing and promoting Penguin’s children’s, middle grade, and young adult books for free to her 100,000-plus social media followers. “It is not credible for the publisher or creators to claim they were unaware of my work,” she said.

Following the discovery of widespread piracy—including 29 of her titles found on unauthorized sites—Loucks-Christenson has limited her book, art, and comic distribution to her own stores and authorized outlets. She continues to issue takedown notices and urges readers to purchase only from official sources.

Representatives for Bertelsmann, Penguin Random House, Doubleday, Dev Petty, and Mike Boldt did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Loucks-Christenson remains committed to defending her creative legacy and the integrity of her Don’t Eat Bees! brand in both the U.S. and Australia.

Contact:
Lisa Loucks-Christenson
Peacock Books & Wildlife Art, Rochester, Minn.

Copyright 2023 Lisa Loucks-Christenson. All Rights Reserved. Politically Pawsed Comic by LIsa Loucks-Christenson features her double award-winning original book "Don't Eat Bees".

Copyright 2021 Lisa Loucks-Christenson. All Rights Reserved. Toads of Telemark Syndicated Comic defending Loucks-Christenson's "Don't Eat Bees!" book and franchise.

Wildlife, Loppers and Chainsaws: 1988 Vegetation Crew: My Wild, Rare, and Untold Adventures Working for the Minnesota Conservation Corps

by Lisa Loucks-Christenson (Author, Illustrator, Photographer)

In 1988, I stepped out of my comfort zone and changed my life. I had accepted a job working on the Vegetation Crew for the Minnesota Conservation Corps. It was a seasonal position run, then, by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.

It was like God had heard my battle cry, and suddenly my life—and my faith—had changed. This was the year I lopped, sawed, preened, and cut my path to my future. I was not alone. I had the help of my crew: two men, both of whom had become stealth guardians of my heart—brother-like coworkers who became my safety net from the storms we weathered while we worked.

This is a record of my wild adventures: an unveiling of experiences as my crew traversed and cleared goat prairies at O.L. Kipp State Park (now called Great River Bluffs State Park); how we helped measure the second cave at Mystery Caves in Forestville State Park; what grasses we gathered at Carlos Avery Management Area; our tree projects at Frontenac State Park; the controlled burn at Helmer-Meyer State Park (now called Meyer-Big Island State Park); and our cutting and lopping at Sakatah Lake State Park—the “singing hills,” as given by the Dakota Indians. It was the place I found a mimic among us: an orange spicebush caterpillar. It was here that we sang along to Tracy Chapman’s new release, “Fast Car,” between bites of our lunch.

Our journey went fast, but we drove trucks—not cars. Our lives changed with each season. Our strength had become a threefold cord intertwined with each other’s thoughts. Surreptitiously, we had become shields around each other’s souls. Inside this story, you’ll discover a grandfather figure who had spiritually hitched a ride with us—and how his words became our mantra once we realized that things really did work out for the best in the end. It was his gift of words that helped us shudder through our storms.

This story shares the seasons of new friendships, rare animal findings (banding the rare Henslow’s sparrow), finding a state-endangered species (the common five-lined skink), and stepping on—and over—six-foot timber rattlesnake sheds on the south-facing goat prairies where they liked to sunbathe and had their dens. It shares our bee and hornet stings as well as losing another MCC member we had worked with.

Hop on the tailgate of this photographic trip shared in this memoir and ride the back roads of our lives: the inside story of three new adults growing up, believing our old age was far beyond the bluffs in view. It was a time when we all relied on each other and formed an unbreakable bond.

This was our time to become stewards of the environment—a time to study and learn about rare and endangered species—hardly ever chipping my pink nails. We became artists taking “before” scenes and making them “after” scenic views. In time, we’d learn to summon our faith and could tell any bluff to “move”—and in some ways, it did.

Prior to this job, my life had felt like a series of coin tosses with heads-or-tails results that had led me nowhere—and in every direction. One unnerving flip after another used dimes, nickels, and quarters that only shimmered like mirages as they fell—giving spinning hints about my future. Luckily, the hat I wore now—unlike the headwear of my costly past—this cap stamped with the Minnesota Conservation Corps logo was given to me free.

Only God knew then the adventures He had planned for me—starting with the day I mustered up all the courage I had and walked through the doors of the Department of Natural Resources in Rochester, Minnesota.

Here is my collection of memories and reflections—the experiences that shaped my young adult life into its own story. It’s an unfolding account about me working closely with two men—John and Louis—both of whom had become my lifetime brothers, at least in my heart, forever stamped with “1988 MCC Brothers.”

"The Hallowinks in the April Fool's Day Platypus Hoax, Book 18, SE 10, Hallowink Hollow Written & Illustrated By Lisa Loucks-Christenson" is part of the "Hallowink Hollow" series by Lisa Loucks-Christenson.

Lisa Loucks-Christenson is an award-winning author and illustrator known for her diverse works spanning children's books, middle-grade fiction, wildlife art, and Christian literature. Her books are often sold through specialized outlets like: Story Antics, Silver Lake Books and Peacock Books & Wildlife Art and licensed through her Lisa Loucks-Christenson Media Syndicate and Lisa LC Wire.

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Peacock Books & Wildlife Art is a unique bookstore and gallery founded by Lisa Loucks-Christenson, located in Shop #1 at 1618 Hwy 52 N, in the Hillcrest Shopping Center. The store offers:

• New releases
• Exclusive personalized books from Story Antics®
• Collectibles
• Classics
• Hand-curated used books

Signature Documentaries

Lisa's most notable works include:

1. Bald Eagle Documentary (2005-2020)

• Covers 15 years of eagle life in the Whitewater Valley
• Contains over a million images
• Featured on Ron Schara's Minnesota Bound (2010-2011)
• Exhibited at the National Eagle Center

2. Winter Bugs! Documentary

• Captures insect life during Minnesota winters
• Documented micro-sized creatures in sub-zero temperatures
• Exhibited at the National Eagle Center

       3. Struggling for Existence: What Nature Shared

• Documented wildlife and urban creatures in all weather
• 20 year investigation into our wildlife struggling to survive
• Poacher, illegal trapping, baiting and more.     

Additional Highlights

• Lisa is an award-winning author, photographer, and illustrator
• Owns over 400 exclusive books and ebooks
• Added her documentary film in 2024 to Peacock Books & Wildlife Art

The store serves as a comprehensive showcase of Lisa's wildlife documentation and literary works, appealing to nature enthusiasts and book lovers alike.