Megan Navarro
KYLE — Richard Hildreth has worn many hats in his life and one of those inspired him to pursue a lifelong passion of writing a series of children’s books.
He has 25 years of experience as a union electrician, 10 in elective office and 10 in emergency management, with his current role as Emergency Management Program coordinator for the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. Approximately 10 years ago, while serving as an AmeriCorps Volunteers in Service to America (VISTA), Hildreth had the opportunity to read books to children between the ages of 4 and 6 at a Houston low-income daycare center.
Eventually, they had run out of books to read, but the children wanted to hear another story.
Hildreth said he embraced what every other storyteller would do and took what he knew to create his own story about a little gray tabby kitten, named Franklin, who had a dream of becoming a Ranger.
“Franklin's my cat and he loves chasing a laser. I've always thought that was kind of cute and I know kids love it. I just made up a story, Franklin and the Red Dot Ranger, and it's evolved quite a bit over the last 10 years,” he said. “But about four years ago, my wife, who has since passed away, mentioned, ‘You need to write this down. This is a cute story.’ She finally got me to write it down.”
The seed for the idea was planted in that Houston classroom, Hildreth said, but has evolved the last few years to what is now a 12-book series: “Franklin’s Red Dot Adventures.”
Each book in the series focuses on a different value that not only Rangers carry, but that parents want to see in their children, the author shared. These include the following:
1. “Franklin and the Red Dot Ranger” — Identity and purpose
2. “Franklin and the Grackle’s Cackle” — Integrity
3. “Franklin and the Kittens of a Different Color” — Respect and acceptance
4. “Franklin Goes to School” — Education and learning
5. “Franklin and the Mystery at Midnight” — Courage
6. “Franklin and the Truth That Got Away” — Honesty
7. “Franklin Takes Charge” — Leadership and service
8. “Franklin and the Rumble in the Sky” — Preparedness and courage
9. “Franklin and the Big Secret” — Trust and speaking up
10. “Franklin and the Runaway Kitten” — Responsibility and protecting others
11. “Franklin and the Quiet Place” — Compassion and grief
12. “Franklin and the Next Big Adventure” — Growing up and wisdom
“When I was growing up, we had ‘Cat in the Hat’ and some of the other books that taught us values and I want to kind of do that with these to help the children that are growing up now,” Hildreth said.
The author’s favorite thing about being able to create these books is seeing the smile on the child’s face: “I actually took one of the mockups of the first book and I gave it to a six-year-old girl and her and her dad were both just absolutely over the moon. Seeing that smile on her face, that's what I really really look forward to.”
Families can get involved in the adventure by participating in the Franklin’s Red Dot Ranger Contest, where they can share a story of 200 words or less about how their child lives by the Red Dot Ranger Code and how they have shown respect, kindness, courage, honesty, leadership and compassion.
Parents are asked to submit their story by email at [email protected] or on Facebook Messenger @FranklinandtheRedDotRanger. With their entry, parents should include the following: child’s first name, age, state/country, parent or guardian name and their contact information.
Monthly winners will receive an official certificate, stickers and a thank you letter from Franklin and the runner-up winner will earn an autographed book. Lastly, the grand prize winner will receive an autographed book, as well as, with their parent’s permission, have their story featured in a special edition of a “Franklin’s Red Dot Adventures” story that will be published next spring.
The first three books in the series are published and available on Amazon.
To stay up to date on Franklin and his next adventure, visit www.richhildreth.com.
