Dekota Cheatham and Krissy Long with Watson
By: Debbie Burt Myers
The second in a series of children’s books about a mischievous 10-year-old Standard Poodle is now in print, much to the delight of a Neshoba Central Elementary School teacher.
Fifth-grade teacher Krissy Long and Dekota Cheatham, an instructor at East Central Community College, wrote “Watson Goes to the North Pole,” a delightful book that is culturally related to the state of Mississippi.
The book will officially launch on Saturday, Nov. 4 during a children’s party in the Neshoba County Public Library.
Authors will read their book beginning at 10:30 a.m. There will be a special appearance by Santa and Mrs. Claus joined by Watson, who weighs over 82 pounds.
Arts and crafts are planned for the launch, including wooden ornaments for children to decorate. What’s more, children who bring an unwrapped gift will receive a 10 percent discount on the new book. The gifts will go to Child Protective Services.
A toy stuffed “Watson” will also be available for a small charge during the launch party, where authors will sign books. A replica of Watson’s paw print will also be stamped in each book sold. Pam Bam’s food truck will be outside the library with tasty treats for patrons to enjoy.
Abby Rigdon Tingle is the illustrator for the Watson series.
“Watson Goes to the North Pole” features an abundance of Mississippi geography as Watson unexpectedly travels on Santa’s sleigh from Natchez to Corinth on the way to the North Pole. The Mississippi River, the Petrified Forest and the Yazoo Basin are mentioned in the book as well as the Vicksburg Bridge.
The mischievous Watson devours an array of food, relative to the Christmas holidays, before he unexpectedly is trapped in Santa’s toy sack.
During his journey on the sleigh, Watson wonders if he is on Santa’s naughty list as he recalls some of his mishaps like the day he “buried his face in Granny’s fried chicken!”
The new book will be on sale at Kademi in Philadelphia and the MAX in Meridian. Other venues are also planned throughout the state.
It will also be available at the annual “Tis the Season” event in the Neshoba County Coliseum on Nov. 18 at The Local Authority booth, which is operated by Long and Cheatham.
The first in the book series, “Watson Goes to the Fair,” was a huge success locally, so much so that a second printing was required.
In the Fair book, Watson journeys to Founder’s Square, participates in a horse race, enjoys funnel cakes and other foods in the midway and finds himself in “crafter’s paradise” in the exhibit hall. He even makes new friends in the camper section of the Fairgrounds.
The authors attended the Mississippi Book Festival in Jackson earlier this year where they received lots of positive feedback from more seasoned writers.
“This heartwarming tale reminds us that even the mischievous can find redemption during Christmas,” the authors said of their book.
Watson’s rich history
After acquiring Watson, Cheatham soon found his mischievous nature a little too much to handle after her second child was born. She turned to her friend Krissy and her husband, Matthew. They were a good fit.
“We just took him in and we have had him for almost two years,” Long said.
The two families, which include Cheatham’s husband Daniel, swapped Watson stories over the years, which sparked the idea for a children’s book series.
Recalling all their shared Watson stories, the two friends “just sat down one day” and wrote “Watson Goes to the Fair.” The rest is history!