Toy horse goes on adventure in Hethcote’s first children’s book

Shirley Hethcote of Imperial, Nebraska, is known for her artistic talent. She has received awards at the Nebraska State Fair, as well as exhibiting her diverse genre of artistic subjects locally. Hethcote has now added a children’s book called “Pokie,” a story about her favorite toy, to her repertoire.

“Pokie” is her first children’s book, she said.It is about a metal mechanical children’s horse made in England long ago. “I saw one of these horses in an antique shop many years ago. They were asking $1,000 for it,” she said.

Hethcote has been a collector of antiques throughout her life and always keeps an eye out for a good bargain. In 1990, she was attending an auction and bought one of the metal horses for $75, she said.

Her grandchildren loved to ride “Pokie,” said Hethcote. “The metal horse inspired me to write a story about him and his adventures. So I started fantasizing about Pokie and began to write,” she said.

In 1991, Hethcote submitted her manuscript to a publisher but was rejected. She eventually gave the manuscript to her granddaughter, who’s been keeping it safe all these years.

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