BOOK CLUB

BOOK CLUB

by AwA

THE CALL OF EVEREST

By Everest Reviewed by Danielle Skov, Off the Beaten Path A LOCAL AUTHOR, known by the pen name Everest, has a beautiful new children’s book, The Call of Everest. The book’s hero is a dragon prince born in the Himalayas and is perfect in every way—except he cannot breathe fire. His tale is an adventurous pursuit for his “dragonhood” over steep mountains and under deep oceans. He is guided by his wise Grandmama—his namesake—and helped by mythical whale tribes. Risking his life for others, his heroic quest ends with a flaming victory. The author, a conceptual neuroscientist, uses intentionally stimulating language to enrich the vocabulary of young readers.

It is the unique illustrations, however, that will draw you to this artful book. The illustrations are inspired by playdough and sticker art depicting dragons and whales playing in a beautifully imagined

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world. This is a book you will want to share with a child sitting on your lap as you study the intricate images together.

In the afterword, the author explains how she wrote this book for both her grandson and children around the world. As a refugee herself, she wanted to write a children’s book that would provide comfort to the many young refugees in the world today—most specifically the Ukrainian children who are currently fleeing their country.

All proceeds are donated to their cause. This book would make a great gift to a child in your life while also helping a child across the world.

Art with Altitude

NIGHTHAWK RISING

A Biography of Accused Cattle Rustler Queen Ann Bassett of Brown's Park

By Diana Allen Kouris Reviewed by Dagny McKinley

AFTER BROWNS PARK, Colorado was settled, the area gained a reputation as a refuge for outlaws due to its proximity to the state lines of Utah, Wyoming and Idaho.

While Butch Cassidy, Elzy Lay, Tom Horn, Kit Carson and Isam Dart have become nationally known names in outlaw history, much less is known of the women of the West. They, too, fought for their land against impeding cattle companies, were loyal to a fault and shaped the character of Browns Park as much as any man. The most famous of those women were sisters Ann and Josie Bassett.

Author Diana Allen Kouris brings their story to life through the book Nighthawk Rising: A Biography of Accused Cattle Rustler Queen Ann Bassett of Brown's Park. Diana grew up in Browns Park.

Her grandmother was friends with Ann Bassett and her mother was instrumental in recording the history of the area by collecting interviews, preserving historically significant buildings and leaving her daughter a life’s worth of research. Diana fell in love with the area’s history the same way her mother did. Through her book, she shares the strength, devastation and perseverance that once defined a way of life.

Diana shares a new perspective on well-known events including the Meeker Massacre by recounting events through the eyes of the

Art with Altitude

women involved. The author brings to life the famous Wild Bunch Dinner where Butch Cassidy helped serve a Thanksgiving meal to the residents of Browns Park. Most importantly, she documents the story of a family plagued with hardships yet filled with love.

Herb and Elizabeth Bassett settled in Browns Park prior to the Meeker Massacre. As Herb was recovering from health issues related to the Civil War, Elizabeth headed the cattle operation, hiring men, supervising the lands and thriving in her new environment.

She created a home for the cowboys who worked for her and in return they gave her their trust. Mat Rash and Isam Dart worked for her, and Butch Cassidy was no stranger to the Bassett family.

Herb and Elizabeth’s youngest daughter, Ann Bassett, was the first white child born in Browns Park. Her mother was unable to produce milk to feed her, so she was fostered by a young Ute woman, See-a-baka, who also had recently given birth. For the rest of her life, Ann felt she had a special connection with the Ute people and their fate. While Ann’s older sister, Josie, found herself pregnant and married at a young age, Ann spent her time riding with the cattle, helping the cowboys and trying to understand why her life should be any different than theirs.

As the larger cattle operations began to infringe on Browns Park, the family took matters into their own hands—believing that what was right or wrong had nothing to do with the law, what was right was what was decent. As the story unfolds, the reader discovers how Ann came to be known to the press as Queen Ann, cattle rustler, wildcat and heroine, while her sister was tried for the murder of her husband.

ELEVATE THE ARTS: Visit the Museum of Northwest Colorado in Craig and buy Nighthawk Rising, as well as other books on the region’s history. Enjoy the world’s largest watercolor painting, learn about the stagecoach and railroad, and experience one of the largest cowboy gun/leather/spur collections on public display. The Museum of Northwest Colorado has a collection of Josie Bassett’s personal items, including a braid of her hair and her handwritten corrections in one of the most famous outlaw books of her time.

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