Connie Cooley loves telling Southlake’s story. As the Southlake Historical Society’s president, Connie has previously published two books about Southlake Carroll Dragon football and the history of Southlake. Now she’s making her first foray into children’s books with “Goodnight, Southlake,” which features 15 Southlake sites including Dragon Stadium, Bicentennial Park and Southlake Town Square.
“You know of so many other ‘goodnight’ books that are out there,” Connie says. “We were up in Crested Butte, Colorado one year, and in one of their bookstores was a book called ‘Goodnight Crested Butte.’ I just always thought that was a fun way to show what a community is like for children, and I always kept that in the back of my mind.”
Connie collaborated with her daughter Christina on book. Connie says she wrote the stanzas featured in "Goodnight, Southlake," while Christina illustrated the pages.
“These are places everyone will recognize, brought to life with a story and lots of color,” Connie says. “It was really special working with her and watching her bring these sites to life.”
Although she never wrote a children’s book before, Connie knew enough about Southlake’s long history to be able to write a narrative that appealed to kids. She says she’s proud to see her project realized to fruition and hopes Dragon families will enjoy reading the book together.
“Ever since we moved to Southlake, I’ve always had a soft spot for it,” she says. “It’s always changing, but change can be a good thing. When we first moved here, there was no town hall. There was no town square. Now it’s like the jewel of the town. I think it’s fun to see a city like Southlake grow, but you can harken back to what it looked like when an earlier generation lived here.”
“Goodnight, Southlake” is now available for $19.99 at ConnieCooley.com.