My grandchildren lived in Iowa and Kansas when they were young, and I lived in Houston, Texas. I missed seeing them and would write short stories about Texas for them. I am a fourth-generation Texan and I wanted my grandchildren to know their Texas roots. I mailed each story to my grandchildren in a box with a stuffed toy animal to illustrate it. The boxes were always the same. I am told that my grandchildren would get excited when they saw the box brought in from the mailbox and would listen intently as stories about Texas were read to them.