Skip to content

A book about a family who adopted a very special goat

Birch Cove author uses own life experiences as the basis for her first children’s book
Chelsey Wiesinger Barrhead Fair Days Parade
Chelsey Wiesinger (pictured here at Aug. 13's Blue Heron Fair Days parade) used her real-life experience of adopting Ivan the goat (also pictured) in her new children's book.

BARRHEAD – Chelsey Wiesinger's life has come full circle. 

Growing up in the Summer Village of Birch Cove, she would pull a candy cart selling sweets throughout the village. Now, as an adult, Wiesinger and her husband Justin are doing a variation of the theme, using a goat. 

She has also written a children's book using her childhood memories and her and Justin's more recent candy cart experiences and combined them into  An UnforgoatableTrue Story

The book is a story about a special goat named Ivan and the family who adopted him and how they grow together to serve and spread joy to others. 

Chelsey said she came up with the idea for the book in 2020 when she and Justin were at a family function/campout and saw a goat pulling a full-grown adult in a cart. 

"I looked at Justin and said (the goat) could lead a parade in our summer village, just like Bob Goff," she said. "(Birch Cove) has never had a parade before," she said. 

Bob Goff is a California-based author (and one of Justin's heroes) who for more than 20 years, with support from his family, has hosted a neighbourhood parade to promote love and acceptance. 

Chelsey noted that she loved the line so much that she incorporated it almost word for word in the book. 

Justin also noted that the goat could also pull a candy cart, "just like when you did when you were a kid." 

After saying that, the Wiesingers knew they needed to have the goat. 

"It was a crazy move from two people who are not farmers or have any experience with animals, except for dogs," she said. 

Chelsey said the story is written from the perspective of one of their daughters and follows how they adopted Ivan and revived her childhood candy business. 

At the time, Chelsey said she was homeschooling her eldest daughter, and she wanted to use the story as a platform to get her thinking about what she could do with her life and teach her about business and finances, something that was important to her as a designated accountant. 

"It was just a practical way to teach a lot of good stuff and for us to reach out to our neighbours," she explained. "But the main message is about serving others and spreading joy." 

However, Chelsey said the book also explores other themes such as grieving throughout the story, specifically about how she dealt with the loss of her 15-year-old dog along with the sadness and depression that followed through another story where Ivan meets a teenager battling depression at a local market and overcoming anxiety. 

The book's audience is young children to early teens, Chelsey said, adding that children from six to 12 will probably get the most out of it. 

"But it is really for all ages. I just talked to a woman who bought a copy and said her 34-year-old son needed to read the book," she said. 

Chelsey noted the book is also illustrated by a local Barrhead artist whose pen name is Romeo Finn, who recently wrote and illustrated his own book, Too Many Cats. 

The Wiesingers are self-publishing the book under their own label, which also include Justin's book A Child Like Heist, in which he chronicles his younger journey navigating life in a "crazy messed up adult world" and his latest music album, Wonderlove.  

An Unforgoatable True Story is available through Amazon and the Wiesingers, including Ivan, who are also making the rounds at various community events through the region. Chelsey is also planning to have a book launch event in Barrhead sometime in September. 

 


Barry Kerton

About the Author: Barry Kerton

Barry Kerton is the managing editor of the Barrhead Leader, joining the paper in 2014. He covers news, municipal politics and sports.
Read more



Comments

push icon
Be the first to read breaking stories. Enable push notifications on your device. Disable anytime.
No thanks