The author of the popular book Howdy, I’m John Ware, and publisher of Red Barn Books, Ayesha Clough recently saw her story come to life in an animated short published on YouTube under the same title.
Clough said that she was inspired to write the book for her son, who is cowboy-crazy.
“My little son is crazy about two things – wowboys and hockey. When he was little, I couldn’t find him any books to do with horses or cowboys, which struck me as really strange because we live in Alberta,” Clough said. “What books there were, were really hokey and I felt like they really didn’t capture the west as it is now.”
Her son loved the finished product and “practically knows it by heart now,” she said.
Clough said there are so many amazing stories about the pioneers that settled the province, and she hopes parents will take the time to share those stories with their kids and educate them about the history of the province.
“I really felt like we needed more books that reflected Alberta, our landscapes, our people. I just have this crazy conviction that Alberta children need to grow up knowing Alberta stories,” she said.
“This is the wild west. There are stories of resilience, and adventure, and humour and awesome personalities that are role models for not only kids but adults too.”
The Canada Council for the Arts had a one-time grant of $5,000 and Clough leapt at the opportunity to apply.
Hugh Rockwood, the illustrator who created the artwork for the book initially, drew in a style that naturally adapted to the animated format, she said.
Clough enlisted Cochrane-based animator, Steve Gervais, who came recommended to her by Rockwood, as the two were mutual fans of each other’s work.
“The first time they sent me a little draft … It took my breath away to see him alive again,” Clough said. “It was a heart-stopping moment, it was really special. I can’t say enough about Steve Gervais, he really took the project and ran with it.”
Clough applauded Gervais for his hard work and dedication to the project.
“When I look at the Disney animated shorts, there are about 50 to 100 people in the credits. We literally had Steve. We had such a small team, but he’s really done an amazing job,” she said.
Gervais said the project became personal for him when he realized he had a close connection. Gervais married into the Robinson family, who are well-known homesteaders in Alberta.
He mentioned he was working on the project to his mother-in-law, who revealed that John Ware had worked at the stables owned by her family.
“It became kind of a personal thing,” he said. “It was quite interesting to see how this actually blossomed.”
Gervais said that when the project was initially brought to him, he was surprised and excited to be a part of it.
“I was blown away by the fact that [Clough] wanted me to do the animation,” Gervais said. “I just wanted to make something great. As an animator, that’s what we want to do, we want to make great stories.”
