"Cheeky Dogs to Lake Nash and Back" By Dion Beasley & Johanna Bell
In this exuberant illustrated memoir, action-packed images and poetic words trace Dion Beasley's fascination with cheeky dogs and his unconventional journey into the world of contemporary art.
Every morning
Is it time yet?
Nearly Joie says.
Out of the freezer comes the meat.
Bones and sausages and chicken necks.
Butcher knife on the bricks, me chopping up.
Be careful! Or you'll cut your finger off.
We can't have that Joie says.
Meet deaf artist, Dion Beasley, and the people he calls family. Dodging road trains by day and giant blue monsters at night, Dion weaves his way through life on an electric scooter, collecting rocks and dogs to make art. In his dreams he sees animals from overseas and his mother's country, Lake Nash, but every morning, without fail, he puts on his favourite socks and gets ready to feed the dogs.
Is it time yet?
Dion Beasley and Johanna Bell have collaborated on two other books, Too Many Cheeky Dogs and
Go Home, Cheeky Animals, which won the Children's Book Council of Australia Book of the Year Award in 2017
- ISBN: 9781760528119
- ISBN-10: 1760528110
- Audience: Children
- For Ages: 8+ years old
- For Grades: 3 - 5
- Format: Hardcover
- Language: English
- Number Of Pages: 128
- Published: 3rd June 2019
- Publisher: A&U Children's
- Country of Publication: AU
- Dimensions (cm): 1.5 x 18.7 x 23.6
- Weight (kg): 0.52
More About The Artist
More About The Artist


About Dion Beasley
About Dion Beasley
Dion Beasley is an Alywarr artist from the remote community of Owairtilla, also known as Canteen Creek. Dion spent many of his early years living in remote communities in the Barkly region of the Northern Territory before relocating to Tennant Creek.
Dion has lived in Tennant Creek for the past fourteen years but continues to love visiting outlying communities where dogs play an integral part of community life. Being profoundly death Dion has experienced many challenges throughout his life but has developed a great passion for drawing which has served as a means of communication with others.
Dion Beasley is an Alywarr artist from the remote community of Owairtilla, also known as Canteen Creek. Dion spent many of his early years living in remote communities in the Barkly region of the Northern Territory before relocating to Tennant Creek.
Dion has lived in Tennant Creek for the past fourteen years but continues to love visiting outlying communities where dogs play an integral part of community life. Being profoundly death Dion has experienced many challenges throughout his life but has developed a great passion for drawing which has served as a means of communication with others.