My name is Gail Picado and I’ve written a children’s book for ages 8 - 108 titled A COW NAMED JOHN. I would like to talk about the book and how I came to write it. Here is a peek into what the book is about . . .
People always asked Mike, “Why did you name your cow John? After all, John is a boy’s name.” (You’ll have to read the book for this answer!)
12 yr. old Mike’s favorite cow gets out of the chorale and goes roaming, and he has to find her before she gets hurt, but he’s saddled with his younger girl cousin, who he has to entertain while doing his chores. In Mike’s opinion, “dumb old girls don’t know nothing,” so he starts out by pulling pranks on her - - only they backfire on him.
The two cousins risk electrocution in irrigation trenches, get involved in the trickery of fishing and snipe hunting; they escape an angry sheep, survive horse tricks, and keep their silly uncle at bay before Mike realizes that Gaylyn can help him look for John. After a tornado rips through the farm, the two join forces and rescue John from a muddy trench. And as Mike promised, Gaylyn goes flying off of John when she coughs.
A Cow Named John is nostalgic for adults and humorous to children as they learn how work can feel like play - - and how the search for John can be just as much fun as actually finding her.
If anyone would like a signed copy of A COW NAMED JOHN, please send $10 to Gail Picado at:
1784 N. Gardena Ave.
Rialto, CA 92376
Thank you so much!
Gail Picado
Gail Picado was born in 1949. In high school, she loved to draw and write, but her father discouraged her, saying that there were too many starving artists, so instead, she took typing and bookkeeping, always working in an office.
As a child, her parents would take her and her siblings to her aunt and uncle’s farm in Brady, Nebraska, every summer to spend time with their cousins. She spent many hours learning chores that seemed more like play, and each chore created a good memory. There were no toys, but the animals were all the toys any child would need. This is how A Cow Named John was created.
Gail’s first novel, No One’s Son, published in 1991, is based on her father’s life. She and her husband reside in California and have three daughters.
DEDICATION for A COW NAMED JOHN
I would like to dedicate this book to my Aunt Evelyn Elsasser, who always opened her home to us and never complained about the extra work or crowded conditions. She greeted every situation with a smile. Everyone should have an aunt like her.
