Cowboy Andy by Edna Walker Chandler & Illus by E. Raymond Kintsler

This is one of those easy reader books that I remember from my childhood--the easy reader book heyday of the late 1980's. 

Pretty sure this was the first book my sister ever read. It was also the first book my son ever read. 

It has staying power. At least in my family. 

The problems in easy reader books are straightforward. 

Andy is a city boy, but wants to be a cowboy. 

His dad writes a handy cowboy friend to take on Andy and make him into a cowboy. 

We have a ready villain in Cook. He is determined the entire thing will be a disaster. 

A little conflict is so important in moving easy reader plots along.  

Andy gets to Sam's Ranch. There is no fooling around with ranch names here. It belongs to Sam, so it is Sam's ranch. No reason to complicate things, folks. 

Cook's scowl. 

Man to man chats under the full moon. 

Andy setting off to be a cowboy. 

Now was the time to show Cook that he could be a cowboy.

You show 'em, Andy!

There are several necessary disasters and setbacks in his quest where Cook says things like "See? I told you so. Andy will never be a cowboy." And finally, Andy wins the calf riding event at the rodeo. And Cook concedes that Andy is a really honest to goodness cowboy. 

See? Life might seem complex, but it isn't. An easy reader can sort it in 60 short, picture filled pages. 

Real Cowboys by Kate Hoefler & Illus by Jonathan Bean

This book....! Oh my goodness I love it! 

Obviously I have a soft spot for cowboys. That is what marrying a cowboy from Colorado does for you. 

In this book, Hoefler shows a softer, deeper side to cowboys. 

"At night, they sing lullabies over the calls of coyotes"

The strength of true gentleness

And these pictures.... love, love, love! I always enjoy Jonathan Bean's illustrations, even when they vary wildly, such as in At Night and this book. 

Cowboys are not the careless devils they are made out to be. They aren't stupid. You can't do much when you leg is infected from a cacti puncture or your arms are blistered with sunburn. 

Real cowboys ask for help. 

I just love how Hoefler takes cowboy stereotypes and turns them on their head. 

The dust... so evocative!

Chaos

This picture. I mean, LOOK AT IT. Doesn't it do something to your heart? 

I don't understand the art, but I do love it! 

ISN'T THIS BOOK AWESOME?!?! 

It is. It really, really is. I want to frame most of the pictures and teach my kids the word.

Be gentle.

Ask for help.

Love peace.

Be safe.

See people, not races.

Never think a girl can't rope as well as a boy.

An Outlaw Thanksgiving by Emily Arnold McCully

My aunt sent this to my little sisters year ago. I have never really read it because I wasn't that interested in reading kids books when I was 17. 

Someone pulled it out last week though, so I surreptitiously stole it to take pictures of. Kids books are not safe around me. Some time I will tell you about the Tasha Tudor book in the eye doctor's waiting room. 

It is the story of a little girl, Clara, heading west with her mother to meet her father in California.

This is the kind of book that would have appealed to the history nerd in me. It is too wordy for little, little kids, but 8 and up seem to enjoy it.  

Emily Arnold McCully's pictures are gorgeously watercolor-y. 

I adore maps.

(The librarian in me would like to point out that it is extremely irresponsible to place books in the snow. Don't do it! Especially with someone else's book. Ahem...)

Clara, checking out the wanted posters while she waited for the train. 

As the train headed into the Rockies, it got snowed in. 

Ironically we were a little snowed in yesterday when I was taking pictures. We had planned to spend the day in Ottawa, but it was slushy and raining and snowing and 32 degrees, so we had a lazy stay-home Sunday after meeting instead.

Sleighs arrive to take passengers to nearby hotels. But Clara's mother, who is a bit of a worrier won't go to the hotels because... bedbugs. 

Finally, Mr. Jones, who Clara had befriended earlier, invited them to visit some friends of his for Thanksgiving. 

These pictures aren't great, but it was really cold, windy, and snowy out there. So I wasn't hanging around for perfection. 

It was such a long way that they had to spend the night in a snug cabin along the way.

Finally they arrived in Brown's Hole, 

...to a well-bred welcoming committee.

Clara's mother is pleasantly surprised by their elegance. She congratulates herself on the quality of their company. 

Clara is enjoying herself, but... she thinks Bob looks familiar. And then she remembers the wanted posters. 

Bob is Butch Cassidy! Being wise, Clara doesn't tell her mother. 

Butch Cassidy asks Clara to dance and roars with laughter when she asks him if he plans on robbing their train. He says he is just giving thanks today and has no intention of robbing anything. 

Clara and her mother finally meet her father in Ogden, Utah. She decides to tell him about Butch Cassidy after they get to California. 

The Contests at Cowlick by Richard Kennedy & Illus by Marc Simont

This book is pretty awesome. Kids love it when a little kid shows up grown ups. And if those particular grown ups happen to be bad guys, all the better. 

And if the bad guys happen to be a gang of outlaws out west, all the better better.  

"If you need us" the sheriff said as they left, "we'll just be a holler up the creek."

When Hogbone and his gang showed up, the people of Cowlick hollered.

But no sheriff. 

So the town of Cowlick ran and hid.

But good ole Wally comes back out of hiding. 

"If  you want some trouble," said Wally, "I can give you some trouble."

Hogbone dropped a look on the boy and said, "Most trouble you'd give me is sticken' between my teeth when I chaw  you up."

Wally challenges some of the men to a footrace. The bad guys get a kick out of strutting their stuff in front of this kid before they rob the town. 

Sure enough, they show Wally that they can run faster than him. Since they were all neat and tidy in the livery stable, Wally just bolted them in there.

He told Hogbone they were resting on the grass. 

Next, he challenges some men to a climbing race. 

Shore nuff, those men could climb up the roof of the church faster than Wally. So Wally left them there.

Then he challenged the next five men to lifting up their horses. 

To do it proper, they had to be securely tied to the underbelly of their horses. Once the men were tied, Wally took away the ladders of the men on the church.  

Hogbone caught on. 

Wally challenges Hogbone to one more feat.

You can have your men back and all the money in the bank if  you can holler louder than me. 

"Okay," he said, "give me some air sucking room."

I love this picture! It makes me laugh every time.

And he hollers. Wally tells him he better try again because that wouldn't beat him. So he hollers some more. 

And finally the sheriff hears the holler. 

So Wally heads off for some fishing.