歪歪漫画

BRAINERD 鈥� Jill Bauer鈥檚 daily drives past a horse farm with her daughter Lexi turned into a storytelling adventure that would result in a series of children鈥檚 books.

The two horses they saw inside a fence near the road were typically either standing peacefully in their pasture or perhaps eating a meal.

鈥淪o we decided that these horses needed to have a little more fun than just eating or standing,鈥� Bauer said during an interview May 19. 鈥�... So we started making up the adventures of these two horses.鈥�

Lexi, now 5 years old, decided the horses needed names and dubbed them Bob & Jim. They鈥檙e now the protagonists of two books titled 鈥淭he Adventures of Bob & Jim,鈥� which detail the two breaking away from the farm for a day of exploring the great state of Minnesota.

鈥淭hey get all excited to go explore and try all these people adventures, whether it鈥檚 going to a bounce house, the Kentucky Derby, the Home Depot or a summer day at the lake,鈥� Bauer said. 鈥淭hey try to do all these things that people do, and then at the end they realize there鈥檚 no place like home. That鈥檚 kind of the underlying story.鈥�

The dynamic duo always ends up grateful for being horses and enjoying a life of standing around, eating grass and watching cars go by.

鈥淏ut they definitely have fun along the journey, which is another life message we want kids to hear 鈥� get out and enjoy life,鈥� Bauer said.

Those messages are conveyed through vibrant pinks, blues, purples and other bright colors, designed to grab kids鈥� attention and keep them engaged with the stories, all of which take place around Minnesota.

鈥淲e just wanted to create something that would be funny but heartwarming,鈥� Bauer said. 鈥淎nd I spent a lot of time designing these characters and illustrations to get horses that we thought would be kind of loveable, charming and kids would hopefully fall in love with them and be excited for more adventures.鈥�

The two books released so far chronicle Bob & Jim鈥檚 adventures at a winter festival and a lake in the summertime. Fall and spring are on the way, and Bauer envisions holiday festivities and various trips as the subjects of subsequent books.

While Bauer has designed all the art herself 鈥� with Lexi鈥檚 input, of course 鈥� the end of each book contains artwork from the 5-year-old鈥檚 perspective, as Lexi puts marker to paper and illustrates what鈥檚 going on in each book in her mind.

Theresa Bourke / Brainerd Dispatch

Another unique element of the artwork are the little hidden images of Eddie, the Bauers鈥� real-life Bernedoodle. An idea of Lexi鈥檚, Eddie is lurking in the background on a few pages, watching the mischief from afar.

鈥淲e hope eventually kids will kind of catch on and realize there鈥檚 a little hidden Bernedoodle in some of the pages, and they have to find it,鈥� Bauer said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 part of the adventure.鈥�

Lexi also contributes to the editing process for each book.

鈥淲e always do multiple reviews, and she鈥檒l come and look at the pages, and she鈥檒l say, 鈥楬e needs to have a face mask on,鈥� or, 鈥楬e should be eating a popsicle,鈥欌�� Bauer said. 鈥淚f she likes it, maybe other kids will find it funny and like it, too.鈥�

It wasn鈥檛 until after publishing that Bauer learned from a family member the names Lexi inadvertently chose for the horses actually had significance. Bauer鈥檚 great-grandpa happened to have to farm horses named Bob & Jim. How Lexi came to pick those two names is both a mystery and a fun coincidence.

After spending years in the business world and traveling on her own adventures, Bauer is happy to have found a passion in writing and one she can do together with her daughter.

鈥淚 want kids to be able to find joy in the journey and go on these adventures with the horses,鈥� she said. 鈥淎nd my ultimate goal, I would say, is to make kids laugh. You know, life can be so sad and bad and scary. 鈥� And if kids can find these things funny and giggle and laugh and want more joy in their lives, that would mean the world to me.鈥�

She wants kids to explore their sense of adventure but ultimately be thankful for who they are and where they come from. Bauer hopes to donate copies of her books to children鈥檚 hospitals, in hopes of brightening the days of kids who might be going through some tough times.

鈥淚 think books are such a great way to just bring some happiness,鈥� she said.

Bauer鈥檚 books are available online through Amazon and IngramSpark and locally at Simply Minnesota, Copper Creek and Madden鈥檚 on Gull Lake. Bauer will be at Madden鈥檚 for an author signing from 4-8 p.m. on July 17.

Theresa Bourke / Brainerd Dispatch