In the pastures of southern Oklahoma, where cattle graze and coyotes prowl, a donkey named Gerald stands watch.

To most ranchers, a guard donkey is a practical livestock protector.

To Anna Brown, this donkey became something more: the heart of a children’s book series blending agriculture, imagination and family.

Shortly after graduating from Oklahoma State University, Brown met Gerald during a visit to her boyfriend’s family ranch in Marietta, Oklahoma.

Over the years, she continued to watch Gerald and wrote a poem about the donkey as a gift for her boyfriend, who is now her husband, Cody Brown.

“I thought, ‘I want to write a little poem about Gerald and his job,’” Brown said. “I printed it out, framed it, and gave it to him.”

She saved the poem on her computer and left it for years, she said.

She and Cody married in 2018 and moved closer to the ranch and Gerald, Brown added. The idea of turning the poem into a children’s book lingered quietly in the back of her mind until she revisited the thought and realized it might become something more, she added.

“I got online, and there aren’t really any children’s books about guard donkeys,” Brown said. “I thought, ‘Hmm, I might have something here.’”

Brown entered college planning to become an equine veterinarian, she said, but quickly realized science and math courses were not the right fit.

She soon changed her major to agricultural communications during the first week of the semester and discovered a passion she did not expect, Brown added.

After graduating in 2014, she worked a variety of jobs, including substitute teaching and positions in the oil and gas industry, she said.

She also worked at Roseanna’s, her family’s restaurant in Krebs, Oklahoma, she added. Writing books, Brown said, was never part of her career plan.

“Watching Gerald interact with cattle and seeing the dew on the morning grass sparked my creativity again,” Brown said.

This time, however, Brown decided to act on it.

She asked her uncle, David Prichard, about illustrating the book. Prichard, a retired Las Vegas police officer and former art teacher who worked as a composite sketch artist, had never drawn livestock before, Brown said.

“At first it felt a little overwhelming,” Prichard said. “But I thought, ‘I can do this.’ And once we got into it, the illustrations fell into place.”

Brown sent the story outlines and reference photos of Gerald and other animals on the ranch, Prichard said. The photos allowed him to depict the animals and landscapes based on the season, he said.

“The books have helped bring us together as a family,” Prichard said.

Brown’s first step toward publication was sharing the manuscript with Courtney Girgis, a former coworker who now works as a freelance writer and editor.

Girgis said she immediately saw potential in Brown.

“I knew her from the HR department at Noble Research Institute,” Girgis said. “Anna is hiding a secret. She is a writer.”

After submitting the manuscript to publishers and waiting months without a response, she chose to self-publish, Brown said.

With help from contacts Girgis provided, she assembled a small team to guide her through layout, design and production, Brown added.

Brown contacted Peyton Sepeda, owner of Wild Creative, a graphic design and self-publishing website, after seeing Sepeda’s name listed in another book she had worked on.

“Brown came to me with her manuscript and already had an illustrator to work with,” Sepeda said.

Brown published her first book in 2023. The finished books stand out visually, a key factor in children’s publishing, she said.

“They’re really wholesome books,” Sepeda said. “The watercolor illustrations are calming and not overstimulating, and they are beautiful to look at.”

Authenticity is central to Brown’s storytelling, Sepeda added.

Brown keeps notes on seasonal details, animal behavior and scenery to ensure accuracy within her books, she said. Brown’s goal is to show children that the animals and their jobs on the ranch are real, she added.

“You likely wouldn’t see a buck with antlers in April,” Brown said. “I log things I notice because I want the story to be factual.”

The second book features a mysterious visitor who turns out to be a small black pig she once spotted roaming with the herd, Brown said.

The third book, scheduled to release in the fall of 2026, focuses on Denise, an aging cow Brown has known and loved for years, she added.

Brown notes the reactions she often receives when she shows children pictures of the real Gerald.

“It all clicks, the books are real life,” Brown said.

The children’s reaction is proof of the book’s appeal, Girgis said.

“I don’t think kids are tossing the Gerald books aside,” Girgis said.

Brown’s original motivation for publishing was simple: to show her children the value of persistence and hard work, she said.

“My children, Lane and Langley, are the first audience I consider when writing,” Brown added.

“I want to show them when you have something you enjoy, don’t just put it on the back burner,” Brown said. “Pursue it. Do the hard things.”

She hopes to continue the series as long as inspiration strikes, Brown added.

“If you have a story in your heart or something creative you want to do–go for it,” Brown said.

Story by Ryleigh Combs | Cowboy Journal