Jeannette Briggs, nee Durie, has taken a bold step and self-published a children’s book, titled Brutus Plays on Thin Ice.
Brutus, the main character, is based on a very real dog who has only three legs and belongs to her parents’ neighbor.
The story follows Brutus and his best friend Harley, as they spend an afternoon playing on a frozen lake — which teaches them an important lesson about winter safety.
It isn’t a topic that came out of nowhere; Briggs and her family live in a lake community near Calgary, which has witnessed some tragic deaths of children out on the thin ice. Briggs wanted to be sure her children were aware of the danger.
Thus, she created a story about Brutus, because her daughter was extremely curious about the dog after she met him.
It became a nightly ritual, and Briggs began crafting more Brutus stories that taught her kids lessons that she wanted them to take to heart.
She has now solidified five Brutus stories that she would like to make into books, and Brutus Plays on Thin Ice is the first to be published. The potential plan, she said, is to partner with a publisher and put out the next four books as well.
“My hope is just to bring such awareness to kids in a kind of fun and quirky story, so that they actually learn a valuable life lesson,” said Briggs.
Originally, she wrote down the stories and asked her cousin, Breanne Davidson, to illustrate them so she could put together a keepsake just for her kids; but after hearing interest from others, Briggs decided to step out of her comfort zone and publish the story more formally.
A large part of her decision was to share these safety lessons with more kids, because it’s important. A larger part was to set an example for her own daughter, who she’s always telling to be more courageous and bold.
“The thing that rang true for me was that I'm telling her all these things and I'm not really walking the walk,” said Briggs. “That really stimulated me to want to put it out there, be vulnerable, and share a creative work, which is a scary feeling.”
The book has picked up some traction amongst her friends and family, and Briggs hopes to see more and more people give Brutus Plays on Thin Ice a chance.
Currently, the book is available online through Amazon, Indigo, and Barnes and Noble. Briggs is working on getting her book into physical locations as well, and is hoping to have it available in Moose Jaw in the future.
“I'm just really happy and grateful that it's gotten to fruition,” said Briggs. “If people do check it out, I would love to hear what they think of it.”
