(A good hat is a necessity on a ranch, and Casey's old hat...)
A good hat is a necessity on a ranch, and Casey's old hat is starting to feel tight. As Casey accompanies Dad on a day of buying supplies and doing ranch chores, she examines the hats that various people offer her. But nothing feels right - until she takes a good look around for herself and finds the perfect hat. Warm pencil illustrations perfectly complement this gentle story about a sprightly young ranch hand taking a first step toward growing up and defining herself.
Writers in the Kitchen: Children's Book Authors Share Memories of Their Favorite Recipes
(Here are nearly two hundred recipes from over one hundred...)
Here are nearly two hundred recipes from over one hundred fifty writers, including appetizers, entrees, and desserts. But this is much more than a recipe book. Even when they cook, writers love to tell stories. Each delicious recipe is accompanied by an equally delicious anecdote.
Tricia Gardella is an American rancher and freelance writer. She authored several picture books, including "Just like My Dad", "Casey’s New Hat", and "Blackberry Booties".
Background
Tricia Gardella was born on July 10, 1944 in San Francisco, California, United States. She is the daughter of Theodore R. Vilas, an attorney and judge, and Gloria June Vilas, a homemaker.
Her parents were married shortly before her father, a lieutenant in the navy during World War II, was shipped overseas. Tricia was an unexpected surprise. She and her dad met when Tricia was sixteen months old.
After the war, her father took a job as an assistant district attorney in Sonora, California, where her mother had graduated from high school.
In 1991 Tricia Gardella began writing a weekly picture book review column called "Picture This" for The Union Democrat. She was also the regional advisor for the new Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators region in North Central California, organized the first Author Days for the county, and taught her first writing for children class at the local community college, all that same year.
Tricia Gardella is also the author of picture books. Her books draw on her intimate knowledge of life on a ranch and have earned praise in part for their rare depiction of modern-day cowboys who still round up cattle, mend fences, and spin yarns as in years gone by.
She published her first book "Just like My Dad" in 1993. Her next book "Casey’s New Hat" was issued in 1997.
Achievements
Tricia Gardella is well-known as the author of picture books about a life on a ranch. Moreover, her book "Just like My Dad" was listed as one of the Children’s Books of the Year by the Child Study Children’s Book Committee in 1993.
Tricia Gardella became a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) in 1986.
Interests
reading, needlework activities, ceramics, gardening, travel, and cooking
Connections
Tricia Gardella married Jack Gardella, a cattleman, on August 3, 1963. In 1970 the couple lost their oldest daughter Gina to cancer. Currently, Tricia Gardella is the mother of three grown children: Michelle Keefe, Jodi Richey, and John Gardella.
