RAPIDS CITY, South Dakota – “Goodnight, horse. You've got my heart, and I don't like to be separated,” Mary Fichtner says in an excerpt from her book “Goodnight Cowboy.” Read while sharing.
Fichtner grew up hearing stories about her parents working on their ranch, and she grew up with horses, too. When Ms. Fichtner had her own family, she had trouble finding her books that depicted her own Western way of life.
”When my children were small, we often read books to them, but many Western books were not authentic in my opinion. They didn't use the words that we use, so there were really real, authentic Western books with the correct language, the correct appearance of horses, and all the things we love about the West. “I really thought it was necessary,” she said. I will explain.
To solve this problem, she decided to start doing the following: Rusty's reading Remuda writes authentic Western works for children. A remuda is a herd of work horses from which cowboys choose their horse partners for the day's ranch work.
The Fichtners continued the tradition, participating in FFA, 4-H, and rodeo, and their then 17-year-old daughter Roz became an illustrator while Mary continued writing children's books. “She took a watercolor class when she was a senior in high school, and a few weeks later her teacher called her and said, 'This kid is really talented at watercolor,'” Fichtner said. “So, at that exact moment I said, 'I've got an illustrator!'” So that was probably… one of the most notable things I've done. ”
They hope their books will continue to inspire responsibility and kindness to urban and rural children alike. “It's an honor and a privilege to care for these animals and watch them grow up. Children take pride in what they do and develop a strong sense of identity, so it's a change in their minds. I do,” she says.
For example, in his book Rusty and His Saddle, Fichtner explains, “Rusty's saddle is old and in need of repair, but the other horses have trophy saddles that they won.” do. “So in this book, the horses look down on him because of his beat-up saddle, but he outranks them, so they learn more about character than appearance. ”
Mary and her daughter Roz Fichtner plan to continue publishing one story each year, working together to bring familiar stories to children and families across the West. Click here to learn more about Rusty's Reading Remuda.
