Former Georgia Governor Nathan Deal has written a children’s book about his two cats, continuing his efforts to improve the state’s literacy rates.

“Veto, the Governor’s Cat” is a tribute to his late wife, Sandra Deal, who read books to students at more than 1,000 schools across Georgia while their cats, Veto and Bill, pranced across the governor’s mansion.

Now, Veto and Bill have made a return to the political scene in the form of the children’s book written by Deal, who served two terms as governor from 2011 to 2019. Sandra Deal, a former public school teacher, died in August 2022 from cancer.

“Veto, the Governor’s Cat” tells the tales of Veto and Bill as they leave their human companions at the governor’s mansion in Atlanta and meet furry friends in the forest behind Deal’s home in Habersham County. As they adventure across the mansion’s grounds and into the northeast Georgia woods, the cats learn about courage, kindness, friendship and loss.

“This book is designed to educate the mind to get children to read better, but it’s also designed to educate the heart,” Deal said in an interview with The Associated Press.

Governor Deal will be in Rome later this month to sign copies of the book that will be released August 14th.  The book signing will be at River & Hill Books at 412 Broad Street at 6 PM.  You can reserve a seat at: RiverAndHillBooks.com/events