Let’s give a big “yee haw!” My children’s picture book, “Our Friend The Cowboy: A Wild West Hero,” has been named a 2026 Will Rogers Medallion Award winner!

It’s an amazing honor to be recognized by such a prestigious organization, whose annual contest draws hundreds of entries that reflect the culture and traditions of the American West.

Among this year’s awardees are Kevin Costner and Doris Kearns Goodwin for their documentary “Kevin Costner’s The West: Oregon Trails,” as well as other honorees in more than 30 creative categories ranging from cookbooks and traditional westerns to photography and poetry.

The awards will be presented on October 31 at a ceremony in Tulsa, Oklahoma, concluding three days of events and workshops. Stay tuned for plenty of photos and details from the event, and grab your copy of my award-winning book here.

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CREATING SOMETHING NEW

“Our Friend The Cowboy” is the second book in my Art and Verse picture book series. When I started the series, it certainly wasn’t to win awards. It was to honor my dad’s memory and share his art collection in a meaningful way with a new audience.

For those who aren’t aware, the three books in the series each feature a gentle rhyming verse and original paintings and drawings by my dad, who passed away in 2020. In addition to honoring his memory, the books also offer a way to introduce young kids to the beauty of original art, which is growing more and more important in a world where so much “art” is artifically created and devoid of human emotion or talent.

Parents have shared with me that even toddlers are captivated by the colorful paintings and rhymes, making me proud to have developed this unique style of picture book inspired by my dad’s art collection.

Putting any kind of art out into the world comes with a risk. Children’s picture books are no exception. What if no one likes it or wants to buy it? Or what if they do like it, but still don’t want to buy it.

Is publishing a book that merely exists, but isn’t on anyone’s shelf, even worth the effort?

I’ve wondered that many times over the past two and a half years as I’ve created and published my children’s books. The first book in my series — “What’s so Special About a Tree?” — really seemed to resonate with people. I received many positive Amazon reviews, along with in-person comments from people who loved my dad’s art and the reason behind the book. I also sold enough copies to make me feel like the book was a retail success.

One woman who visited a booth where I was selling books during a Christmas market at a local bakery, told me that she came specifically to buy “What’s so Special About a Tree?” after seeing it promoted on the bakery’s social media. That was a “wow” moment for me! I may actually have something special here.

COMING IN SECOND

With “Our Friend The Cowboy,” things were kind of different. For one thing, it’s more of a niche topic. Any kid can relate to trees. Look around; they’re everywhere. But not every kid is going to care about cowboys. And that’s fine. Books can, and should, have unique audiences. But, I believe, at least in part, that made the launch of the cowboy book a little less impressive.

Also, let’s face it, the second of anything (even if it’s equally wonderful) gets less attention than the first. First babies get showers and second babies get sprinkles, after all. (What do third babies get? Drizzle?)

So, my cowboy book got off to a slower start. I struggled to find in-roads with the right group of adults who would be interested in a children’s book about cowboys, and I wondered if the book resonated with anyone at all.

And then there were the reviews, or the lack of them. I got minimal Amazon reviews, which are essential to appearing in searches that could lead to sales. I submitted the book to a highly respected organization called Readers’ Favorite that offers, along with its other services, the possibility of being chosen for a free editorial review.

After a few months, I received an email from Readers’ Favorite saying that “Our Friend The Cowboy” had not yet been selected for a review. Maybe I should update the book’s description to make it more appealing to a potential reviewer, which I did.

A few more months passed, and I received the same email again.

At that point, I assumed it was a lost cause. My book was so far down the virtual stack that it would never see the light of day.

But then, something surprising happened. Almost one year after my initial submission, I received an email saying a 5-star review was waiting for me!

And not just any 5-star review: a review that actually brought tears to my eyes.

To my delight, the reviewer really got it. She fully understood and appreciated why I’m creating these books to begin with and restored my confidence that reaching the right people at the right time can make a difference — even if it takes longer than you want it to.

What an honor it is to have this unique collaboration with my dad, even though he is no longer here with me. You can read the review below; let me know what you think.

