Review by New York Times Review
In a little anywhere town, a small boy in a big hat with "SHERIFF" taped to the front goes to the bakery with his deputy dog. "Their mission? To bring a dozen donuts safely home." The real threat to the doughnuts is the sheriff himself, who can't resist peeking in the box. Soon there's one doughnut missing and a trail of evidence as obvious as the sheriff's guilty conscience. With McGhee's light humor and Roxas' appealing and gentlyhued illustrations, this tale of doughnut perfidy takes the cake. COWBOY BOYD AND MIGHTY CALLIOPE By Lisa Moser. Illustrated by Sebastiaan Van Doninck. 40 pp. Random House. $17.99. (Picture book; ages 3 to 7) "No doubt about it, folks knew Boyd and Calliope were different the moment they rode onto the Double R Ranch." There's something about Calliope that's more rhino than rodeo, and Boyd, a sweet-faced cowpoke, has to talk Rancher Rose into giving them work. "You won't regret it," he says. "I got a real strong belief in Calliope." Moser's use of cowboy cadence punctuated by noises like "Ker-thud!" and "Blam!" will have readers raising a ruckus loud enough to keep the coyotes at bay. STANDING IN FOR LINCOLN GREEN Written and illustrated by David Mackintosh. 32 pp. Abrams. $16.95. (Picture book; ages 4 to 8) If Mackintosh hasn't already won you over with "Marshall Armstrong Is New to Our School" and "The Frank Show," this new story, about a boy who'd rather play than do his chores, is sure to. Mackintosh's voice is engaging, but it's the look of his pages that will have readers - and lap listeners - marveling at the variety of perspective, color and composition that make "Standing In for Lincoln Green" such a standout. COWPOKE CLYDE AND DIRTY DAWG By Lori Mortensen. Illustrated by Michael Allen Austin. 32 pp. Clarion Books/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. $16.99. (Picture book; ages 4 to 8) No so fast, pardner! Turns out Cowpoke Clyde is better at lassoing cattle than wrangling his flea-ridden friend Dawg into the tub. At last, Clyde decides to wash himself instead. "He cleared the mess and grabbed some grub,/heated water, filled the tub./Then, soakin' sweet beneath the moon,/he warbled out a cowpoke tune." He's not alone for long. Austin's exaggeratedly slim Clyde and highly animated animals should round up even reluctant readers. PANCHO RABBIT AND THE COYOTE A Migrant's Tale Written and illustrated by Duncan Tonatiuh. 2 pp. Abrams. $16.95. (Picture book; ages 6 to 9) A drought forces Papá Rabbit to leave the rancho to look for work, and when he fails to return, his son Pancho sets off to find him. The happy ending doesn't quite reassure: Pancho's adventure is a scary one, leaving him at the mercy of a predatory coyote, without food and drink, and his rescue does not solve the problem of sustenance. Sadly, Tonatiuh's picture-book format is probably pitched too young for children ready to read about these very real dangers. WHAT IF YOU MET A COWBOY? Written and illustrated by Jan Adkins. 48 pp. Roaring Brook Press. $17.99. (Picture book; ages 6 to 9) "Much of what we think of as the Wild West was simply made up," Adkins writes, setting straight the legends popularized by William Frederick Cody (aka Buffalo Bill) : "The myth was ballyhoo, but the man behind it was absolutely genuine." Adkins, who illustrates his book with handsome sepia-based pen-and-ink sketches, can really turn a phrase, and his detailed histories of cattle in the United States and the varieties and uses of barbed wire are pithy as well as fascinating. ONLINE A slide show of this week's illustrated books at nytimes.com/books.
