A NIGHT ON THE RANGE

Cole spends his suburban summer in boots, wrangler jeans and a ten-gallon hat, working on cowboy diction and a bow-legged walk. A night out under the stars (in the backyard) seems the next step toward becoming a real cowboy. Humor runs effortlessly through the winking story, rich with cowboy drawl, double meanings and playful interplay between the narrative and art. Readers will be tickled to see that the “runaway horse” Cole lassos is actually a surly teen on a rider mower; they will laugh as Bull’s Eye, his trusty mount (and family dog), reacts with chagrin and horror to Cole’s cowboy posturing. Layers of pencil drawings and watercolor washes on textured paper create grainy, pebbly illustrations that offer warmth, hilarious facial expressions and sweet hints of nostalgia, but they will also leave readers squinting. The murky artwork detracts from the final, funny nighttime scenes, in which Cole loses his swagger. Even the toughest little cowboy gets scared of the dark! (Picture book. 4-8)