READERS’ FAVORITE 5-STAR REVIEW

“‘Our Friend The Cowboy: A Wild West Hero’ by Susan Polk Van Dusen reads like a praise poem for the enduring myth of this iconic American archetype. As such, it offers a glimpse into the world of the cowboy, his honest values, and his daily chores on the ranch.

The rhyming text charms through its simplicity. But don’t be too surprised if these words linger in the minds of your little ones. Certain words are highlighted through the use of special fonts or contrasting colors. It works incredibly well here because it has been so well integrated into the story. The illustrations were sourced from a series of drawings and watercolor paintings by the author’s father, John S. Polk. These works capture the essence of cowboys: their patched jeans, creased boots, and their wise, weary eyes.

You can’t just look at this book once. The artwork has a hypnotic flow that makes each illustration uniquely compelling. Here’s one cowboy, raising his hat in cheerful triumph as his equine partner helps to bring the herd together. There, two shadowy cowboys share a moment that could be a casual instruction or a serious conversation. Who knows? Yet another cowboy meets your gaze with just a hint of amusement, his loyal horse hovering in the background.

These are all individuals, bound by their creed and their profession. But as cowboys form a nostalgic bridge between past and present, so too the text and images of ‘Our Friend The Cowboy’ reflect an intimate conversation on heritage and the importance of honoring your own. And therein lies its most important lesson — the unity of family. By creating this beautiful memorial to her father’s talent, Susan Polk Van Dusen shows how what we do here on Earth matters, not only to ourselves but also to future generations.”

YOUR REVIEWS MATTER

You can help other people find my books by submitting an Amazon review. Books with reviews appear higher in searches and are more appealing to potential readers. It only takes a minute or two, but it can make a big difference!

Did you buy a book from somewhere other than Amazon? It doesn’t matter. You can still write a review for it on Amazon.

To leave a review, just go to my Amazon Author Central page and select the book you want to review. Don’t forget to follow me while you’re there. I truly appreciate your support!

That’s probably why I had a such challenging time creating a new picture book for my Art and Verse series. After months of starts and stops, I couldn’t seem to write a catchy rhyming verse that anybody would want to read to their kids.

I use my late father’s original artwork in the books as a way to honor him and to share his talent with people who would otherwise have never seen his work.

Thankfully, I have over 400 of his amazing paintings and drawings to work with, so there’s a wide variety to choose from. But while developing picture books around a fixed set of artwork presents wonderful opportunities, it also creates a few challenges.

Unfortunately, I can’t ask him to create new paintings on a particular subject I want to write about. Instead, I can only use the collection he left behind and group them into subjects that would appeal to young kids, like the topics of my first two books: “What’s so Special About a Tree?” and “Our Friend The Cowboy.”

Thinking Differently

When trying to develop a third book in the series, I kept getting stuck.

First, I tried to write on the topic of thankfulness, using paintings of things that kids would be thankful for, like roosters and seashells. With that combination, I think it’s obvious why that topic didn’t go anywhere.

Then I tried a book about animals, but somehow the mix of paintings of everything from butterflies to camels didn’t want to coexist in a picture book together.

The paintings weren’t the problem. They are beautiful, and I’m so incredibly lucky to have them. The problem was my inability to capture their essence in a cozy verse for kids.

That’s when I started looking elsewhere for inspiration and came across something unexpected: a poem in the public domain titled “Spring Song” by turn-of-the-20th-century American poet Paul Laurence Dunbar.

I immediately found some paintings that fit perfectly with Dunbar’s stanzas — what are the odds I would have paintings of bluebells and a bluebird, both of which are mentioned in the poem.

Other paintings also came to mind as ideal choices to highlight the poem’s uplifting words about the beauty of springtime.

From there, my excitement about the process returned, and I was ready to make this new book a reality.

An American Classic

For those who studied poetry, Dunbar is likely well recognized. For everyone else, he may not be as familiar.

Born in 1872 to two formerly enslaved people, Dunbar quickly found his calling as a writer. As the only Black student in his Ohio high school class (where he was friends with Orville Wright, of all people), Dunbar served as president of the school literary society, editor-in-chief of the school paper, and class poet. By the time he graduated, he was already a published poet, having his work printed in the Dayton Herald.

