Growing up on a small farm in the state of Kansas, a young boy dreams of building a snow-capped mountain next to his farm, the kind of magical mountain most kids would love to have outside their back door. A mountain with 15,000 foot snow-covered peaks shrouded in clouds, rushing streams filled with trout and dense forests with trees over 100-feet tall. It's a place where remote canyons are the home to elk, black bear and even beavers, where bald eagles soar next to thousand-foot waterfalls and over beautiful high country lakes. Billy has a dream, but building a mountain is an almost impossible task. Billy will need help. How can he let everyone know about his dream? Can they see what he sees? Can they help him achieve the impossible? Beyond the simple story line, Billy's Mountain is a metaphor about impossible dreams, the vision to see what others cannot see, and the leadership needed to achieve what is thought to be impossible.
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Editorial Reviews
Review
Inspired by the quest for the impossible dream as written in the literary classic Don Quixote, Billy's Mountain is a picturebook about a young boy whose passion is the idea of creating a vast, snow-capped mountain amid Kansas' seemingly endless flat plains. At first he tries to build a mountain with dirt and rocks; he persists long after his friends tell him to give up, and a reporter puts his story in the paper. Amazingly, a wealthy and determined old African-American man named Jim learns of Billy's dream and decides to help make it come true. It takes bulldozers, railroad cars, and an immense amount of labor to create the mountain - but once risen the mountain blends with the landscape as the seasons pass and even attracts wildlife to its slopes. Utterly captivating, full-color illustrations done in a somewhat impressionistic style bring this beautiful and heartfelt picturebook to life. The final page of "Billy's Mountain" offers a simple lesson plan for teachers to use, offering questions to ask students such as, "Building a mountain is an almost impossible task. What are some things from the past that people thought were impossible but turned out not to be impossible?" --Midwest Book Review
About the Author
Before writing children's books, Steve Richardson had a successful career in scenic, architectural and portrait photography, published hundreds of times in national calendars, on post-cards and in numerous magazines. Steve has also published three scenic calendars through his own business Richardson Photo/Graphics including Moods of the Grand Canyon 1995, San Juan Mountains, Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado 1998 and Grand Junction, Colorado 1998. In 1998 he also produced a limited addition note-card set for the Archdiocese of Santa Fe's 400th anniversary featuring 12 of New Mexico's scenic missions and churches. The set includes an introduction by the Rev. Michael J. Sheehan, Archbishop of Santa Fe. Steve has frequently been published by: New Mexico Magazine, Santa Fe, New Mexico; Smith-Southwestern Calendar Company, Tempe, Arizona; and Gold Leaf Publishing Company in Richfield, Utah. Steve has had a total of 18 images of Southwestern Missions published in the Catholic Extensions "Missions USA Calendar" for the years 2001 and 2002. Most recently Steve has had a number of images used in the "New Mexico and Southwest Vista's Calendars" for years 2004 through 2007 published by Mike Butterfiled. In his early 30's after the loss of several family members, Steve turned to writing to help him express the intense spiritual emotions experienced during this dark time in his life. Currently, he is the author of four books. His picture book Billy's Mountain was published in 2006 and two chapter books: Alexander Trout's Amazing Adventure and The Adventure of Lavender Blue, are both in the process of being illustrated and published. Steve's ultimate goal through writing is to have a positive impact on those who suffer mentally and physically. Herb Leonhard has been a professional illustrator and graphic designer for more than 20 years. His published illustratio n works include the book <
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
My Son's Favorite Book,
This review is from: Billy's Mountain (Hardcover)
My son regularly checks this book out from the school library. He says it's his favorite book. I decided to read it as well and found it one of the better children's books I have seen lately. While my son enjoys the idea of actually building a snow-capped mountain that would eventually have tall trees, streams with trout and other wild animals, I found the book to be very inspiring for an adult as well. It has very powerful messages about reaching for the impossible and the write up in the back of the book about the founding father's vision was very educational. It has incredible depth for a children's book and combines things kids enjoy such as construction, mountains, animals, fishing with a powerful message about having the vision to achieve things that most people think are impossible. The illustrations are stunning and make you want to head to the mountains!
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Inspired by the quest for the impossible dream as written in the literary classic Don Quixote,
By Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Billy's Mountain (Hardcover)
Inspired by the quest for the impossible dream as written in the literary classic Don Quixote, Billy's Mountain is a picturebook about a young boy whose passion is the idea of creating a vast, snow-capped mountain amid Kansas' seemingly endless flat plains. At first he tries to build a mountain with dirt and rocks; he persists long after his friends tell him to give up, and a reporter puts his story in the paper. Amazingly, a wealthy and determined old African-American man named Jim learns of Billy's dream and decides to help make it come true. It takes bulldozers, railroad cars, and an immense amount of labor to create the mountain - but once risen the mountain blends with the landscape as the seasons pass and even attracts wildlife to its slopes. Utterly captivating, full-color illustrations done in a somewhat impressionistic style bring this beautiful and heartfelt picturebook to life. The final page of "Billy's Mountain" offers a simple lesson plan for teachers to use, offering questions to ask students such as, "Building a mountain is an almost impossible task. What are some things from the past that people thought were impossible but turned out not to be impossible?"
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Inside This Book
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Old Man Jim New!
Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Front Flap | First Pages | Back Flap | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Old Man Jim New!
Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Front Flap | First Pages | Back Flap | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
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