Michelle Obama’s First Portrait in the Kitchen Garden with First Dog ‘Bo’
White House reps released the official portrait of Michelle Obama in her Kitchen Garden this week. In the photo the First Lady is seated next to the First Dog ‘Bo,’ a rare Portuguese Waterdog.
Mrs. Obama created the garden to provide healthy foods for the family and community. The First Lady and White House chefs use ingredients from the Kitchen Garden daily.
President Obama’s daughters, Malia (13) and Sasha (10), are instrumental in the growth of the crop. In Mrs. Obama’s forthcoming book about the garden, scheduled for an April 2012 release, Crown Publishing Group said the girls “were the catalysts for change for their family’s eating behavior… which inspired her national initiative to address childhood obesity, resulting in the idea to plant a vegetable garden on the South Lawn.”
Bo, the First Dog of the White House, turned three on October 9th. He loves to eat tomatoes and assist Mrs. Obama in the garden.
“It is me and Bo and we’re in the garden,” said Michelle Obama. “One of the reasons we did this picture is because we get so many letters from kids, mostly, who want to hear about the garden, they want to see it, and they also want to see Bo,” Mrs. Obama continued to say… “Bo is really the most popular… We’ve heard so many great stories from kids who’ve been inspired and doing things like changing the way their families do things. Those letters are always just a joy to get. So we want to have something a little more tangible than just a letter to give to kids, because often it’s the visual thing that makes it real.”
