Review by Booklist Review
The Texas Rangers were formed in 1823 by colonial Texas Governor Stephen Austin to foil bandits and Indians threatening the colonists living in the area that would become the state of Texas. In picture-book format, with colored-ink illustrations and a brief text, Texas Rangers are linked to various historical events, lesser-known as well as familiar ones, such as the Battle of the Alamo and the demise of Bonnie and Clyde. Information on individual Rangers and more general facts are given in somewhat unrelated snippets, but there's no supporting information, and without a time line, additional information about Texas history, and further references, this will not be useful for research. The abundant color, cartoon illustrations are well suited to the text, and provide competent visual support to the facts. Give this to children who have a strong interest in Texas history or the Wild West.--Enos, Randall Copyright 2008 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 1-4-This picture-book account of the nearly 200-year history of the Texas Rangers begins in 1823, when Governor Stephen Austin formed a band of volunteers, soldiers without uniforms, to defend early Texians. The bulk of the book covers the 1800s, when the Rangers fought Indian tribes; participated in the war against Mexico; and defended settlers from bank robbers, cattle rustlers, and horse thieves. Brief biographical vignettes introduce individuals such as John Coffee Hays, who gave Colt revolvers to his men, making the pistol a lasting symbol; William A. A. "Big Foot" Wallace, who was captured and imprisoned by the Mexican cavalry; and John B. Armstrong, who tracked down the notorious outlaw John Wesley Hardin. The violent and somewhat reckless history is downplayed for young readers. There is a brief section on modern Rangers, with the recent inclusion of African Americans and women to the ranks, and the intense competition involved in joining up. Munro's colorful illustrations provide a look at the lawmen, depict the action and locales, and portray the changing times. They're sure to entice youngsters and keep them turning the pages.-Madeline J. Bryant, Los Angeles Public Library (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
In picture book format, this volume provides a cursory history of the celebrated Texas lawmen from their beginnings in 1823 to the present. Vignettes of several men who played major roles in the organization are presented, including the two men who brought Bonnie and Clyde to justice. The conversational text is accompanied by cartoon-style colored-ink illustrations. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Paying handsome tribute to the doughty crew that brought the rule of law to some of the wildest parts of the Wild West, Spradlin profiles such prominent Rangers as William A.A. "Big Foot" Wallace and Captain Leander McNelly. He also highlights achievements from the battle of the Alamo to the capture of John Wesley Hardin and the ambush of Bonnie and Clyde. A sense of the wide-open spaces they patrolled comes through clearly in Munro's outdoorsy scenes. Mustachioed and well-armed Rangers face Comanche raiders, Mexican soldiers, bands of desperados and oil boomtown rowdies in a variety of settings with the same air of calm competence. Though the modern Rangers get a nod at the end, the focus here is really on their first century of existence (they were founded in 1823)--still, they seldom get their due in titles for younger readers, and this makes the best short introduction since Stephen Hardin's Texas Rangers (1991). (Picture book/nonfiction. 7-9) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
