“It’s a great story to tell children because it teaches them that everyone’s different and there shouldn’t be any set idea of normal.”
That’s how children’s author Scott Kalbfleisch describes his debut book, The Story of A Goat, which has gained nothing but positive reviews since its Amazon release back in October.
Readers will have the chance to connect with Kalbfleisch, ask questions, and buy signed copies of the children’s book on Wednesday, January 10th at the Peterborough GreenUP Store (378 Aylmer Street North). The book launch will be a drop-in event running from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Written for children aged one to eight years old and illustrated by Peterborough graphic designer Sarah Crane of Frolic Design, The Story of A Goat follows Wishwash the Goat as he gets teased by the other goats for his over-sized horns. Despite feeling left out, Wishwash must learn to embrace and celebrate the things that make him different from his peers.
“He has to figure out what he can do with those horns, and then he ends up using them to show how great he is,” says Kalbfleisch. “The Story of the Goat teaches kids that everyone’s unique in their own way, and everyone has a talent — it’s just up to them to find it.”
Since the age of six, Kalbfleisch has dealt with the challenges of being different himself, living with a neurological disease related to Rasmussen’s Encephalitis. Navigating the world with a disability that set him apart from his peers encouraged Kalbfleisch to share the story of what can be achieved despite one’s limitations.
“It symbolizes that you shouldn’t feel like you have to live up to someone’s opinions,” says Kalbfleisch. “You should be proud to be who you are.”
Though the book was released at the end of October, the 35-year-old author actually wrote the story for a school assignment back in the eleventh grade. The assignment was to write about an antelope based on a picture, but instead, Kalbfleisch thought of it as a unique goat-and so, Wishwash was born.
“My teacher said it was such a good story and sent such a good positive message that I should probably get made into a book one day,” says Kalbfleisch, who adds that he had been a writer long before telling Wishwash’s story. “I’ve always loved creative writing in school and loved writing stories, so this was just one of the stories that I kept.”
Despite wanting to revisit the story, Kalbfleisch got busy with work and didn’t have the chance to bring it back until now that he is on long-term disability. The publication saw immediate success with Kalbfleisch selling more than 70 copies within the first month of its release.
In addition to the positive messaging, Kalbfleisch often gets a lot of feedback from readers who “love” the goat’s name, which is one of his own favourite parts of the story. While the other characters have alliterative names like Chee Chee the Chipmunk and Hammy the Hog, Kalbfleisch was more intentional in selecting his protagonist’s name.
“I’m part Indigenous and my grandfather used to call me ‘waagosh’, which means fox in my native language,” says Kalbfleisch, adding that he found out his mother — who is adopted — is of Chippewa descent.
With the book’s rapid success, Kalbfleisch already has been big plans for The Story of A Goat.
“I’d really like to get The Story of A Goat made into a short animated film or series,” he says.
Though he says he never imagined himself becoming a published writer, Kalbfleisch also plans to revisit some of the other stories he has written throughout his life.
“I have written about five more that I could possibly get illustrated and published coming up,” he says.
As he focuses on more storytelling, Kalbfleisch remains grateful for the encouragement he has received from his housemates at Shared Dreams for Independent Living, where he lives with other men who have physical and developmental challenges at The Mount Community Centre.
“They’ve been very supportive,” he says. “They all have their boundaries they have to overcome as well, with learning disabilities or in a wheelchair, and that’s why I dedicated this book to Shared Dreams and all the men.”
Kalbfleisch will be signing copies of The Story of A Goat at the Peterborough GreenUP Store on Wednesday, January 10th from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. You can also purchase the book on Amazon.
