Born to Be a Cowgirl: A Spirited Ride Through the Old West [Paperback]

Candace C. Savage (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 9 and up | Grade Level: 4 and up

Yee-haw! Fresh air, open prairie, and a galloping horse-what more could a girl want? Beginning in the mid-nineteenth century, families headed west to build ranches and start new lives in the cattle business. Their daughters were raised on the range with an independent spirit and horses in their blood. Now modern-day cowgirls can come face-to-face with the revolutionary cowgirl style of yesteryear through first-person recollections and over 40 detail-rich, engaging photographs. The book is aimed at girls who love horses and who are hungry for heroines.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This survey highlights the vigorous horsewomen who helped shape the West. Savage (author of the adult title Cowgirls) focuses on the daring girls and women who defied convention to ride horses, lasso cattle and buck broncos. The historical context is unfortunately oversimplified, such as the explanation that people moved West because "the East became grimy and crowded." But lovers of horses and fans of cowboy lore will enjoy these tales about individual women. Rodeo star Fannie Sperry, born in Montana in 1887, learned how to ride as a toddler: her mother simply placed her on the back of a gentle horse and told her not to fall off. A cowboy relates how the best hand on the cattle drive turned out to be a girl who had camouflaged herself as a boy. Better still are sidebars that present the cowgirls in their own words. In one, a Texas cowgirl defies her father and enters a bull-riding competition in the first All Girl Rodeo, "but I broke my hand in nine places. I didn't get bucked off. I broke it gripping so hard." A host of handsomely tinted vintage photographs showcase the power of these female cowhands, seen here wrestling calves to the ground and jumping over everything from fences to cars. A browser's delight. Ages 8-up.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

Gr 4-8-With a smaller format and simpler text, but using many of the same outstanding illustrations found in her adult title, Cowgirls (Ten Speed, 1996; o.p.), Savage has created an outstanding book for young people. Children will encounter historical cattle ranchers and rodeo riders from Alberta to Texas, including Fannie Sperry, Evelyn Cameron, Calamity Jane, and Vera McGinnis. The different motives and passions of these cowhands are explored, including the "call of the West," love of horses and riding, and practical necessity. From riding gear, breaking wild horses, and daily ranch life to pioneer rodeoing, the range of this lifestyle is presented. The book also lends a perspective on the history of the West not always available to this audience. The attributed period photographs and reproductions of posters on every page, as well as boxed excerpts from letters and journals, complement a highly engaging text. Sepia tones and leather-textured framing for the illustrations add flavor to this nifty piece of bookmaking. An exemplary work.

Nancy Collins-Warner, Neill Public Library, Pullman, WA

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9 and up
  
• Paperback: 64 pages
• Publisher: Tricycle Press (March 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1582460205
• ISBN-13: 978-1582460208
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 8.3 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,746,184 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars born to be acowgirl;a spirited ride through the old west, July 13, 2008

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C. Fairburn "book diva" (tacoma, wa USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Born to Be a Cowgirl: A Spirited Ride Through the Old West (Paperback)

This book is a very informative, enjoyable trip through history about the beginnings of the cowgirls of the west and how they worked and lived during these times.
i really enjoyed this book!