This Curly Crow dude sure gets around.
He’s gone camping and he’s gone to the river; now he’s going to school.
And it won’t be too long, says this bird’s “owner,” Nicholas Aragon, that he’ll be going to the beach, going to the park and, down the road, going ballooning.
If you have children, maybe they can tell you more about this character – or visit Under Charlie’s Covers in Bernalillo, 1600 South Camino del Pueblo, on Saturday, Oct. 1, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and meet the crow creator’s kid.
Aragon, a longtime resident of Rio Rancho, will be there signing his latest release in the series, “Curly Crow Goes to School,” plus the corresponding coloring book. Aragon will also have copies of the other books in the series, “Curly Crow Goes Camping” and the original “Curly Crow Goes to the River.”
He said he’d also be at the Harvest Festival in Corrales this weekend, so he’s not hard to find.
The series follows a curious young crow who lives behind a café in New Mexico that has exciting adventures while experiencing the beauty of the state, all begun by Aragon’s late mother, Barb Keady (1959-2017), a native of Los Alamos and 1977 Los Alamos High School who battled brain cancer for 3 1/2 years before losing that battle.
Aragon continued the book series she had written for her granddaughters – Curly Crow got that “curly” moniker from Aragon’s first daughter, Mariah — and started Curly Crow LLC with a mission to inspire and heal the human spirit through art.
Before he started writing children’s books, the 1999 graduate of Cibola High School got a graduate degree in higher education administration from New Mexico State University.
After that, he started an online business where he sells Curly Crow art, apparel and children’s books. He also works full-time as a higher education administrator, using his talents to help change lives one student at a time: “I liked developing people,” he said.
A counselor he had when his parents were going through a divorce gave him the idea of someday helping others: “My high school counselor really helped me see past my parents’ problems; they weren’t my problems.”
He could have gone in another direction, but instead got involved in sports and clubs, including the student council.
Foremost was continuing his mother’s legacy.
“For her, (writing and art) were an escape,” he recalled. “That’s when she was the happiest.”
She wrote “Curly Crow Goes to the River” in 2006, but it wasn’t published until a year after her passing, Aragon said. He decided to “develop the brand” and discovered how easy it is to self-publish.
He’s been trying to get school districts and libraries interested in his books for youngsters, basically ages 3-7, and recently read a Curly Crow book at an authors event at Loma Colorado Main Library.
For more information about Curly Crow books, visit curlycrow.com/book-shop.
You can get more information by calling Under Charlie’s Covers at 505-404-2097 or visiting the website (undercharliescovers.com).