During the great cattle-drive era of the late 1800s, Old Blue became the most trusted longhorn lead steer in the herds of pioneering Texas rancher Charles Goodnight. When thousands of cattle thundered north toward railheads and growing towns, it was Blue's calm instincts-and not the cowboys' feeble efforts-that kept the drives moving safely over prairies, across rivers, through storms, and away from hungry predators.
Yet through the decades, Blue's remarkable story faded into myth. Cowboys claimed they did all the hard work, and history books focused on the men, not the animals who made the West possible. Then, in 1998, a weathered packet of pages surfaced: a mysterious manuscript written with a bold, unforgettable perspective. Author Preston Lewis, a Spur Award-winning storyteller of the American frontier, recognized it at once-Old Blue had written his own "autobiography," a firsthand account of the cattle trails from the steer who actually led them. Blending humor, authentic Western history, and animal-centered adventure, this book opens the gate to a world where talking critters tell true stories-tales often overlooked by traditional accounts.
They Call Me Old Blue debuts the Old West Critters Collection, an engaging new series that invites young readers to explore America's past through the animals who shaped it: longhorns, buffalo, horses, and even camels.
Kocher Lewis, Harriet: - In her capacity as publisher of Bariso Press, Harriet Kocher Lewis is an award-winning author and editor. Pintsized Pioneers: Taming the Frontier, One Chore at a Time, which she co-authored with her husband, earned her a Spur Award and a Will Rogers Gold Medallion for young adult nonfiction. Since establishing Bariso Press in 2021, she has edited and published a dozen fiction and nonfiction works. Those books have earned 18 awards to date from the Texas Institute of Letters, the Will Rogers Medallion Awards, Western Writers of America, the Independent Author Awards, the Literary Global Book Awards, and the Literary Global Children's Book Awards.A retired physical therapist and PT educator, she was an assistant clinical professor of physical therapy at Angelo State University where she taught documentation and scientific writing among other topics as the department's coordinator of clinical education.Kocher Lewis holds a bachelor's degree in biology from Baylor University, a physical therapy certificate from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School, and a master's degree in exercise and sports science from Texas Tech University. She and her husband Preston Lewis live in San Angelo, Texas. They have a son, a daughter, four granddaughters and a grandson.
Lewis, Preston: - Preston Lewis is the award-winning author of more than sixty western, historical, juvenile, and nonfiction works. In 2021 he was inducted into the Texas Institute of Letters for his literary achievements. The Will Rogers Medallion Awards named him the 2025 recipient of the organization's Lifetime Achievement Award for his contributions to the literature of the American West.Western Writers of America (WWA) has honored Lewis with three Spur Awards, one for best article, a second for best western novel and a third one for YA nonfiction in 2025. He has received eleven Will Rogers Medallion Awards (seven gold, two silver and two bronze) for written western humor, short stories, YA nonfiction, short nonfiction, and traditional Western novel. They Call Me Old Blue received the Elmer Kelton Award from the West Texas Historical Association (WTHA) for the year's best creative work on West Texas.Lewis is a past president of WWA and the WTHA, which has named him a fellow. He holds a bachelor's degree from Baylor University and a master's degree from Ohio State University, both in journalism. Additionally, he has a second master's degree in history from Angelo State University. He lives in San Angelo, Texas, with wife Harriet Kocher Lewis.
