Prancing, Dancing Lily
Illustrator: John Manders
Dial Books for Young Readers 2004

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The Story Behind the Story

I grew up on a farm surrounded by cows and calves. My daughter, Amy, is a dancer. Is it any surprise I wrote a story about a dancing cow? I never saw a dancing cow in our pasture, but I often helped my father call the cows in for milking. We sounded a lot like Farmer Gibson calling Rose, Lily, and the rest of the herd. “Come on in Rose. Milking Time!”

My father, Eugene Willard Krehbiel, grew up in a family of Mennonite farmers. When he was a boy, his dream was to have a registered Ayrshire herd.

Besides being a farmer, my father was a writer and an artist. He kept a journal and drew sketches of the animals and plants around him. If you’d like, you can read about my father’s Ayrshire dream in his own words.

Lily fans may be surprised to learn that in the original story version, Lily did not end up as a Conga cow. I have such fun “drumming” with students at author visits; I can’t imagine Lily as anything else now! To find out what type of cow Lily would have been if my brilliant editor hadn’t stepped in, click “Lily, the Conga Cow”.

To download a flyer of "Prancing Dancing Lily", click Lily as a belly dancer.

My Father's Ayrshire Dream

"Life is made up of individual dreams. I remember as a child we kids would play under the branches of two rows of cedar trees with our dreams. We'd stake out little farms and have great enjoyment. Lengths of corn cobs were the animals. Different pieces of metal from the junk pile were the machinery. Roller bearings were the milk cans.

In my high school days, I was on the livestock judging team and fell in love with the Ayrshire breed of cattle. Every so often I'd buy a cow and in time I had a very good start in registered Ayrshires. My folks kept these cattle while I was working at different jobs. All this time I longed for the farm and I joined the Ayrshire Breeders' Association.

In 1951, the family made the move to an old house near the home place. I farmed in partnership with my dad and registered a farm name after a few years: Highland Ayr Registered Ayrshire Farm. With a great struggle, I purchased the home property and farm and farmed there for twenty-seven years. I did fulfill my dream. "

Lily, the Conga Cow

She’d have been a Morris Dancing Cow! “What is Morris Dancing?”, you ask. You will see. Read on.

When I first sent “Lily, the Dancing Bell Cow” (That was the original title.) to my fantastic editor at Dial, Karen told me it was “a fun story with a “moovelous” main character.” (Karen has a sense of humor.) Then she added a “however.” (Sometimes I don’t like “howevers”, but this ended up to be a good one.)

You see, I’d originally ended the story with Lily as a Morris dancer. “A Morris dancer”, you ask, “what’s a Morris dancer?” That’s exactly what my editor, Karen, said. She didn’t know what Morris dancing was and she had to look it up on the internet! She and another editor had the idea to change the dance to the conga. I’m so glad I have great editors! Lily makes a wonderful Conga Cow!

Again, you ask “What is Morris dancing?” It’s a wonderful dance that originated in England. The dancers wear scores of bells on their legs and arms. I thought a dance with bells would be a perfect dance for a bell cow. What do you think?

I still love Morris dancing, but I’m glad Lily ended up as the “prancing, dancing Conga Cow.”

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