Rodeo Red

January 5, 2015
The plot of newcomer Perkins’s tale is simple: an older sister persuades her baby brother to relinquish her favorite stuffed dog by distracting him with a toy she doesn’t like. Its chief attraction is the narrator’s cowboy drawl: “The first time our eyes met, I knew Slim was trouble,” she says about her new brother. “He looked as slippery as a snake’s belly in a mudslide.” More giggles come as she describes the push-and-pull of sibling life: “I tried reasoning with Slim. I showed him the border between his camp and mine. But that scallywag.... moseyed back into my ranch like he owned the place.” Working in a palette of muted pastel colors, Caldecott honoree Idle (Flora and the Flamingo) parodies cowboy motifs, drawing the sister framed in the doorway of her brother’s room like a sheriff entering a saloon. When the girl is sentenced to a time-out for her misdeeds, she holds the rungs of a kitchen chair like the prison bars. The predictable action and tidy ending make this a good choice for a favorite young cowpoke. Ages 2–6. Illustrator’s agent: Lori Nowicki, Painted Words.

February 1, 2015

PreS-Gr 2-Rodeo Red, a pig-tailed preschooler, tries to save her beloved stuffed dog from the clutches of her baby brother in this Western-style sibling showdown. Red and Rusty are constant companions, but when Sideswiping Slim learns to walk, he quickly claims Rusty for his own. Attempts to rescue Rusty from his kidnapper only set Slim wailing, and the Sheriff and her Deputy (Mom and Dad) side with the enemy, sending Red to a "holding cell" for a timeout. What's a cowgirl to do? Fortunately, the stagecoach arrives with a belated birthday present that just might provide the perfect solution to Red's dilemma. Perkins's lively text is an age-appropriate version of the colorful vocabulary, rhythm, and figurative language of traditional Westerns. Perfect for reading aloud, it will have even the most die-hard Yankee speaking with a Texas drawl. Idle's illustrations convey the wide range of Red's emotional ups and downs while having fun with her cowgirl persona-Mom and Dad sport accessories shaped like a sheriff's badge and entryways resemble swinging saloon doors. Red's solution to her brother's needs demonstrates ingenuity and understanding and offers a satisfying resolution to a common conflict. While the subject matter doesn't blaze any new trails, it's certainly lots of fun. VERDICT A first purchase for most picture book collections.-Chelsea Couillard-Smith, Sacramento Public Library, CA

Copyright 2015 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 15, 2015
Old West lingo gives voice to the old story of sibling rivalry sparked by a new baby.Rodeo Red is a child who loves all things cowgirl, especially her hound dog, Rusty, who's depicted as a floppy-eared stuffed toy. When a baby brother, called Slim, enters the scene, she smells trouble even though her parents-"the Sherriff and her Deputy"-seem "smitten." Red is frustrated when her brother interferes with her things, especially when Rusty goes missing and she finds him held in the sleeping Slim's grip. Although necessary for plot progression, it seems a poor parenting move when the Sherriff and Deputy let Slim keep Rusty and punish Red for trying to retrieve him. A more understanding adult, Aunt Sal, mails a plush cat as a replacement, and Red sees an opportunity to pull a switcheroo and successfully retrieves Rusty. Happily reunited with her trusty toy, the closing picture shows Red astride a rocking horse, her beloved dog clutched by her side, and free of interest in bonding with her brother. Idle's background in animation is apparent in her deft handling of the story, and such details as Red's lassoing Slim when she tries to get Rusty and the use of the bars of the back of a chair to depict "the holding cell" (a timeout chair) make the text more believable with regard to the parents. Giddy-up, big sisters! (Picture book. 3-6)

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Starred review from February 15, 2015
Preschool-G *Starred Review* There's a new kid in town, and Rodeo Red's laying down the law. When her parentsaka the sheriff and the deputybring home a baby brother, Red has a full-time job keeping her territory and property safe, particularly her best friend Rusty: a cuddly stuffed hound dog. Perkins' stylized turns of phrase are straight out of western oldies (or at least Toy Story 2) and beg to be read aloud: The first time our eyes met, I knew Slim was trouble. He looked as slippery as a snake's belly in a mudslide. The story's western motif proves an ideal venue for the drama of acquiring a new sibling. Wrangling, thieving, squawling, and the inevitable firm hand of the law fit naturally into this framework. Caldecott Honor Book illustrator Idle (Flora and the Flamingo, 2013) wields her pistolsorry, pencilwith aplomb, creating soft, inviting illustrations that truly set the scene. Saloon-style bedroom doors, bars of a back-turned chair acting as a holding cell, and a cactus-shaped coatrack are a few details that Idle conjures to enrich Red's environs. For all her trials, Red's story is playfully spirited and upbeat, making for a rootin'-tootin' tale that won't fail to quick draw a smile.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)