Paul King Illustrates Fictional Novel to Raise Awareness for Choctaw Ponies
Dream a pony/Wake a spirit
the Story of a Choctaw pony in Indian territory
Paul King is a noted Choctaw artist and educator from Glenpool. When he visited the foundation herds of Choctaw horses in Antlers and Soper last year, he was inspired to paint them in order to bring awareness to their birthright and to encourage increased funding for their conservation. His recent collaboration with the writer Sarah Silver has produced the new book Dream a Pony/Wake a Spirit; the Story of Buster, a Choctaw Pony Survivor. King contributed the cover art and illustrations for the book. The book is now available both through Amazon and at the Choctaw Store. Book sales are supporting the intense volunteer efforts to provide feed, pasture, vet care, and education about these beautiful horses. The horses have been designated the Heritage Horse of Oklahoma. A key volunteer in this effort, the Choctaw historian, Francine Locke Bray, manages a GoFundMe site at www.gofundme.com/hstvio where contributors are giving whatever amount they can to the critical needs of these rare and historically important tribal horses.
Dream a Pony/Wake a Spirit is a historical, fiction novel about a diverse group of friends growing up in a rough frontier railroad town in Choctaw Nation, Indian Territory, around 1900. It is also a tale of survival and resilience in the turbulent years just before the Territory became part of the new state of Oklahoma. The story features two young brothers, Luther and Cecil, and Buster, the Choctaw pony stallion they rescue, and tells of their many exciting adventures with their Choctaw school friends. It is a poignant and often funny tale that reveals how life is not always fair or safe in a place where people of different races and cultures must interact.
The story unfolds during a time in which diseases such as tuberculosis often tragically claim family members and where an ambitious young man with dwarfism had to rise above public ignorance. Above all, the early 1900s in Indian Territory was a challenging period, during which ancient tribal traditions and vital knowledge of the natural world were being lost. Even the unique horses that had been bred by the Choctaw for more than three centuries, and which had sustained them on the Trail of Tears, were being threatened with extinction. Dream a Pony is a book that appeals to any age reader and is of special interest to those with family ties to southeastern Oklahoma. It is dedicated to every child who ever dreamed of a pony and to all those who cherish and conserve our Nation’s first horses. It is a great small book for reading groups and school projects and includes a resource section with discussion and research questions, a glossary of Choctaw words used, and links to additional information about the time period and about the historic role of the Choctaw horse in our Nation, then and now. had been bred by the Choctaw for more than three centuries, and which had sustained them on the Trail of Tears, were being threatened with extinction. Dream a Pony is a book that appeals to any age reader and is of special interest to those with family ties to southeastern Oklahoma. It is dedicated to every child who ever dreamed of a pony and to all those who cherish and conserve our Nation’s first horses. It is a great small book for reading groups and school projects and includes a resource section with discussion and research questions, a glossary of Choctaw words used, and links to additional information about the time period and about the historic role of the Choctaw horse in our Nation, then and now.
-BISKINIK, January 2016 Edition
Illustrating a children's book with full-color pages offered a new dimension to my portfolio.
Showcasing "If I Were Like A Bird" (written by Daisy Vest) at a gallery book signing offered children the opportunity to visit with the author and the illustrator (Paul King). Featured are pages from the Passion By Design Gallery "Spotlight" newsletter promoting the successful event that was held Saturday, July 9, 2016. You may order the books on Amazon or purchase a signed copy at Passion By Design, Fontana Shopping Center, 5045 S 78th E. Avenue, Tulsa, OK 74145 for $12.95. They are great gifts for the child in all of us!
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