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'Ten-Gallon Bart'          Send a link to a friend

[May 23, 2007]  "Ten-Gallon Bart," by Susan Stevens Crummel, illustrated by Dorothy Donohue, Marshall Cavendish Children, 2006, 32 pages, children ages 4-8

Review by
Louella Moreland

Who has not grown up reading or seeing cowboy stories! Even though they have had a decrease in popularity over the years, the basic cowboy story remains an icon in American literature: good sheriff, bad guy terrorizing the town, attractive female and scared townspeople.

In Susan Stevens Crummel's "Ten-Gallon Bart," all the classic cowboy elements are covered with an inventive twist to enliven the old tale! Words dance across the pages, some exploding with excitement, and some being incorporated into the graphics on the page. Illustrations appear almost three-dimensional as illustrator Dorothy Donohue uses paper and wood in collages we feel we can reach into the page and touch. Color and texture abound in creating the Old West feeling.

"Ten-Gallon Bart" is a charming, old-fashioned story sure to delight both children and adults. Each two-page spread has incredible details that remain true to old Western culture. The text begs to be read aloud with lots of expression and drawl.

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Ms. Crummel's sheriff, Ten-Gallon Bart, is a hound dog complete with cowboy hat and boots. He is brave, courageous, bold and about to retire until he opens the morning newspaper, The Daily Muzzle. The headline shouts that Billy the Kid, the roughest, toughest, gruffest goat in the country, is on the loose and headed for Dog City on the noon train. Of course Miss Kitty (yes, she is a feline) and his deputies, Wild Bill Hiccup and Wyatt Burp (both pigs), are very upset. Over at Miss Kitty's place, Miss Dixie (a chicken) and Buffalo Gal (you guessed it!) fortify the sheriff with a big bowl of water and some dog biscuits.

When Billy the Kid steps off the train, however, things do not go quite as planned. The sheriff's backup disappears. Billy slams into Bart, sending him sailing into the air, and begins chomping his hat and tin star badge! Who will come to save the day? Will Billy the Kid take over the town? Will Bart live to retire?

Come on in to the Lincoln Public Library at 725 Pekin St. to check out this great Western for children and find out for yourself what happens to Bart. While you're there, you might want to take home another favorite of mine, "Bubba, the Cowboy Prince: a Fractured Texas Tale," by Helen Ketteman. Both books are sure to satisfy your little cowboys or cowgirls!

[Text from file received from Louella Moreland, youth services, Lincoln Public Library District]

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