It’s Showtime! - Holstein Day

It’s ShowTime – a children’s picture story book based on a Holstein cow has caught the attention of patrons at IDW!

Young dairy enthusiasts and their parents congregated at the book stand, purchasing books for themselves and loved ones while spectators watched eagerly as the judging took place in the show-ring.

The book’s author and illustrator Kathryn Bowden said she was inspired to write the story after discovering there were very few books and resources available for young children to learn about cattle showing.

The story which is part of a 6 book showing series follows a Holstein dairy cow named Nancy, who journeys from the farm gate to the show-ring, documenting all her parading steps along the way.

“There were no age appropriate resources out there for my children to learn from and I felt my boys needed stories and illustration to help connect them with the showing world,” Kathryn said.

She said the book also highlights the passion and care farmers demonstrate towards their cattle.

“Showing is an art that has been shared among many generations and I thoroughly enjoy teaching other children about the process,” she said.

The book sales were marked a success by its vendor who said she was thrilled with the support from others in the cattle industry; including an IDW Sponsor who purchased some of the books to award as prizes for the Youth Classes in the IDW Youth Show.

By the end of the dairy expo the book had increased sales by 60 percent in one week.

“I’ve actually sold so many that I’ve had to do a reprint,” Kathryn said.

 “It’s Showtime! - Holstein Day” is part of a picture book series about cattle showing aimed at children aged 3 to 7 years old.

It is available online in the UK, Canada, US and Australia via theartmum.com and the book and a series of prints were showcased at International Dairy Week 2022.