The Taters are headed to Washington! Local author Deanna Harris Beatty released her second book about wise vegetables who live in a garden in 2010. The first book featured the McTaters’ yearslong feud with their neighbors, the Spudfields. In Taters Go to Washington, the Taters take a trip to clean up Washington.
Beatty, who was a special education teacher for 33 years, hopes her books teach children — and the adults helping them read — to be positive and work together.
“I try to teach children positivity, eliminate the negativity,” Beatty told KOCO 5 July 28. “Unfortunately, many of our leaders in Washington don’t do that; they are negative toward each other, and it’s giving a bad example to children.”
Gov. Mary Fallin even wrote Beatty a letter praising her efforts to help children understand politics.
“I commend your message of getting along with one another and all of your efforts to teach and entertain,” Fallin wrote.
Beatty wrote Taters Go to Washington during the last election in 2008 and told KOCO 5’s Steve Bottari that not much has changed since then.
“When you look at all that’s going on and all the bad things that are being said and that are happening, think of all the good that could be accomplished if we could just make these people understand to work together and help each other. Unfortunately, the negative things get more attention. …,” she said. “I say in the book, ‘When politicians say, “Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah,” and don’t make any sense, it’s not doing anybody any good, especially not the children.’”
Beatty released a third book, Taters Go to School, in 2011. Her first book, Taters of the Ozarks: The Feud, was first released in 1996 by Heron House and rereleased in 2009 by Christian publishing company Tate Publishing, located in Mustang.
Print headline: Tater trip
This article appears in Aug 10-16, 2016.