“Real Cowboys”
by Kate Hoefler, illustrated by Jonathan Bean.
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Boston, 2016, 32 pages, K-2
One of the most enduring symbols in American history is that of cowboys. They are featured in books, plays and television shows. Some celebrated cowboys, such as Gene Autry, were famous singers.
It is hard not to admire the determination and grit of cowboys riding across the plains, driving herds of cattle through rain and heat. What is not remembered in many movies about cowboys is that many cowboys were Hispanic, African American and occasionally women. Kate Hoefler writes a compelling account of modern-day cowboys in this picture book. Combined with the powerful illustration of Jonathan Bean, her fine work, “Real Cowboys,” is a pleasure to read.
We see the cowboys getting up in the morning for another long day of herding cattle. After saddling their horses, they head out to the herd.
There they will encounter many things. There are dangers from wild animals. Sometimes the cattle don’t cooperate and run away. When this happens the cowboys must ride after the wayward animal. Many times the cowboys are helped by herding dogs that effectively turn stray animals back to the herd.
But when things are going well, the cowboys ride alongside the cattle in a slow methodical manner. The brush, sun and dust of the Great Plains can have a harmful effect on the cowboys, so they must wear the proper clothes for the work. They wear chaps, or leather leg wrappings, to keep from getting cut by the brush and cactus. Because the sun can burn, cowboys wear wide-rimmed hats. Since the cattle herds kick up dust on the trail, cowboys wear scarves that cover their noses and mouths.
Knowing how to keep the herd safe and calm is always important for cowboys. At night, the cowboys sometimes sing to the cattle to settle them down. When a baby calf won’t nurse from its mother, cowboys need to bottle feed the little animal. All of this means that cowboys must be one with nature, their animals and themselves. The vastness of the sky of the American West frequently leads cowboys into a realization of the presence of God.
Throughout American history, cowboys have come from all races and from both sexes. My own grandmother, a homesteader in the Dakotas, frequently saddled up her horse and rode miles to the nearest town. Hoefler captures this spirit of hard work and fortitude in this finely written and expertly drawn picture book.
This book would be an excellent read-aloud in class, or with a younger member of your family. You sense the vastness and beauty of the Great Plains in this book. We see cowboys using a flashlight to bottle feed fragile calves and then heading off a stampede of frightened cattle.
This is an interesting book that will have great appeal for many young children. I encourage you to go to the library and check out “Real Cowboys” by Kate Hoefler. You will be glad you did.
