Lester, Julius. 1998. Black Cowboy, Wild Horses: A True Story. Ill. By Jerry Pinkney. New York: Dial Books. ISBN 0803717873.
PLOT SUMMARY:
This beautiful picture book describes Bob Lemmons’ journey to corral a herd of wild mustangs. Along with his horse, Warrior, Bob tracks the mustangs, gradually becoming one of the herd, before challenging the mustang stallion for leadership. When Bob and Warrior successfully win the battle, they lead the mustangs back across the plains into the corral.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS:
Lester makes liberal use of figurative language throughout the text. Although a review from School Library Journal claims that “overuse of metaphor is… a drawback,” I thought that the language was well-used. Lines such as “the rain came as hard and stinging as remorse” gave the story feelings of drama and emotion. The use of metaphor was mirrored in the Pinkney’s illustrations of mustang-shaped clouds. The impressionist watercolors are full of action and vitality. The dramatic perspectives Pinkney employs give the landscape a feeling of grandeur and scale.
Only a brief mention is made about Bob’s past life as a slave. Although the fact that Bob cannot read is mentioned, the subject is not treated with pity or shame. Rather, the focus is on Bob’s almost mystical ability to track the mustangs and his feeling of unity with the herd. The illustrations of Bob are realistic and expressive. The title page shows a straight-forward portrait of the cowboy, staring candidly at the viewer. He looks younger and more vulnerable than in any other images. Although the focus of the illustrations in the rest of the book is on action and movement, here Pinkney focuses on Bob’s features.
The book closes with brief notes from the Lester and Pinkney discussing the background for the creation of this book. Both were inspired by an interest in the role that African American cowboys played in the “Wild West.”
REVIEWS:
School Library Journal: “Lester and Pinkney's stated aims were to recast their childhood love of cowboys and the Old West with more recent historical research into the contributions of men of color, both black and Hispanic. They have done that, and achieved something else as well: youngsters will reflect on the relationships between humans and other animals."
CONNECTIONS:
This book could be used as the focus of a storytime on the Wild West. Although it is too long to hold the attention of small children, older kids would be riveted by the book’s beautiful language and illustrations and by the action-packed story. Pack a spare tissue, though. The short passage about a young colt is sure to cause at least one kid to sniff.
PLOT SUMMARY:
This beautiful picture book describes Bob Lemmons’ journey to corral a herd of wild mustangs. Along with his horse, Warrior, Bob tracks the mustangs, gradually becoming one of the herd, before challenging the mustang stallion for leadership. When Bob and Warrior successfully win the battle, they lead the mustangs back across the plains into the corral.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS:
Lester makes liberal use of figurative language throughout the text. Although a review from School Library Journal claims that “overuse of metaphor is… a drawback,” I thought that the language was well-used. Lines such as “the rain came as hard and stinging as remorse” gave the story feelings of drama and emotion. The use of metaphor was mirrored in the Pinkney’s illustrations of mustang-shaped clouds. The impressionist watercolors are full of action and vitality. The dramatic perspectives Pinkney employs give the landscape a feeling of grandeur and scale.
Only a brief mention is made about Bob’s past life as a slave. Although the fact that Bob cannot read is mentioned, the subject is not treated with pity or shame. Rather, the focus is on Bob’s almost mystical ability to track the mustangs and his feeling of unity with the herd. The illustrations of Bob are realistic and expressive. The title page shows a straight-forward portrait of the cowboy, staring candidly at the viewer. He looks younger and more vulnerable than in any other images. Although the focus of the illustrations in the rest of the book is on action and movement, here Pinkney focuses on Bob’s features.
The book closes with brief notes from the Lester and Pinkney discussing the background for the creation of this book. Both were inspired by an interest in the role that African American cowboys played in the “Wild West.”
REVIEWS:
School Library Journal: “Lester and Pinkney's stated aims were to recast their childhood love of cowboys and the Old West with more recent historical research into the contributions of men of color, both black and Hispanic. They have done that, and achieved something else as well: youngsters will reflect on the relationships between humans and other animals."
CONNECTIONS:
This book could be used as the focus of a storytime on the Wild West. Although it is too long to hold the attention of small children, older kids would be riveted by the book’s beautiful language and illustrations and by the action-packed story. Pack a spare tissue, though. The short passage about a young colt is sure to cause at least one kid to sniff.
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