Two retired Penticton teachers have put together an illustrated children’s book that can be spotted on some local store shelves.
Billy Goat Fred, written by Dave Snyder and with all of the art by Russell Stasiuk, stars the titular goat in several different stories, and a wide range of animals on and around the farm, with the tales evolving over time into the recently published book.
“What I thought originally would be to have little morals, but other than the first one I softened them to make them less obvious and had just good conduct and what’s important for children,” said Snyder. “To find a friend, when you’re a kid is a big deal.”
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Many of the stories were originally told to Snyder’s children when they were younger and living on a ranch, with Snyder writing them down and having the text of the book finished 10 years ago.
In addition to the story text, the book is filled with little songs and verses as well, some of which were in the original stories that Snyder had told his kids and others coming as he wrote the later tales.
The stories are filled with hints and callbacks to Snyder’s time out in Manitoba, and the stories progressively get more complex, though still perfect for kids, alongside the art as they go through the book.
“When Tan Dog and Billy Goat Fred go for a ride, you can trace their route if you knew it,” said Snyder.
While the text was finished for quite a while, the book wasn’t yet complete, and the only thing missing was an artist.
After several attempts at finding other artists, he brought it up with his fellow retired Pen-Hi art teacher. The project was a chance for Stasiuk to get back into art after a back injury made it difficult to sit and work for long periods of time.
“When he came along and he challenged me with this children’s book, I was dying to draw again,” said Stasiuk. “I designed a tabletop easel that slips over the corner of my kitchen counter, so I can stand and talk to my wife and watch a little TV and draw like I used to do.”
The art is a work of collaboration and evolves along with the stories, from pieces that are simpler and easily open for colouring to more complicated pieces later on.
“I had a lot of free reign, for example when you see the mouse in one of the earlier drawings, he reappears and reappears, always poking his nose into something,” said Stasiuk. “One of the things I taught was the history of art, and in the big fight scene with the dog and the fox and the duck, you can see the classical composition of Michaelangelo and Raphael.”
The challenge of doing the project for Stasiuk, and being able to get back into drawing, was as much a reward as it was to see the finished piece put together.
The book is currently available from the Dragons Den on Front Street in Penticton and from the Book Shop on Main Street, and Snyder is hoping to get the books into some school classrooms too.
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