Laura Beth Dean holding her 2025 Spur Award.
“Georgia Jipp: Blizzard Pilot,” the debut nonfiction children’s book by Laura Beth Dean, a registered nurse at Warm Hearth Village, has earned national recognition for its powerful storytelling and historical significance.
Illustrated by Jeanne Bowman, the book chronicles the heroic efforts of Georgia Jipp, a pioneering pilot who flew more than 150 life-saving mercy missions for the American Red Cross during the historic South Dakota blizzard of 1949.
Dean, who spent two years at Warm Hearth at Home in the Home Health and Home Care department and now works in Quality Assurance and Staff Education at Warm Hearth Village, has translated her passion for service and storytelling into a compelling picture book that is resonating with readers and critics alike.
The book has received several prestigious honors, particularly in the Western and nonfiction literary communities:
2025 Spur Award
Best Western Children’s Picture Book Presented by the Western Writers of America, this is one of the most prestigious honors for literature about the American West.
2025 WILLA Literary Award
Best Children’s Picture Book Awarded by Women Writing the West, celebrating outstanding writing by women authors in the Western genre.
Finalist – Will Rogers Medallion Award
Western Young Reader / Non-fiction / Illustrated Book Final rankings for this award are announced at the annual WRMA Banquet.
Bronze Medal – 2024 Moonbeam Children’s Book Awards
Also, Jeanne Bowman was recognized for her exceptional artwork in the book.
“I am in awe and so humbled this book has garnered four awards. I never would have imagined such an incredible reception,” Dean said. “Several years ago, I discovered Georgia Jipp in a book about the terrible blizzards of 1949, and was captivated by this 22–year-old pilot’s bravery. Only one other book mentioned her, so I resolved to research and write her story. I am delighted young Georgia Jipp now has her well-deserved place in history. It gives me such joy to inspire children through my books.”
Dean’s first book, “Sweet Potato Moon,” is a fictionalized account about her mother-in-law’s childhood in South Korea. She is now writing a nonfiction children’s picture book about her great aunt and uncle’s bottle-fed lamb who helped save their flock of 500 sheep from another South Dakota blizzard.
“We’re so lucky to have such a talented and compassionate nurse on our team,” said Village President & CEO William Lester. “And now she is an accomplished author.”
Warm Hearth Village
