Just in time for the huge Stampede breakfast and barbecue season, a children's book on how it all came about has been shortlisted for the 2024 Alberta Book Publishing Awards.

"Flip Flop Flapjack," written by Brenda Joyce Leahy and illustrated by Melissa Bruglemans-LaBelle, has been nominated for Children's and Young Adult Book of the Year, and Book Illustration of the Year.

During last year's Rodeo Week kickoff pancake breakfast, hosted by the Stockmen's Memorial Foundation and Lions Club for the Labour Day Weekend Rodeo, Cochrane was treated to readings from the book and lessons on how the characters were drawn.

It was Jack Morton who is credited with the creation of the original Calgary Stampede Breakfast, 101 years ago. His granddaughter Brenda Joyce Leahy had authored several books before, but this was her first children's book.

"There are other books out about Wildhorse Jack. Grant McEwan wrote an entire biography on him, and there are lots of other local history books that talk about him, but I wanted to bring his story to the children," she told CochraneNow.com last year.

bookAuthor Brenda Joyce Leahy had a few helping hands for her reading. (file photo)

"Everybody loves their pancake breakfast, so it's been an easy sell. I think people love a story about how something began and the 100th anniversary brings more attention to it."

It's BGC and the Lions Club who will be kicking off a huge line-up of pancake breakfasts and barbecues in honour of the Calgary Stampede. It's being held this Thursday, July 4 from 8 to 11 a.m. in the parking lot of the Cochrane Lions Event Centre and the BGC's 5th Ave. location.