Bemidji author seeks to teach values; will sign books on Saturday

BEMIDJI – Before she even sat down to write the first chapter of “Logan, A Prairie Dog: Springtime Adventures in a Wish-Ton-Wish Borough,” author Suzanne Kosko spent a year researching the prairies so that her book would be historically correct.

Kosko will sign copies of her book from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday at Book World, 316 Beltrami Ave. NW.

They were empty nesters when they first moved to Bemidji. Her husband, Dr. John Kosko, is associated with Sanford Health.

Kosko liked to tell stories to her grandchildren so this book naturally evolved. She liked to study natural history so the year spent researching was part of the adventure.

“My book is for middle school children, mostly fourth and fifth grade, who are getting into chapter books,” said Kosko. “Logan is a prairie dog who lived before the prairies were settled so I needed to know who the predators at that time, what were the food sources and such.

“Home schooling mothers have told me that the book is good and also factual. I also like to teach some values without being too obvious about it – just a part of the story.”

Kosko submitted her book online in 2010 and followed up with a phone call. It was picked up by Tate Publishing, which assigned a series of people to her project: assignment editors, copy editors and so on. At one point, an illustrator contacted her to talk about illustrations, which are primarily black and white sketches.

The book was finally released for publication in October 2012, a two-year span from the first submission to printing. Kosko is already working on the next book in her series, which will take Logan into the other seasons of the year.

The public is invited to meet Kosko and hear about Logan, an adventurous prairie dog, and his chipmunk buddy in the springtime of a Pre-Columbian world.