SPOKANE, Wash. — The story behind the children’s book Ponies in the Park begins as many do; with a story.
“I moved here 11 years ago and spent a lot of time in (Riverfront) Park,” Author Mary Carpenter said. “Often when I was down there with my daughter I would start telling stories.”
The stories became the backbone for Ponies in the Park, with the main character based off of Carpenter’s daughter. Then, while trying to apply for a Spokane Arts grant to help fund the idea, the first-time author was presented with an obstacle that turned into a blossoming friendship.
“I found out that you had to have a partner when it’s a children’s book,” Carpenter said. “I found Mary Pat Kanaley on (the Society of Children’s Books Writers and Illustrators) website and I loved her drawings.”
Since the pandemic, the pair have taken this journey together, from conception to final product.
“We met outside, we had masks sitting outside a coffee shop and it was freezing,” Kanaley, who’s lived in Spokane for 32 years, recalled.
Now, during the 50th anniversary of Riverfront’s Expo ‘74, children have a fun way to learn about the history of the park.
“It’s an art education book. At the front of the book it has a magical story about how moonlight and magic dust allow the carousel and the art in the park to come alive,” Carpenter said.
“We got pictures from expo and then from modern-day and just enough for little kids to get a taste of the different sculptures from the park,” Kanaley said.
As a part of the Spokane Arts grant, the pair gave 460 copies of the books to local schools and have spoken to teachers using the materials for their second grade classrooms. The result has been a newfound interest in Riverfront Park for kids.
“(They’ve) said it’s made the park come alive,” Carpenter said. “(They’ll say) ‘I’ve seen the garbage goat’ or ‘I’ve seen that carousel’ or ‘I know that horse or those runners.’ It’s really unique in the fact that it is educational but at the same time it’s making things a little bit magical.”
