The Let’s Rodeo! story.
Written and illustrated by Taylor Pearce as her Girl Scout Gold Award project.
Why this project
This project is something that I am very passionate about. When I was first pondering over different ideas for my Girl Scout Gold Award, I decided that in order for this project to be as successful as possible, it had to center around something I cared about. When I heard about the different problems the Homestead Rodeo Association was having with the Books & Broncs Literacy Project, I knew that this was a challenge I was ready to face. The main problem was being able to afford all the books for the children, and that is where the ideas for my book began!
As a volunteer and member of the Homestead Rodeo Association for many years, they had grown close to my heart. This project brought together three of my passions: the HRA, writing, and art.
It also started because of growing up in a small city that is actually part of a much larger city right here in Miami, Florida. Many people are in disbelief when they hear that Miami has its own rodeo once a year, EVERY year in January, down in Homestead. Since so many didn’t know about the local rodeo, I started taking steps to make others more aware of rodeo and a community event that should be attended annually: the Homestead Rodeo.
How I came up with the book idea
The previous book used for the Books & Broncs Literacy Project was from the 1960s and needed updating. Also, since it was a story, it did not talk about the rodeo and let kids know what the rodeo was about. I thought maybe a more informative book would be more interesting for the students.
Knowing that the aim for Books & Broncs was to educate children about the rodeo, I decided to propose to the Homestead Rodeo Association my idea to create a nonfiction rodeo book focusing on a traditional PRCA rodeo. Not only would my idea help to educate children about the rodeo and the events at the rodeo, it would also help HRA save money on purchasing books and get more money to pay for other expenses like buses, so that the students could attend the Kids Day event at the arena.
Writing Let’s Rodeo!
With everything mentioned above in mind, I was left with how I should go about writing the book. I studied many children’s books, as well as the old book used for the Literacy Project, and noticed that they were not often written in verse. This seemed like a good way to go, and my challenge.
Right away, I began planning based on the different events at the PRCA rodeo. Then, drafting the ideas behind each of the different pages and recording the ideas into verse. Sometimes lines rhymed and sometimes they didn’t. It took me many hours of going over and over each page, plus rewriting and rewriting, before I was able to, with the help of my editor and mom, finalize the writing portion of the book.
Although sometimes it became frustrating as I agonized over finding the right words, writing has always been something I really enjoyed. The next step: illustrations!
Illustrating Let’s Rodeo!
As a senior in the art magnet at Coral Reef Senior High, I was no stranger to another art challenge. My teacher, Mr. McKinney, was good at doing that! Although I primarily drew animals, such as horses, it was never the easiest thing for me to do. Even though I was an art student who draws well, it did not mean that I could draw everything well!
I got to work right away on the illustrations. The drawings were detailed and difficult at times. I just had to keep practicing. I decided to go with scribble sketches and leave them in black and white so that the first graders, who this project targets, could color the pages however they liked: in the lines or outside the lines, traditional colors or contemporary.
Once I finished all of the illustrations for the different events, the book was reviewed a final time before I was able to declare it finished and ready for the next year’s literacy day!
The mural at the arena
Learn about and educate others through the book Let’s Rodeo! by Taylor Pearce. The pictures at the Homestead Rodeo Arena showcase the mural done in correspondence with the book: the images are mirrored from those in the book to help connect the content to the real events that go on at the Homestead Rodeo every year.
Painting the barrel racing event was a bit challenging, as on the wall of the office were pipes and wires to work around. I decided just to paint over it as if it weren’t there.
