The following is reprinted from the Odessa American, October 24, 2003:

Children's book takes center stage at Parker House Ranch Museum

By the time West Texans are in their teens, tumbleweeds probably hold little fascination because of their familiarity.

  "Tumbleweeds" may not have the same problem.  

Written by Mary Evelyn Jones and illustrated by Alice Leese, this children's book chronicles what it's like growing up on a West Texas ranch.  "It's got pump jacks and coyotes and jackrabbits," Leese said, describing some of the appeal of the book that she said is written on about a third grade level. And, of course, it's got horses.

The two women will be on hand from 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday at the Parker House Ranch Museum in Odessa selling and signing copies of the book.  Richard Cummins, executive director of the museum, said the book signing will kick off a six-week exhibit of the book at the museum, 1118 Maple Ave.

"We'll have the original illustrations and other artwork from both of them," Cummins said.

Jones, of Andrews, said the book grew from a joke with her husband. Having moved to Andrews from Dallas some 19 years ago, she said she was amazed at how the tumbleweeds piled up around the house.

The tumbleweeds were new to her, the joke being that she asked her husband what happened to the tumbleweeds since they never seemed to make it to Dallas when she lived there.

She then wrote a whimsical poem that included the type of outlandish questions children tend to ask.  Jones was able to draw on her experience as a schoolteacher for that element.

She thought of turning the poem into a book and planned on illustrating it herself, but somehow the art and the words never seemed to fit and the project languished for a while.

Then Jones met Leese.  The two are part of a group of artists that shares the second floor of a building in Andrews and uses the space as studios.

"One day it just clicked," Jones said.  "If Alice would do it, her artwork would fit the poem."

The topic of West Texas tumbleweeds was a pretty good fit for Leese, a fourth-generation rancher whose great-grandfather A.W. Wight settled in the Permian Basin in 1883.  In fact, the Wight family's YT Ranch even had an historical exhibit of its own at the Parker House which included some of Leese's work.

This time, it may well be Leese's future on display.

"She wrote it and then she met me and saw my work and she wanted me to illustrate it," Leese said of the collaboration on the book.

The two set out to publish the book and were initially stymied by publishing houses. "Nobody much is interested in publishing a book set here in West Texas, so we put together a publishing company and published it ourselves," said Leese, who lives on a Winkler County ranch between Andrews and Kermit.

Some four years later, "Tumbleweeds" is ready for sale.

It's not the end of the story though.  Leese, who has "been trying to be an artist since I got out of college," said the two have plans for more children's books-including one on windmills that's already in the works.

"We hope to do this for a long time," Leese said.  "It's pretty fun."

Eventually, the two may take on other projects as well, expanding beyond the younger audience.

"There's a lot of people in West Texas that have a lot of good stories to tell," Leese said.  "We may try to publish some of those."

From Neila Petrick

2214 Forest Creek

McKinney, Texas 75070

neilaann@aol.com

WEST TEXAS ARTIST, AUTHOR GIVE TUMBLEWEEDS A LIFT -- Book for Children

Re: Review of Tumbleweeds by M. E. Jones

Art by Alice Leese

Published by Tumbleweed Press

TUMBLEWEEDS

A review by Neila Petrick

From my childhood, I saw the strange tumbling balls rolling wildly across the hardscrabble West Texas landscape. Sometimes there was little else to see. "What are those?" we asked.

"Tumbleweeds," came the patient reply. "What are they?"

"They are plants, eh, weeds, come loose from the sandy soil and rolling endlessly across the high desert of West Texas."

"But where are they going?"

There was no response for that and we fell silent, watching the strange tumbling spheres. Now a beautiful and unusual children's book explores the destination of tumbleweeds in a whimsical search for answers.

When author M.E. Jones moved to Andrews, Texas, she asked her pharmacist husband where the numerous tumbleweeds blowing across their yard disappeared since they never made it to her former home in Da11as, Texas. From that thought, Tumbleweeds was born, aimed at ages five to nine.

Mrs. Jones, an award-winning artist, joined forces with Alice Leese, an artist and fifth generation resident with her husband and children of the YT ranch in West Texas. Through her art, Mrs. Leese expresses her love for the semi-desert terrain that she paints for the book.

In the book, a child asks her mother, "...where do those thorny tumbleweeds go? I see them dance and tumble and spin when blown to and fro by the dry desert wind." The tumbleweeds are depicted against the West Texas oil derricks, range cattle, starry skies, windy days and flowering desert. Together the artist and writer have created a unique look at a Texas phenomenon, the tumbleweed.

Adults and children will enjoy the exceptional art. Teachers can use the book as a springboard for discussions about the Texas landscape, weather and seasons, as well as for seeking value in what at first appears to have little value.

- Neila Petrick, author of Jane Long of Texas [Pelican Press] and Jane Wilkinson Long: Texas Pioneer [February 2004 Pelican Press].

“Tumbleweeds” is available from Barnes & Noble, and Tumbleweeds Press Books; 1304 N.W. 5th Street, Andrews, TX 79714. 432.524.7710