Cowboy Slim

Danneberg, Julie Cowboy Slim; illus. by Margot Apple. 1 v. (unpaged)/Charlesbridge
2006 ISBN 1-58089-0458 $15.95 (Intermediate)

Danneberg’s Cowboy Slim is a lively and animated book about a cowboy who just doesn’t fit in. Try with all his might, he cannot whip, ride, or lasso, but sure as sky is blue, he can write poetry. Danneberg’s prose embodies the life of a cowboy with a lackadaisical lifestyle, and oftentimes encouraging readers to read aloud as if they are stepping off the ranch. Danneberg’s broad vocabulary use makes the glossary a necessity but it should be placed at the front of the book rather than the back. Illustrator Margot Apple finally let her infamous Sheep in a Jeep out to dry, while she watercolors her way to cowboy land on WJ Ranch. Apple’s exalting ability to cover page-to-page portrayals of animals, humans, and landscape enhances this wonderful story.

Jesse Bockhahn, BGSU student