The Legend of Ross the Reader: A Story Fo How a Smart Cowboy Saved the Prairie One Book at a Time

Exploding root beer bottles? Flooding rains and lovesick cowboys? What could these things possibly have in common? They are all problems Ross the Reader and his trusty horse, Scout, encounter as they ride across the prairie with a saddlebag full of books. Though reading has brought Ross great joy since early childhood, not everyone in the county shares his love of books. With the help of his sweetheart, Miss Ginny Penny, who also happens to be the town librarian, Ross spreads the joy of reading across the prairie. Author Reid Dailey is not just one person, but the pseudonym for an author committee comprised of librarians from the Grand Prairie Independent School District. The Read Across the PrairieSM image of Ross the Reader riding backwards on his horse is well known to the students in Grand Prairie. Students began asking for stories about Ross, thus The Legend of Ross the Reader and how a community began a love affair with books was born. Illustrator Ross Edgerley had his first work published when he was just six years old, and by age eight he was painting wall murals in elementary schools and churches. A graduate of Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts in Dallas, TX, Ross has had award-winning sculptures displayed at the Dallas Museum of Art. Ross became involved with Read Across the PrairieSM when he designed the image of the horse and rider that became the service mark for the program. Reading level: Ages 4-8