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Saturday, Oct. 24, 2009

Family of Yosemite racoons inspire series of children's books

Who could have known that a family of raccoons residing under a porch in Yosemite would launch a series of books--written and published with artwork all done by the same person--and get children excited about not only reading, but about the world around them?

When Steve Riley and his brother lived in Curry Village while working in Yosemite, they discovered a raccoon family underneath their porch. Every night around 11 p.m. the two of them would sit outside to watch the furry critters.

There were three babies--all very small and very cute.

"One of them had a cut in his left ear, so we could tell him from the others," Steve said. "I sketched him with shorts and tennis shoes, and the story was born."

Ty Cooney is the main character in the National Wonders Series, which so far includes two books: "Little Ty Cooney and the Big Yosemite Race" and "Little Ty Cooney and the Big Yellowstone Mystery."

From the inside jacket of the one book, it says:

"Every year all the animals of Yosemite hold one big race, and only the strongest animals enter. But this year something is very different. A young raccoon named Ty Cooney has been training very hard, and decides to enter the race. No one gives this little raccoon a chance, but Ty won't give up so easily ... So hold onto your hats and get ready for adventure through the wild lands of Yosemite, as Ty proves how hard work and believing in yourself can make all the difference."

There's another story to be told, though.

Ty isn't the only one who proves how hard work and believing in yourself can change things.

Riley originally wanted to be an actor. He was a student at the prestigious Howard Fine School for Acting--the same school Brad Pitt and Ali Larter attended. He worked hard and tried to reach his dream. But nothing happened.

When he wrote and illustrated his first book, he discovered that it's ten times harder to get a book published than it is to write it. Again, he worked hard, and looked for a company that would help him reach his dream.

But, again, nothing happened.

"When I was in Hollywood I spent a lot of time asking others to give me permission to be an actor," Riley said. "They always said, No. Then with my first book I was asking others for permission to be an author. And they said, No. I got tired of asking permission to do what I wanted to do."

So, Riley became his own publishing company, and published his own books. Nearly 30,000 books have been sold thus far. It was a risk that required a lot of money, a whole lot of determination, and a huge measure of faith.

Instead of asking Hollywood or a publishing company if he has succeeded, ask the school kids who read his books and watch him in action when he visits their schools. Or better yet, just look at their faces.

"He's great! The kids are entranced," said Annette Pearl, school secretary at Bass Lake Elementary. She couldn't be in the cafeteria to watch him, but was able to listen on the office speaker. "He was reading Where the Wild Things Are--with so much expression, and acting out the story. We just love him!"

Riley gave a presentation there last month. He's a favorite of the teachers and parents, too.

Between writing, drawing and painting, he spends a lot of time traveling to schools to share his books, and at the same time encourages kids in their writing skills. In all, he's spoken to about 100,000 students.

After the group presentation in the cafeteria, Riley went to some of the classrooms to talk to students on a more personal level. Dressed in jeans and a white t-shirt featuring his own artwork, he first showed them his black and white drawings, and then his colored prints. Beautifully colored landscapes fill each book, with cartoon characters from the storyline.