Children and adults alike will enjoy the folklore of a historical cattle drive in the Eastern United States. This trip was made without the use of horses. During the economic tragedy of the Great Depression, young men and Border collies drove livestock many miles on graveled roads and wagon trails. Livestock was wintered in the valleys and summered in the high elevation mountain grazing pastures. Tails, Trails & Pies is a scenic “fitness trip” for men and beasts as they traveled in the Appalachian wilderness of West Virginia. Petersburg, WV to the Sinks of Gandy.
“Helen has captured a slice of Appalachian life we don’t see so much anymore,” said publisher, Cathy Teets, President of Headline Books. “She is a welcome addition to our School Show Program and already has a full schedule.”
Helen Groves Hedrick is the author of five children’s books: Baas on the Bus, Sis and the Singing Hens, Rattlesnake Riddle, Flying Moments and Life and Times of Old Roan. In her thirty-three year teaching career, she shared her love and respect for living things. Helen and her husband, Larry, host The Homestead Inn and Farm in Petersburg, WV. They winter cattle in the South Branch Valley and transport them to the grassland of the Sinks of Gandy for the summer grazing season.
Talented illustrator, Sue Ann Maxwell Spiker, has captured the flavor of the area and brings the characters to life. She is a native West Virginian and lives on a farm in Jane Lew, WV with her children and husband, Dr. John Spiker, a veterinarian and purebred livestock auctioneer. Besides working on the farm, Sue Ann and her husband are active with their church and also own and operate a Guest House. Sue Ann has illustrated several children’s books including We Are Whoooo We Are and The Day the Snapdragons Snapped Back by Melinda Chambers.
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© 2012 Headline Kids