Copyright (c) The New York Times Company [September 15, 2013]
Review by Booklist Review
Cowboy Boyd and Mighty Calliope is for the cowboy kid in all of us, telling the charming story of an aspiring young cattle rancher and his trusty rhino steed, Calliope. That's right, a rhino. Riding into the Double R Ranch, Boyd's horse was instantly labeled the shortest, dustiest, and lumpiest mount ever seen, and a few smashed fences and barn doors later, Calliope and Boyd are politely asked to leave. But when a storm scatters the herd, Boyd knows it's up to Calliope to KER-THUD her way to saving days and turning heads. This gratifying picture book spins the simple tale of a transient young rancher into a playful romp that will have kids giggling every time Calliope gleefully crashes through the bunkhouse. Moser's creative premise is well executed by Van Doninck's bold, stylized illustrations, and together, their work brings humor and confidence to the page. Put this in front of a younger reader with a passion for the Wild West, and watch the smiles until the cows come home.--Spanner, Ben Copyright 2010 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
A horse is a horse, of course, except when it's a rhinoceros. That's the silly, unstated backstory in Moser's upbeat tale about a kind young cowboy's unwavering faith in his trusted mount. When Cowboy Boyd rides onto the Double R ranch atop his horned "horse," Calliope, the pair has everyone scratching their heads. Rancher Rose and ranch hands Slim and Hardtack agree that Calliope is the shortest, dustiest, and lumpiest horse they've ever seen-she's also slow, clumsy, and unwittingly destructive. "I got a real strong belief in Calliope," Boyd maintains, and a crisis on the ranch gives Calliope a chance to prove she's worthy of such support. With easy-flowing dialogue and lots of onomatopoeia ("Calliope plodded to the pasture and... BLAM! Straight through the pasture fence"), Moser (Railroad Hank) plays Boyd's sweet naivete against the ranchers' deadpan expressions of concern to great humorous effect. Belgian illustrator Van Doninck, in his U.S. debut, contributes comic figures with long, rubbery limbs who mosey across mustard landscapes dotted with mesas and cacti, consistently keeping readers in on the joke of Calliope's lineage. Ages 3-7. (Aug.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
K-Gr 2-Rancher Rose and her hired hands are skeptical when Cowboy Boyd and his unusual mount arrive for a job at the Double R Ranch. As it happens, Calliope is a sensitive and affectionate rhinoceros-though she is not a very good ranch horse. Each task that she attempts ends in failure and, unsurprisingly, the very night that Rancher Rose tells Boyd and Calliope to "roll on," a situation arises where only her unique talents can provide a happy ending. The bright, playful illustrations feature saguaro and tumbleweed, with towering buttes fading into the background and an abundance of wildlife. The figures are expressive and exaggerated and add a great deal of humor to the text. Cowboy Boyd never gives up: "I got a real strong belief in Calliope," and readers can't help but root for the charming rhinoceros with her eager-to-please smile, demure manner, and long dainty eyelashes. Although the plot isn't fresh, the oddball premise and strong setting make this a fun choice for read-alouds and older storytimes, especially for readers who can pull off a good twang.-Anna Haase Krueger, Ramsey County Library, White Bear Lake, MN (c) Copyright 2013. 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
Aspiring young rancher Boyd fails to impress with his slow-as-molasses "horse," Calliope. (Readers will see what, hilariously, none of the characters do: Calliope is a rhinoceros.) But after the cattle escape, Calliope demonstrates her lone talent. Boyd's blind loyalty to his underachieving--if momentarily triumphant--friend is downright touching, and Van Doninck's illustrations depict ranch life as equal parts scrappy and snuggly. (c) Copyright 2014. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
A cowboy and his rhino (yes, rhino!) defy convention in this fresh and funny tale. Van Doninck and Moser transport readers into the American West as their heroes--silhouetted by the rising sun--ride toward the Double R Ranch hoping to find work and a home. Yet something about this idyllic picture is amiss. Calliope, as the ranch hands invariably note, is different. Unfamiliar with rhinoceroses, everyone mistakes her for a horse, leading to some misplaced expectations. Boyd, however, is an ever-faithful friend, always noting his four-legged pal's positive qualities. His one-sided view and her different skill set cost them their jobs one by one, until the cattle get loose and Calliope saves the day. Digital illustrations feel handcrafted, and the details offer a tactile sensibility that gives the animals weight and warmth. The characters are also loose and spontaneous, and a warm palette echoes the desert setting. Visuals perfectly match text, and adult readers may find a Sam Elliott lilt inflicting their voices. Phrasing and use of onomatopoeia also contribute to the story's comedic moments, accentuated by a design that integrates images with text. The silly situation bolsters the themes of kindness, friendship and acceptance, as the characters learn to have a strong belief in each other. A ten-gallon hat full of fun, with a heartfelt message to boot. (Picture book. 3-7)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
