Around the first of the year in 2022, Yvette Mannon of Oconto released her first children’s book. “Cookie, Where Are You?” is the saga of the Mannon’s blue heeler who set out on an adventure to find his way home.

“At the end of the first book, we introduced the second book just to pique people’s interest and let them know there would be a second book coming out,” said Mannon.

That second book is now here. “I had hoped it would be out by Christmas but it actually didn’t come out until February. Then I sat on it because we had Matthew graduating and I didn’t want anything competing for the time that I had with him,” Mannon explained.

In June she started rolling out the introduction of “Cookie Meets Johnny, The Whitetail Deer”. Mannon began making the rounds to area libraries and reaching out to area schools to get on their fall calendars. Unexpectedly, Mannon received a request from Callaway Good Life Center.

“Tammy Coons reached out and asked if I would go to the nursing home. That is the first time that I have read to anybody that wasn’t elementary age,” Mannon shared. “The greatest joy of the book has been the interaction with people. We sat around the table and visited and several of them had Cookie come over, and Cookie would just curl up at their feet and they would just love on him. I don’t think we realize sometimes how difficult that is when you move into an assisted situation like that and are not able to bring your pets with you. Cookie just seemed to gravitate toward them and being loved on, the same way he does in the schools with the kiddos.”

Mannon said she learned from her first book that the kids tend to connect emotionally with the characters, particularly Cookie. They want to find out what happens to him. “I’ve got all kinds of animal relationship stories of things we see happen here at the ranch that we take for granted because it’s just our everyday livelihood, but a lot of people don’t have that opportunity,” Mannon explained. “So the vision I have is to write a series of children’s books with Cookie being the main character and introducing other animals on the ranch.”

The stories that Mannon plans to share in her books will all be true events. Each book will feature a photo of Cookie and the animal being introduced in that book on the back cover. She explained the story behind her second book.

“Johnny was a little fawn that my husband found in the alfalfa field when he was swathing. The story covers about a year and a half time, and introduces the friendship between Cookie the blue heeler, and Johnny the whitetail deer. You have to read the book to find out what happens,” she said with a laugh.

Of course, at the end of “Cookie Meets Johnny, The Whitetail Deer,” there is a brief introduction to the next book, which is called “Cookie Gets a Promotion.”

“When I was at the nursing home they asked me if there are more books. I told them if my husband keeps me out in the hayfield for hours picking up bales, there’s going to be all kinds of books! That’s what I do in my mind; I start developing my storyline and working on it,” Mannon shared. “We were laughing when they said I need to come and read my stories to them before I send them in, then they will let me know if I need to percolate a little bit longer or if they’re ready to be published.”

Mannon said the kids in the schools have been very receptive to the books, and as long as Cookie is able she plans to take him with her to the book readings. “It took finding the right books for our son to become interested in reading. I would like to be able to provide books that would cause kids to want to finish the story. They are learning to read and don’t even realize it,” she added.

Ironically, there is a twist that connects Mannon’s second book to Callaway Good Life Center. “In this book, Johnny ends up at the nursing home - the very nursing home that I was reading at. And one of the residents there remembered it! In the second book, the residents are feeding him birdseed and getting their picture taken with him,” Mannon related excitedly. “And one of the residents is still there. Johnny was eating the birdseed out of his bird feeder and he remembered it. That was really a special connection.”

Mannon credits another local writer, Haylie Stryker, for showing her the ropes and walking her through the book publishing process. “Cookie Meets Johnny, the Whitetail Deer” is available now at Rustic & Red in Cozad, BrewBakers Coffe House in Arnold, Broken Bow Floral, Andrew’s Garden in Kearney, and online through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and any place that sells books online.