TIPPECANOE, Ohio – Inspired by her son’s dream for his prized calf, Harrison County farmer and author Yvonne Ackerman penned her first children’s book, Dylan’s Dream: Bucky at the County Fair.

Ackerman, who owns and operates The Market at Gladman Farms in Harrison County, released the book Dec. 3.

It was Dylan’s first year in 4-H and first year as a junior fair livestock exhibitor. Dylan, 9, wanted to take his dairy beef feeder to the fair. Unfortunately, his calf died unexpectedly and Bucky never made his debut at the fair.

“For months after Bucky passed, Dylan couldn’t stop talking about the calf. Dylan would frequently talk about his calf, saying he would have loved to do this and that with Bucky, saying he would have walked him every day, he would have brushed him and showed him. In his dream, Dylan and Bucky won a blue ribbon at the county fair.”

Two dairy heifers were born shortly after Bucky passed, so Dylan showed the heifer calves in the junior fair livestock show as well as the open class show.

“For months, Dylan had a tough time letting go. It tugged at my heart strings so I approached him with the idea about me writing a book, that way we could remember Bucky and he could live forever even though he passed away. There is no reference to Dylan or the calf in the book and the readers are not going to know this calf died.

“We agreed that I would write a story based on the steps Dylan played over and over in his imagination. I took notes from Dylan about each step of the process that he dreamed up, asking questions as I went along to make sure I had his ideas correct. The book was born from the love my son had for his calf and a mother’s wish to ease the burden of one of life’s, and farming’s, hard lessons.”

From breaking to lead and grooming to showing the animal in the arena, Dylan’s Dream guides boys and girls through each step in the process for preparing to show their own animal at a county fair and the subsequent sale of the animal.

Times for this new author weren’t so rosy just seven years ago. Ackerman began having pain in 2017 and doctors speculated that Dylan, who was 3 at the time, was bringing home viruses from his daycare. A year later, the same symptoms occurred with increasing severity and new symptoms were compounding. She suffered muscle spasms, facial paralysis, numbness and muscle atrophy.

In July 2018 her pain was so severe that teams streamed down from her face as she tried to force her extremities to move from their stiffened position. That same month she was diagnosed with Lyme disease. It took nearly three more years, a lot of tinctures, herbal supplements, vitamins, detoxing, resting and some prescriptions before the disease went into remission.

Then, an MRI in July 2023 showed a cancerous lime-sized tumor in her colon. Surgery took care of that problem. Ackerman, who holds a B.S. in agricultural communications from Ohio State University, worked in the rural electric cooperative industry for more than 13 years, earning several state and national communication awards before retiring to focus on her health.

“I think there is a silver lining in every experience, good or bad,” she said. “Lyme disease may have weakened my body, but it gave me a voice and I’ve been advocating for myself and others ever since I’ve been healthy enough to do so. I am open about my experience and offer whatever help I can to those who think they may have Lyme. There is very limited support for undiagnosed Lyme patients, because we generally look fine on the outside.

“Cancer gave me an even greater gift. I was off for 12 weeks following my surgery. I was able to see my son off to school and be here when he arrived home to assist with homework. Once I was healed enough to cook, I was able to pack lunches and have dinner waiting when my husband and my son came home in the evenings. I had time to myself during the day to read and daydream and sit quietly while birds chirped and the wins rustled the trees. I witnessed nature in all her glory.”

Ackerman went back to work in October 2023 to what others would consider a wonderful job, but all she could see, and feel, was stress and frustration.

“I was not fulfilling my purpose. I wasn’t doing what I loved,” she said. “I wasn’t even doing what I liked. I wanted to be creative. I wanted to work on the farm, tailoring a job to suit my skills and abilities. I wanted to build a legacy. I wanted to start a farm market.”

Her last day as a corporate employee was Dec. 30, 2023.

“I decided to quit the corporate job to stay on the farm,” she said. “I’m definitely much happier. I gave myself a few months off to regain my mental and physical health, exploring a plethora of business ideas, career opportunities, and in July of 2024 I established The Market at Gladman Farms.

“And this gave me time to write a few more children’s books.”

Gladman Farms rests on 270 acres, where the Ackermans grow hay, straw, field corn, sweet corn and fields of berries. Three generations now tend to the farm, though her husband Travis is a seventh-generation farmer in Harrison County.

Gladman Farms produces fresh produce, cottage foods, bar soaps and more for the local community. In line with their goal to reach a wider audience, Gladman Farms offers online ordering and shipping options for products like books, soaps and décor.

“Travis and I do not have any cows on the farm, just dogs,” she said. “But we hope to get beef cattle when we are able to fence the property. We are embracing the digital age by creating downloadable ebooks, recipes and videos on our website to provide customers with even more ways to connect with the farm and its offerings.”

Ackerman has a full plate. She recently took a part-time job with the local farm bureau office as a county office administrator, mostly in charge of creating content for social media and assisting the organization’s director with events and meetings. Above all, she said her main passion is writing.

“I probably have written a dozen more children’s books but don’t have the money on hand to publish them,” Yvonne said. “My ultimate goal is to publish one children’s book per year.”

She’s already started a book about Lyme and cancer.