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Mother-daughter duo pen Cochrane-centric children's book

Cochrane has quickly captured the hearts of new residents Leta and Nia Taylor, and they're eager to return that love to the community in the way they know best – through art. 

Cochrane has quickly captured the hearts of new residents Leta and Nia Taylor, and they're eager to return that love to the community in the way they know best – through art. 

The mother-daughter duo recently co-authored and illustrated a children's book that celebrates some of the town's natural beauty, titled Cochrane is My Home.

"We're very big nature people, so we wanted to do something that was really about that because it's such a huge part of our lives," said Leta. "We also wanted to create something that could contribute to conservation efforts locally."

Highlighting their love of nature, Leta said a dollar from the sale of each book will go toward local rescues and conservation groups. Although haven't yet decided which organizations to donate to, some options could include the local Humane Society and the Cochrane Ecological Society, they said. 

As Nia, 12, is approaching her teenage years, Leta felt it was a good time to connect and bond with her daughter over the shared project, while simultaneously introducing themselves to their new community in a meaningful manner. 

"We're both artists and I just thought we should do something together," she said. "With the timing of our move, we decided on this book idea – a minimal, heartfelt book about Cochrane.

"We also thought it would be a really cool way to meet people and contribute to our new community somehow."

Watercolour was the medium of choice for the duo, as it's a painting method Nia has been exploring recently through various personal projects, including art cards, much of which she showcases through her YouTube account, Millennium Fox. 

"We sat down and we just started painting," said Nia, adding they drew their inspiration from what they love most about Cochrane: its connectedness to a diverse natural world. 

The theme of the book asks the reader what flora and fauna can be found in different topographies throughout the area, with minimal text and delicate hand-painted watercolour depictions on each page. It also highlights natural phenomena and features such as the aurora borealis and Rocky Mountains.

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​ An excerpt from 'Cochrane is My Home' by Leta and Nia Taylor. (Jessica Lee/Cochrane Eagle)

The Taylor family, including Leta's husband Joel and son Vance, visited Cochrane many times before moving into the Willows neighbourhood from Calgary in January. Every tour to the town left them wishing they could stay longer, according to Leta.

"There's so much natural beauty. We love the mountains and the closer we can be to them, the better. We're very outdoorsy people," she said.

"We would just come here and play at the parks, we loved the community feeling of it."

20220810 new Cochrane is My Home excerpt 5 JL

With the mountains and the river nearby, and Calgary's convenient proximity, the family felt Cochrane would be an ideal location to settle. They finally found the opportunity to relocate here in January, when Leta's day home business had slowed due to COVID-19 and she was homeschooling her kids.

Leta now runs Forest and Fox Dayhome from their house in Cochrane and continues to work out of her home art studio, creating abstract pieces under the business name Spaces of Arcardia.

Creating a children's book, she says, was very much inspired by her career in child care and her love of kids. The rest came 'naturally.'

"Between nature and art, I think both are so good for you mentally, and we really try to promote that in our family," said Leta. "Life can be stressful and doing things like putting out a canvas or paper, or just being out in the fresh air can feel so amazing. I want kids to be able to have that same outlet, have things that aren't screens and be able to use their creativity."

Cochrane is My Home is for sale on Amazon for $18 and can also be purchased directly for $15 by sending Leta a Facebook message

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