Elrena Parton of Woodbury has recently self-released her first illustrated childrens’ book, Popcorn the Goat.

This book, which the author describes simply as “a book about a goat that likes popcorn,” tells the story of a young girl and her mother feeding animals on the farm, and the girl, Edith, befriending a young goat as they share a snack.

Parton’s account is largely autobiographical, as the writer grew up on a farm. Her family raised goats and various other animals and treated them as special pets, as the author’s professional bio explains. The most memorable animal from Parton’s childhood was indeed a goat named Popcorn

Parton has been volunteering to read to kids in Cannon County since 2004, and enjoys sharing her original story with youngsters, particularly during October, which is National Popcorn Poppin’ Month in conjunction with the corn harvest, as Parton reminds readers.

Her book is an example of perseverance; traditional publishers turned Parton’s story down more than 50 times, she said.

So Parton took matters into her own hands and had the book printed at Murfreesboro’s Wax Family Printing.

While the story and the illustrations may seem simple and childlike, many young children enjoy the colorful barnyard images and the easy-to-read text in this story about a young girl who feeds popcorn to a goat. The book is especially well suited to beginning readers.

For more on Parton and her book, visit facebook.com/popcornthegoat or email popcornthegoat@yahoo.com.