Five years ago, Ford Performance was alerted to a then-new documentary posted online called Adapt or Die: The Mustang II Story. We contacted this video’s producer, Robert M. Kennedy, and subsequently engaged him as a contributing writer for occasional submissions to our Enthusiast content on FordPerformance.com. Since then, Kennedy’s writing career has taken off – and now he’s released a new children’s book about the 61-year history of Mustang. In the Q&A session below, we sat down with Robert to discuss why he wrote the book and why you should consider supporting it:

FordPerformance.com: Well, you’ve sure been busy lately, Robert. Tell us about this new children’s book of yours.

Robert Kennedy: [laughs] Yeah, I don’t sleep much anymore! The children’s paperback is called An Unauthorized Future Driver’s Guide to Ford Mustang. It’s 32 pages, $13.95, and 100% Made in USA.

FP: Now that’s a pitch! After writing a hardbound history of the Mustang, how did you come to write a children’s book about the Mustang?

RK: When I was on my Unbridled Book Tour [Kennedy’s previous book Unbridled: The Passion, Performance & Politics Behind America’s Favorite Pony Car was also about the Ford Mustang.] we had a blast attending all these major Mustang shows across the country. I met a lot of really great people but noticed that, at 40-plus years of age, I was often one of the younger people in attendance at some shows. Beyond the young moms and dads pushing strollers, there was a pretty big age gap and a fair amount of silver hair before we’d geta  feel for the average show-goers age. So, one night at whichever hotel, it occurred to me that if we don’t do something to engage this next generation of enthusiasts, our hobby – and Mustang itself as we know it – might not have enough support someday in the future.

FP: So, you wrote yet another Mustang book?

RK: Yes – so, I wrote another book! [laughs]

FP: Tell us about how you decided to tell Mustang’s story to kids.

RK: Well, this book walks kids through the Mustang timeline that most of us know, starting April 17, 1964, and running through today with the Mustang GTD. But it does it on a level that’s easily digestible for kids. I have two sons, 9 and 11 years old, and I was able to bounce the manuscript off them to get their feedback and make adjustments along the way. Eventually we got it to where they like it and agree that it’s really cool.

FP: Is that your target age for this book, then?

RK: Yes, and no. The way I wrote it, it’s really intended to be read by the child and either their parent, grandparent, aunt or uncle. It’s designed specifically to engage intergenerational conversation between them. In addition to the cars and backgrounds, each page features a character that makes some additional observation [beyond the main storyline] and usually asks the reader a question. These questions are there to prompt discussion and really create a bonding moment between children and adults.

FP: With kids not knowing Mustang history, what kind of questions did you pose? Give us an example.

RK: On the first page, after telling the story of Lee Iacocca introducing the car on April 17, I have the late Gale Halderman’s great-granddaughter telling the reader about how he drew that original profile sketch – and asking if the reader knew his studio wanted to name it “Cougar.” And on page two, I have Carroll Shelby’s great-grandsons commenting about the GT350 – and asking if the reader’s ever seen a Cobra in real life.

FP: Well, that’s a different way than most would expect to tell that story to children. So, are all these characters based on real people?

RK: Not all, but several are. My two sons are in it. Ford Performance’s own John Clor’s granddaughters are, too. After them [plus the actual Halderman and Shelby kids], I had an artist help me create a wide variety of fictional children to help fill out the remaining pages in a way that most every child should be able to find someone they relate to in the books.

FP: Now, you just said “books,” as in plural. Are there more to come?

RK: Yes. You know I’m a Mustang guy. Always have been – always will be. But I really want to engage as many kids as possible, regardless of what makes and models might appeal to them. As I see it, it’s way more important that we encourage this next generation to be car enthusiasts, in the broad sense of the term, than try and pigeon-hole them into a specific market niche. So, I’ve written a whole series of eight different books that cover the entire spectrum – from other Ford vehicles to competitive brands and even military vehicles. That was my boys’ idea!

FP: Very cool. What other Ford models are going to be covered?

RK: The second book in the series is going to be about one particular competitive model, but the third, fourth, fifth, and sixth books will all feature multiple makes and models – including a variety of Ford cars and trucks. The third and fourth installments will be about pre- and post-war automobiles and will feature everything from Model T and Model A to the Fairlane, Thunderbird, F-Series, and even Lincoln, Mercury, and Edsel.

FP: What about the fifth and sixth books?

RK: The fifth will be about muscle cars and the sixth is about sports cars. Of course, the muscle car book covers Mustang, Cougar, and Capri, but it also includes Torino, Mercury Cyclone – stuff like that. And the sports car book obviously includes the Ford GT!

FP: Car people should love to add these to their children’s library. With the Mustang book already available through Amazon and your website, when are these others coming out?

RK: Well, they’re all already written. Right now I’m just working on wrapping up illustrations. As they’re completed, I’ll be releasing them as quickly as possible. I’m aiming for one each month this year, so the whole series is available before folks start shopping for Christmas.

FP: Very good. Should people want more information, do you have a website?

RK: My site is UnleadedOnlyPublications.com. It’s got samples of all the book covers, descriptions, and ETAs for their release. The “order now” links will just take you to Amazon, though, so that’s always where the actual sale would take place. But like I said, they’re $13.95 in paperback and they’re 100% made right here in the United States.

FP: Are you going to be doing any hardcovers or E-books?

RK: I do plan to, and those will be coming soon, but the hardcovers will obviously be a little bit more. Frankly, I think kids get enough screen time as it is. So, in my opinion, paperback is the best way to go.

FP: Appreciate the idea for this, Robert. And it’s likely the clubs on FordPerformanceClubConnect.com would be interested in your effort as well. FP.com readers can simply search “An Unauthorized Future Driver’s Guide to Ford Mustang” online and find information that way too.

RK: Right. Thanks for the opportunity. I appreciate it.

FP: You bet. Expanding the joy of the Mustang brand to young people of every age is a key part of being in the Mustang enthusiast family. Thank you, Robert, for sitting down to talk with us.

So, there you have it. As Mustang clubs well know, Kennedy’s right about the urgency behind us needing to ensure we pass along our passion for these cars. We’ve heard that some young people today are opting to just seek out rides and not even purchase a car at all. The freedom and the joy of driving your Mustang down the highway, or engaging track mode and rocketing your Dark Horse through apexes on road courses, are something we as Ford fans all understand. But if we don’t pass that enthusiasm on to our kids and grandkids – well.

This might be a good time to get Mustang’s story into the hands of children – and not just with a coloring book, but with a book they can actually read and enjoy on a different level. After all, Mustang love knows no age limit!

FORD PERFORMANCE PHOTOS COURTESY ROBERT KENNEDY / UnleadedOnlyPublications.com