Former Gov. Nathan Deal shares his children’s book at AU’s Literacy Center

The heartwarming story of two lovable rescue cats named Veto and Bill owned by former Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal and his late wife, Sandra Deal, recently captured the hearts and minds of dozens of children from the Dr. Paulette P. Harris Literacy Center and RISE Augusta.

During the two-hour book sharing and signing event at the HUB for Community Innovation on Sept. 23, the former governor discussed his experiences and the inspiration behind his first children’s book, “Veto, The Governor’s Cat.” Deal wrote the book to honor his late wife, Sandra Deal, who championed literacy and early childhood education throughout her lifetime.

As First Lady of Georgia, Sandra Deal made it her mission to read to more than 250,000 students across Georgia’s 159 counties and 181 school districts, including 1,000 schools and Pre-K programs.

“This is a story that is told through the eyes of Veto the cat and it was something that my wife had requested that I write her a children’s book because she read to so many children during the time she was First Lady,” Deal said. “She read to more than a thousand individual classrooms and probably a quarter of a million students. It was her passion.”

As a former teacher of 15 years in the Hall County School System, Sandra Deal believed that reading is the gift that keeps on giving, and that education is the key for any student to achieve future success.

“Literacy was very important to her because she was a trained teacher. She had a master’s degree in elementary education and had retired as a middle school teacher,” the former governor said. “It was important to her because she saw the effects of the lack of literacy on the children who were coming through her classroom.”

“So, one day she told me, ‘I don’t have a good children’s book that I haven’t read, so I want you to write me one,’” Deal added. “That’s exactly what I did.”

Take the time to read to a child

“Veto, the Governor’s Cat” is a tale that follows the adventures of Veto and Bill, two rescue cats who find their forever home in the governor’s mansion. As Veto and Bill navigate their new lives, they encounter various challenges and triumphs, with each chapter bringing a new adventure that reinforces the power of empathy and compassion.

These beloved pets, who moved from the city to the country with the Deals when they left office, continued to bring joy and teach meaningful lessons, with Veto still residing with the former governor today.

“It is a story of two cats born in the barn of my chief of staff who lived up in Hall County above Gainesville, Georgia,” Deal said. “They’re two brothers from the same litter of kittens and they’ve grown up together at the governor’s mansion in Atlanta.”

But when Deal completed his term as governor in 2019, he told the children at the literacy center, the two cats and the Deals moved into their new home near the Chattahoochee River.

In the book, Deal describes the cats’ first night at their new home, as they explore the woods behind the house and meet a cast of colorful characters.

During the book sharing event, Deal vividly described each of the characters such as Oliver, an owl who teaches the cats to be brave by telling them, “Courage is your candle in the dark.” There is also Percival or “Percy,” a possum who talks with an English accent and tells the cats about the importance of having an interesting personality.

Deal said he thoroughly enjoys sharing his story with children from across the state of Georgia.

“I think the more children see adults, especially people who may be in some positions of responsibility, telling them that it is important for them to learn to read, the better,” Deal said. “I encourage all adults – they don’t have to be family members, they can be other community citizens – to just take the time to read to a child.”

Helping kids get excited about reading

First Lady of Augusta University Karen Keen welcomed the former governor to the Dr. Paulette P. Harris Literacy Center and thanked him for sharing his book with the local children.

As a former educator of 15 years herself, Keen said Sandra Deal’s passion for literacy and early childhood education has always inspired her.

“She not only believed that reading is the gift that keeps on giving and that education is the key for any student to achieve future success, but she actively demonstrated the importance of that mission,” Keen said. “Growing up, I loved school and I’ve always known the value of a good education. For more than 15 years, I saw first-hand the importance of helping students get excited about reading at an early age.”

“In my role as First Lady of Augusta University, I hope to bring my passion for education and student success to the campus and the broader community,” Keen added. “I believe that reading opens so many doors and is such a gift, just as this book is to the children who will enjoy it.”

AU President Russell T. Keen said it was an honor to have the former governor visit the literacy center.

“Governor Deal and Ms. Sandra meant so much to this entire state as they’ve led not only the state, but led by example in so many ways, and one of them was literacy,” Russell Keen said. “Mrs. Sandra traveled the entire state in every county speaking at school districts talking about the importance of reading and what it meant for prosperity and just self-worth. And so I think it’s great to have the governor here in our literacy center, sharing his book. What a wonderful book with the message that I think we could all use right now.”

The book sharing event was moderated by Betsy VanDeusen, PhD, the director of Dr. Paulette P. Harris Literacy Center at Augusta University, who said only 30% of students in the United States are proficient in reading by the end of third grade.

“What that means is reading will become exponentially harder for them once they get into the upper grades,” VanDeusen said. “We really need to focus first and foremost on communities, supporting our parents, and making sure that we have evidence-based strategies in place for our students in the area to help accelerate those gains.”

Cheryl Riner Hodge, the book’s illustrator, also participated in the book sharing and signing event. While Riner Hodge currently lives in Rome, Georgia, she has also resided in both Augusta and Savannah.

Making Sandra Deal proud

A portion of the book’s proceeds will support literacy projects and other educational initiatives through the work of The Deal Foundation, which continues the former first lady of Georgia’s mission of childhood literacy.

Deal said there is a quote from Aristotle, the Ancient Greek philosopher, that he often thinks about when reading to children.

“It says, ‘Educating the mind without educating the heart is no education at all,’” Deal said.  “So, it’s been recognized for many, many, many decades and generations, that you have to educate the heart as well as educate the mind. So, my book is intended to educate the mind, in that it introduces them to words and the pronunciation of words, but it also teaches them some lessons that hopefully will educate their heart.”

By reading to children, Deal said he not only carries on his late wife’s legacy, but he gets to share her passion for education with the world.

“I think she’d be very proud,” Deal said, smiling. “She’d be glad to see young children listening to somebody read a book to them and to do it in her honor and her memory. I think she’d be proud.”