Author: Tammy Lane • First Posted: Monday, November 22, 2010

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Children's author Heather Henson wrote "That Book Woman," about the packhorse librarians who delivered reading material through the hollers of eastern Kentucky in the 1930s.

Students at Cassidy Elementary have a hard time picturing their librarian delivering books on horseback. But they learned that’s exactly how Appalachian families got their reading material back in the 1930s.

Children’s author Heather Henson, who wrote “That Book Woman,” explained how the packhorse librarians would load their saddlebags with schoolbooks for kids and magazines for parents, making the rounds about every two weeks up in the hollers.

“Going back into the mountains of eastern Kentucky was like going back in time,” she said, noting how travelers followed the creek beds since there were no roads. “People might have had a Bible at home, but they’d never thought of owning or borrowing books.”

Henson’s visit capped the annual Children’s Book Week at Cassidy, which featured a book fair, Accelerated Reader contest and a communitywide celebration of the school’s opening 75 years ago.

“One day we got to dress up as our favorite book character,” added fourth-grader Destin Hardesty.

The two students from each grade level with the most AR points also got to have lunch with Henson: fifth-graders Elizabeth Salamanca and Logan Gehefer; fourth-graders Reagan Alexander and Caroline Dzenitis; third-graders Alec Bond and Lydia Klumb; second-graders Mia Messerli and Ethan Fitzcharles; first-graders Bill Auer and Alex Auer; and kindergarteners Carter Ferrell and Daniel Griggs.

The Cassidy kids had spent some time looking into Henson’s background and career as an award-winning author, and most had heard her story “That Book Woman.”

“I especially like those types of books because I like horses and generous sorts of people,” said fourth-grader Nick Clark.

During her talk, Henson read the book aloud as she described the characters, the illustrations and the overall process from initial ideas and manuscript drafts to editing, proofs and publication. She also touched on the Appalachian region’s customs and dialect, explaining phrases like a mess of greens, a tinker man, chicken scratch and sassy tea.

“As a writer, I like to collect old timey words, old-fashioned words,” she said. “If I find words that aren’t used very much anymore, I’ll write them in my journal and use them in a story.”

Henson, a Danville native who grew up on the stage of her father’s Pioneer Playhouse, told a little about her childhood and how much books and reading have always meant to her. She decided in college that she preferred writing to acting.

“Now I write every single day because it’s my job. It’s what I do,” she told the kids.

Her inspiration comes from landscapes and locations, people and their real-life stories, and her own family. And since she loves her craft, she’s not so bothered by the length of time it takes to complete a book – four years, in the case of “That Book Woman.”

Henson is simply glad to be able to share her stories with a wide audience.

“I like making history accessible and interesting for kids,” she said.