As his writings became more well known, he self published his first book of poems in 1893, titled “Oak and Ivy.” This led to him finding two wealthy benefactors who provided the financial backing needed for him to publish his second poetry book, “Majors and Minors.” From there, his career as a writer took off, with his dialect poetry particularly gaining acclaim.

While much of his work focuses on social injustice and the personal and societal toll of racism, his overall message is one of hope, ambition, and beauty.

His book of poems titled “Lyrics of Lowly Life” was published in 1896 and contains “Spring Song,” the poem I chose for the third book in my Art and Verse series.

It’s a short, catchy verse with repetitive and vivid language that parents can read to their kids again and again (just the way kids like). It also includes a handful of “classic” words from the late 1800s, like 'twixt and wold (that’s an open area of land with rolling hills, in case you didn’t know). Parents can use those words for a fun learning experience, maybe seeing if their preschooler can work them into a sentence to surprise Grandma!

Combining Art with Verse

Using Dunbar’s poem in my book also opens up the opportunity for parents and teachers to introduce young kids to a classic poem and an influential Black poet, in addition to exposing them to the beauty of original paintings.

“Spring Song (Illustrated)” is available now in hardback and paperback directly from my website or on Amazon and other sites where books are sold.

Best of all, you can go to your local bookstore and ask them to order a copy, which supports both an independent author/publisher and a shop owner. Ask for it by name or use these ISBN numbers: 979-8-9902951-7-9 (hardback) and 979-8-9902951-6-2 (paperback).

A Lasting Legacy

One last tidbit about Paul Laurence Dunbar you may not know: He — not Maya Angelou — originally wrote the line, “I know why the caged bird sings.” She borrowed the now-iconic phrase for the title her autobiography from Dunbar’s 1899 poem titled “Sympathy.”

Dunbar continued to publish poetry books, short stories, novels, song lyrics, essays, and other works throughout his short life. He died on February 9, 1906, at the young age of 33, having become one of America’s first Black poets to gain national recognition.

I’m happy to combine his lilting words with my dad’s vibrant paintings and introduce them both to a new audience.

Here are a few pages from the book. Let me know what you think!

Your Reviews Matter!

You can help other people find my books by submitting an Amazon review. Books with reviews appear higher in searches and are more appealing to potential readers. Even a few words can make a big difference!

Did you buy a book from somewhere other than Amazon? It doesn’t matter. You can still write a review for it on Amazon.

To leave a review, just go to my Amazon Author Central page and select the book you want to review. Don’t forget to follow me while you’re there. I truly appreciate your support!

That one day a year — April 22 — when people around the world are encouraged to take action in support of our planet.

In reality, of course, we should do our best to take care of the earth every day. But as we’ve seen from recent catastrophic weather events brought on by global warming, we often fail to live up to that sacred duty.

This year alone, the EPA has announced its intention to undo rules that encourage power plants and carmakers to use cleaner forms of energy, roll back anti-pollution regulation, and do away with the “good neighbor rule” that regulates downwind air pollution.

And that’s just the tip of the rapidly melting iceberg.

Other than voting for environmentally friendly politicans, it feels like there’s not much the average person can do.

One thing we can all do, however, is encourage the next generation to do better.

When we tell kids something, they believe us. I’m not talking about leading a preschool lesson on the dangers of running oil pipelines through the habitat of an endangered species (although I would be interested to hear that).

I’m talking about telling kids we shouldn’t throw trash on the ground, and then going together to clean up a park.

Or explaining how recycling prevents garbage from piling up in landfills, and then helping them rinse aluminum cans to put in the recycle bin.

Or sharing how trees create clean oxygen for us breathe, and then planting a tree together.

It sounds basic, and it is. But if kids don’t learn compassion for the earth at an early age, the path we’re on will continue to be littered with adults who put profits and personal gain over the needs of our one and only Mother Earth.

