Evan and the Skygoats centers on how young Evan grieves over a loss – the death of his elder sister, Sky. Evan hugs the trees because “that made everything feel better.” His mom said Evan doesn’t have to see her to feel her presence. She tells him that she and Evan’s dad won’t float away; only their thoughts did when they were grieving.
The family accepts an offer of three baby goats. Feeding and playing with them assuages the family’s grieving. And it helps dad and son bond; they sit in a treehouse gazing at the constellations, one of them Capricornus, a goat with a fish tail. Evan flies up with the now-winged goats. Aiding Evan’s flying are his father’s cowboy boots, now transformed into goat boy boots. Soon the boots transform into goat hoofs. They meet magical creatures (constellations) such as Cygnus the Swan and Taurus the Bull.
Yes, the story was inspired by Vassar’s young daughter, Sky, who died in 2010.
“It’s been a work of healing,” Vassar says. “The story is told through my son’s point of view.”
Earlier this year, “Evan and the Skygoats” received three Purple Dragonfly Book Awards.
Less than a month ago, the children’s book picked up the 2021 New Mexico/Arizona Book Award for Family & Parenting. The book is published by Leaf Storm Press in Santa Fe.
At 9:30 a.m. Wednesday, Dec. 22, Vassar and book illustrator Ophelia Cornet will take part in the Anderson Abruzzo International Balloon Museum’s “Stories in the Sky” program.
Read the full story by ADRIAN GOMEZ / JOURNAL ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR here: Starting a conversation – Albuquerque Journal (abqjournal.com)
