Thunder & Mud: A Pioneer Childhood on the Prairie

Thunder & Mud: A Pioneer Childhood on the Prairie

Thunder & Mud: A Pioneer Childhood on the Prairie

By Julia Brown Tobias

Julia Brown Tobias gives us a gift—the realistic story of growing up on the prairie with her unforgettable family and neighbors who seem to have just arrived from central casting.

There is Mama whose strongest epithet was “Thunder and Mud” which she muttered when the preacher arrived unannounced; Boo who was born with what was then called “thyroid deficiency”; the hired man that caused Mama to get out the buggy whip; and Ralph, a young harvest hand who became a major part of Julia’s life.

You can read this story aloud to your family and count on two things—before they know what’s happened they’ll be mesmerized and when you reach the last page, they’ll be disappointed it’s over.

  • • 0-931271-29-0 • trade paper • 160 pp • 11 original illustrations • $11.95 ORDER NOW
Thunder & Mud: A Pioneer Childhood on the Prairie

Thunder & Mud: A Pioneer Childhood on the Prairie

By Julia Brown Tobias

“A born storyteller, [Tobias writes] a gentle, homespun account of turn-of-the-century farm life.”
•• Rocky Mountain News

Julia Brown Tobias

Julia Brown Tobias

We agreed to publish Julia Brown Tobias’s book Thunder & Mud because it is a good story—simple, elegant, and full of interesting, yet realistic people. Little did we know that the book came with a bonus—that bonus is the colorful life and character of this author who was 94 when the book came out.

A retired couture designer whose gowns are collected by museums, a world traveler, a college instructor on the history of fashion and a former child of the Nebraska prairie, Mrs. Tobias could write several books before she ran out of fascinating stories. The Denver Post has called her a “fashion philosopher.”

Tobias taught herself to sew at age four and as a child acted out a fantasy that involved traveling by steamer to the Paris fashion opening. “I don’t know how I even knew about Paris or fashion openings,” she said. “We lived so remotely that sometimes we only went to town once a year. But we did get magazines, and I must have read about the openings there.” Later she would indeed make trips to Paris for the spring openings.

“When I first opened my shop women came to be fitted in their chauffeur driven limousines, wearing their hats and gloves, and the chauffeur waited at attention outside. Before I retired the granddaughters of those women would come driving up in a Jeep and dash inside wearing Levis and tennis shoes,” Tobias said. “But those young women were just as wonderful and caring as their grandmothers.”

Tobias could have been a role model for senior citizens. Although she has lost her vision, she still traveled and at 91 years of age went to South America. Sometimes to save her energy she used a wheelchair, “With a wheelchair and a little tip money, a person can go anywhere,” she said.

As Ms. Tobias said, “My cup runneth over. I’ve had a wonderful life. Many people have taken me into their lives. But this book of my childhood is the most important thing I’ve ever done.”

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