A Special Offer for Earth Day

In honor of Earth Day, I’m offering the Kindle version of my book What’s so Special About a Tree? for free from April 18-22.

Download it to share with a kid you love. Then take a few minutes and go outside to look at, talk about, and appreciate the beautiful, important trees in our world.

Get your free Kindle e-book here.

(Click the Buy Now button, rather than the Read for Free button, which is limited to Kindle Unlimited subscribers.)

BONUS! If e-books aren’t your thing, as of April 18, Amazon has the hardcover edition of What’s so Special About a Tree? marked down 21%. I have no control over this discount and don’t know how long it will last, so grab your copy soon!

Here are a few sample pages from the book featuring original artwork by my dad, John S. Polk.

Your Reviews Matter!

You can help other people find my books by submitting an Amazon review. Books with reviews appear higher in searches and are more appealing to potential readers. Even a few words can make a big difference!

Did you buy a book from somewhere other than Amazon? It doesn’t matter. You can still write a review for it on Amazon.

To leave a review, just go to my Amazon Author Central page and select the book you want to review. I truly appreciate your support!

Giddyup and lasso a copy of Our Friend The Cowboy: A Wild West Hero, the new picture book in my Art and Verse picture book series.

Buy on Amazon

Buy on Bookshop.org

Wrangle a FREE copy of the Kindle e-book from March 11-13 only!

Available through Ingram Content Group for retailers and librarians.
ISBN: 979-8-9902951-4-8 (Paperback), 979-8-9902951-5-5 (Hardcover)

I published my first picture book — What’s so Special About a Tree? — in April 2024. It features my late dad’s original paintings and drawings, along with a gentle rhyming verse perfect for kids ages 3-7.

After receiving so much positive feedback, I decided to turn that book into a series! Each book in the Art and Verse picture book series features a different subject and includes my dad’s beautiful artwork alongside my rhyming verse. (Keep scrolling to read more about the series.)

The second book in the series, Our Friend The Cowboy: A Wild West Hero showcases 13 watercolor paintings and pencil drawings of a true hero — the American cowboy.

Kids and adults alike will enjoy this unique style of picture book featuring vibrant illustrations and descriptive verse featuring cowboys as they herd cattle, ride the range, tend their horses, and act as a helpful neighbor to all.

This picture book is perfect for beginning readers, to share as a family, or to encourage classroom learning. A list of artwork titles and media is included to encourage young artists to create their own western-inspired art. Available in hardcover, paperback, and e-book.

Find out more at VanDusenBooks.com.

Why the Art and Verse series?

My dad was always drawing pictures of one kind or another, but after he retired from teaching he stepped up his game by taking art courses and developing his own unique style. You can see that style in the elongated faces of some of his subjects and in his mixed media use of watercolor and ink in many pieces, among other special touches.

After inheriting hundreds of my dad’s paintings, I struggled with what to do with them. I didn’t want them to sit in a closet or simply to hang in our home, where only a few people would ever see them.

That’s where the inspiration for my Art and Verse picture book series developed. Incorporating my dad’s art into picture books has been a meaningful and fun project for me, and knowing that people around the world now the opportunity to enjoy his beautiful artwork is my way of honoring him and his talent. I hope he would be proud.

You can hear more about the Art and Verse series in my interview on the Reading With Your Kids podcast starting at the 35-minute mark.

Your reviews matter!

You can help others find and enjoy Van Dusen Books. Even a few words make a big difference! Visit my Amazon author page to review a book and follow me for announcements about new releases.

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CHECK OUT MY OTHER BOOKS

What’s so Special About a Tree?

5-STAR REVIEW FROM READERS’ FAVORITE:

“The concepts presented in this book are foundational to young children gaining a lifelong love for nature. I especially appreciate the gorgeous artwork, particularly the watercolors, which skillfully portray different aspects of the beauty and functions of trees.”

Noah Zark

“Beautifully illustrated, this book may help kindle a child’s appreciation for animals and might just spark a young imagination about the ways to care for pets and the creation.” — Rev. Betsy Singleton Snyder, author of Stepping on Cheerios: Finding God in the Chaos and Clutter of Life

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