12 Today’sCPA

Meet Oscar the Osprey, Fresh Inspiration for Kids to Scale Life’s Hurdles

Artist Jean Rosow and Ed Polansky, CPA. Photos courtesy of Joseph Polansky Photography.

I n the Texas CPA community, Ed Polansky is known as one of the venerable founders of Polansky McNutt Perry & Co. in San Antonio, which merged with Texas-based Weaver & Tidwell LLP in 2009, and a past chairman (2004-05) of TSCPA. But

… children’s book author?Polansky laughs: “I think writing creatively uses many of the same

skills that are needed to be a good CPA. You learn to step out of one world into another. Most of the CPAs I respect do lots of other things – public service, volunteering for charity, political activity, art, music. They have all kinds of interests and talents.”

The San Antonio CPA’s focus on children’s literature started when he was in high school and working in the public library. He had a particular curiosity about the tales that first fire our imaginations and even help form our values later in life.

“I didn’t like the way some books were written ‘down’ to children,” Polansky recalls. “The best ones reach several audiences … from the small child being read to … to the adult doing the reading … to the child old enough to read alone.”

Later in life when he became a parent, Polansky was struck by how “we need to re-teach values to every generation,” that our meaningful ideals need to take root in our children.

He muses: “There are bad values being passed on also, but we have a lot of consistency in our shared humanity. Think of the stories we were told as kids … some things we remember all our lives. Stories about good triumphing over evil. Kids need positive views. If you teach them cynicism, you leave them a pretty sad world.”

The specific idea for his new book came during a long-ago Polansky family vacation in Wyoming and Colorado. As they walked across a suspension bridge spanning the Royal Gorge – 1,000 feet above the Arkansas River – one of the boys felt a twinge of acrophobia and exclaimed, “It would really suck if you were a bird and afraid of heights!”

Thus was born the idea for Oscar the Osprey: The Bird Who Was Afraid of Heights.

For years, the book was one of those projects that many of us think of, and perhaps toy with from time to time, but don’t complete. Then when Polansky became “of counsel” to the firm (semi-retired), he began redoing the project through AuthorHouse.

“In effect, they help with editing, reviewing and so forth,” he explains. “Now I’m going to do a book launch with Barnes & Noble!”

According to Polansky, the book is “a bit retro” with black-and-white illustrations in pen and ink by artist Jean Rosow, coincidentally the daughter-in-law of another prominent San Antonio CPA. He hopes to write a couple of sequels featuring Oscar’s jealous brother and the sister who is making up her own mind about the world out there.

He smiles: “It’s fun figuring out what is going to happen – that’s the process. I think about Walt Disney’s concept of ‘plausible impossibility’ and ask myself, ‘Have I done that? Does the story hold up? Was the solution reasonable? Does it ring true for the world I’ve created and the character I’ve created?’”

Polansky’s son was 13 when the story began; he’s in his early 40s now. “They’ve always been part of it,” Polansky smiles. “My wife and I have been married 47 years. I’ve had a lot of help. But I think my family is shocked that I actually did it!

“I guess the moral of my story is that we all have obstacles to overcome, and we can find the way to do that and be successful. None of us will get everything we want. But you don’t have to be the hero. You can achieve a great deal quietly.” n

By Anne McDonald Davis

Reaching New Heights

SPOTLIGHT ON CPAS

Oscar the Osprey: The Bird Who Was Afraid of Heights is available through Amazon or Barnes & Noble. Be sure to leave a review. Your fellow CPA wants feedback!