KEARNEY — The students of Park Elementary in Kearney were treated to a four-legged visitor on Friday, Sept. 15 and their owner, a children’s author, wrote a book about the true story of her dog’s remarkable 25-mile journey to find home.
The author, Yvette Mannon, a resident of rural Custer County, visited the elementary school to share the book she wrote about her dog, Cookie, a 12-year-old Blue Heeler who went on an adventure.
“We are thrilled to welcome Yvette Mannon to Park Elementary School,” said Chance Waggoner, Principal of Park Elementary. “Her book and the real-life story behind it offer valuable life lessons for our students. Plus, having Cookie here with us adds an extra layer of excitement and connection to the narrative.”
The title of the book is “Cookie, Where Are You?”
On Labor Day weekend, while Mannon and her family were on vacation, Cookie was taken to their parents place near rural Eustis to stay while the family was gone.
The story is told from Cookie’s perspective and in the book; he gets anxious and must get back to his family. Cookie set off to his family’s ranch mere hours before Mannon was due back to pick him up.
Mannon said they thought Cookie might head for Johnson Lake, but instead he took the Darr Road, and managed to cross the Platte River bridge, the I-80 overpass, Highway 30 and the Union Pacific Railroad tracks – all without being hurt.
Mannon said it was a miracle he stayed safe crossing so many dangerous obstacles.
As Cookie was making his way north, a woman stopped him and called into KRVN reporting a dog was on the road and likely missing from their owner. An employee at the Darr Feedlot later spotted Cookie and gave the update on his location.
Eventually Cookie was found by Mannon’s neighbors, who got him off the road into their vehicle and waited until his family could come pick him up. In all, Cookie had been gone for 36 hours and had traveled around 25 miles.
Feeling the story was, “too good not to tell,” Mannon began writing a children’s book about Cookie’s experience in January 2020. After working out the illustrations and other items, the book was published in late 2021.
Mannon followed up her first book with a sequel, “Cookie Meets Johnny the Whitetail Deer.”
This was another true story where Mannon’s family found a white tail fawn who had been abandoned.
The buck, later named Johnny, becomes a member of the ranch animal family as he grows up and even helps Cookie after he ingested cattle medicine that left him temporarily blind.
The story is once again told from Cookie’s perspective, who enjoys his new friend, even if Johnny keeps eating his dog food.
As Johnny grows into a strong buck, the family worries when hunting season arrives. But don’t worry, the story has a happy ending.
Johnny gets to live out the rest of his life on a wildlife reserve near North Platte and becomes a father to twin fawns. The story ends saying Cookie and Johnny will be friends for life.
Both Cookie and Mannon visited Park Elementary and both books were read to the students. Afterward, the students got a chance to pet Cookie and take class photos with the star of the book.
“Cookie, Where Are You?” and “Cookie Meets Johnny the Whitetail Deer,” can be purchased online from Amazon or Barnes and Noble.
