Regular readers of The Country Smallholder magazine may recall the enigmatic therapy sheep who have been featured previously. The small flock of unusual sheep have since made a big name for themselves on the popular channel 5 programme, The Yorkshire Vet and as a result, their keeper, Grace Olson, has written a series of books about them.
‘Being on the television was such an amazing opportunity to show people how versatile sheep can be. For centuries they have provided mankind with wool and meat but for me, they offer a different dimension which was completely unexpected.’
Grace explained how she had originally taken on the sheep mainly to keep the weeds down in her horse pasture and had planned to spin their wool to make blankets.
TAKING PART IN ‘THE YORKSHIRE VET’ ON TELEVISION
‘But they revealed a depth of character that really surprised me and they became very effective therapy animals. When I was invited to take part in The Yorkshire Vet
it was wonderful to see the response from viewers. People found me via social media and messaged to say how fascinating it was to see the work my sheep do.’
Grace’s sheep provide comfort for people suffering deep despair but they can only treat one person at a time. It was this realisation that triggered Grace, already a successfully published memoir author, to write children’s stories so that her magical sheep could reach more people.
‘My aim is to help young minds grow into happy adults through the magic of empowering stories. Each book is a whimsical tale featuring my individual sheep and their unique personalities. They are fun but have a poignant message which will help children to see what really matters in life. The stories will help them to feel brave enough to be the best that they can be when faced with challenges, and embrace their authentic selves,’ says Grace.
The books are enhanced by beautiful, watercolour illustrations by the artist Andrew Prescott, and are reminiscent of classic tales such as Peter Rabbit, The Wind In The Willows and Winnie The Pooh.
IT’S NOT ONLY CHILDREN THAT LOVE THE BOOKS
When the first story, Merlin Finds His Magic, was published, Grace was so astonished by the volume of positive messages from readers that it spurred her on to publish a second book. Galahad Finds His Voice sold out on Amazon the first day of publication.
‘What has amazed me the most is that loads of adults have bought the books for themselves and find them to be very therapeutic. It’s been quite emotional to have received such tremendous feedback.’
The third in the series, Berel Finds His Wings, is due to be published on March 3rd and is the tale of a little lamb with
low self-esteem. He is presented with a terrific challenge in which he has to dig deep and harness the power of his mind in order to succeed. It’s a very beautiful and empowering story.
There will be one more sheepy story published later this year, entitled Rhubarb Finds His Family. This is a tale about discovering how we are all part of one big family called Mother Nature.
Grace is offering 10 readers of The Country Smallholder the chance to win a signed copy of the first in the series, Merlin Finds His Magic. To enter simply click here!
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