Patricia Published?
Oh My!
Posted 10/22/2013
01:00 pm The Lamplighter School
Texas Chili? Oh My! is a retelling of the beloved fairy tale The Three
Little Pigs -Texas style. The book was written by The Lamplighter School’s
long-time Media Center Coordinator, Patricia Vermillion, and was published in
September. There is also a Spanish version of the book, translated by
Lamplighter Spanish teacher, Jezabel Guadalupe.
According
to Amazon, kids and adults alike will be entertained and educated on Texas
symbols in this “beautiful book.” Texas Chili? Oh My! also includes a
glossary and learning objectives to aid elementary teachers in making Texas
history a fun, engaging experience for students. Aided by “adorable and
colorful illustrations that depict Texas characters, settings, plants, and
natural resources, Patricia Vermillion also gets the Texas vernacular just
right!” states the website for the nation’s top online seller of books.
The
Three Little Pigs is one of Vermillion’s “all-time
favorite” fairy tales. There have been many retellings of this story: The
True Story of the Three Little Pigs and The Three Little Pigs and the
Somewhat Bad Wolf, just to name a few. Vermillion came up with the idea of
writing a story for children using the facts and symbols of Texas. Applying The
Three Little Pigs as the backdrop for her idea, she developed a similar
version of the fairytale, adding a Texas twist. “Researching information about
our great state, I sprinkled Texas facts throughout the tale. After a year of
rewriting, and rewriting, AND rewriting! I submitted Texas Chili to a
Louisiana publishing company. They held on to the story for about three months
and decided it did not meet their needs at that particular time. As a result, I
received my first rejection letter…Ugh!” she described.
Several
months later, Vermillion submitted her story to TCU Press “and the editor liked
it!” she laughed. He sent it to three outside readers for positive reviews
before presenting it to the TCU Press Board for approval. Many, many months
later, Texas Chili Oh My! was approved for publication.
To
celebrate, several teachers gathered in Vermillion’s office for a cup of
Starbucks coffee and book discussion when the School’s music teacher Claude
White asked if she had thought about a Spanish version of Texas Chili, Oh My?
Vermillion jumped at the suggestion and immediately called the editor at TCU
Press who agreed “this was a “spectacular idea!” Lamplighter’s Spanish teacher
Jezabel Guadalupe, ‘of course,’ would be the perfect Spanish translator,” she
grinned.
The
Spanish and English versions of Texas Chili Oh My! became available for
purchase from TCU Press at the end of September. Barnes and Noble and Amazon
received their editions on October 4. So feel free to try some Texas Chili,
Oh My! As an added bonus, the book includes Chris Ward’s Texas chili
recipe. Ward is the executive chef for Dallas' award-winning restaurant, The
Mercury.
