Urbigkit, Cat


P.O. Box 1663
Pinedale, WY 82941
catu2@mac.com
www.paradisesheep.com
Sublette County

Biographical and Professional Information


Yellowstone Wolves: A Chronicle of the Animal, the People, and the Politics
September 2008 release by the McDonald & Woodward Publishing Company

For the first time, the history of Wyoming’s native wolf is told in an intensively researched, fully footnoted chronicle by Sublette County, Wyoming’s award-winning author Cat Urbigkit. Beginning with the archeological evidence of wolves in western Wyoming, through the wolf control era when most, but not all, wolves were eradicated, the book continues through the release of Canadian wolves into Yellowstone National Park and the lasting effects of this controversial action.

Author and photographer Cat Urbigkit has also published five non-fiction children’s picture books: Brave Dogs, Gentle Dogs; A Young Shepherd; Puppies, Puppies Everywhere!; Cattle Kids and "The Shepherd's Trail." She and her family are sheep and cattle producers in western Wyoming, where they also raise guardian dogs. She likes to spend her free time with nomadic sheepherders in western Wyoming, documenting their lives, and the lives of their sheep herds, through photography. As a newspaper reporter, and publisher, Cat Urbigkit has won numerous awards for her coverage of agricultural and environmental issues. She has made it her priority to write factual books for children that promote positive views of agriculture in the United States.

Genres

Children's or Young Adult
Nonfiction
Wyoming Subjects

Titles

**
The Shepherd’s Trail (2008) Honesdale, PA: from Boyds Mills Press:
ISBN: 1-59078-509-6 and ISBN-13: 978-1-59078-509-6.

A wagon sits in the sagebrush-covered desert, while herders on horseback move sheep to high summer range. It looks like a scene from the Old West, but it’s actually a sight you can see today. Shepherds still live in wagons, tending their flocks in Wyoming and other places in the American West just as they have done for more than a hundred years. You can still see the shepherds “trailing,” moving their flocks to the mountains in the summer and bringing them down to the desert for the winter.
From breeding season to lambing season, and shearing in between, Cat Urbigkit takes young readers on a fascinating ride along the shepherd’s trail. A lively, informative text, and stunning photographs show how sheep are raised over the course of a year and documents the shepherds’ work and their unique lifestyle.

Cattle Kids: A year on the western range (2007) Honesdale, PA: Boyds Mills Press, ISBN:1-59078-508-8 and ISBN-13: 978-1-59078-508-9.

Cowboys aren't necessarily boys. They aren't necessarily grown-ups, either. In this lively photo essay, young readers will meet girls and boys who live a unique way of life by working on their families' cattle ranches. Cowgirls and cowboys take part in many aspects of livestock operations, from calving and branding to haying and rounding up the herd. Their work is valuable because cattle are among the world's most important domesticated animals. With a colorful and informative text, illustrated with action-packed photographs, Cat Urbigkit follows cattle kids through a year of ranching on the western range.

Puppies, Puppies Everywhere! (2006), Honesdale, PA: Boyds Mills Press, ISBN: 1-59078-363-8.
This title was described by the School Library Journal as "an adorable addition for animal collections" with its brief ryhming text accompanied by full-page photographs. It's a poetic look at puppies for the little ones.

A Young Shepherd (2006). Honesdale, PA: Boyds Mills Press. ISBN: 1590783646.
This title was awarded on the 2006 Ohio Farm Bureau Children's Literature Award Honors List.
Selected by Wisconsin Farm Bureau Women's Committee as 2006 book of the year.
Reviews: School Library Journal said, "The author presents basic information without overwhelming readers. The vocabulary is appropriate, but not technical. The superb, full-color photos correlate wonderfully with the narrative. ... This title is an excellent example of the way it really is ‘down on the farm.’ ”
The Horn Book Magazine said: “Urbigkit's clear text is enhanced with sharp, focused color photographs of Cass working with his lambs, the tools he uses, and the sheep at different stages of growth. A note at the end describes, with photographs and text, five breeds of sheep young people have raised for youth projects.”

Brave Dogs, Gentle Dogs: How they guard sheep (2005). Honesdale, PA: Boyds Mills Press. ISBN: 1590783174.
This title was named an International Reading Association Children's Book Award Notable Book for 2006. It was the 2006 Wyoming Ag Books for Kids book and as well as a 2007 Wyoming Reads pick and is a nominee for the 2007 Mockingbird Award.

  • Reviews:** School Library Journal said, ”A charming photo-essay on guardian dogs. Accompanied by clear, full-color photos, the simple, informative text describes the raising of these sheepdogs and their natural proclivity for guarding "their" flocks. ... This is a gentle introduction to a valuable, useful crew of working dogs, providing protection for ranch stock in an environmentally sound manner.” Booklist said: Through a relaxed narrative and pictures taken in a dramatic Wyoming setting, Urbigkit's photo-essay introduces children to guardian dogs—a category of working dog that is less well known than Seeing Eye dogs and herders. ... But kids will still come away impressed by the ‘unique closeness’ that can develop between two species and will want to return again and again to the heart-tugging images of shaggy puppies nuzzling their charges.”

Speaking Engagements

I entertain invitations for readings and book signings and absolutely love to hear from readers. Stay tuned for word on the book tour for Yellowstone Wolves!


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