Customer Reviews

Smoky, the Cowhorse (Tumbleweed)

5 star:		(40)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Will James obviously knows horses inside and out.

Inside of a horse: James manages to put the reader right into Smokey's head throughout his adventures. Smokey is a bright and beautiful wild "mustang", who is caught and barely half-broke by a cowboy to work range cattle. He and the cowboy, Clint, develop a special partnership, and Smokey becomes a minor legend among the local cowboys as the savviest cowhorse out there. Then fate takes a downturn when Smokey is stolen, and an outraged and heartsore Clint searches for his horse.

Outside of a horse: Will James drawings of Smokey are more alive than most living horses! They are loaded with action, personality, emotion, and the perfectly true portrayal of a horse in motion. As good as the book is - and it is wonderful - the sketches and paintings are perhaps even better!

This is a story of hard work and good fun, courage, trust, affection and loyalty. It's a great book for kids and adults alike.

This is one of the best books that I have ever read. When I first checked it out of the library I thought it might be a boring book, but I was wrong. This book is a real page-turner. The grammar may be horrible, but it adds to the setting, and it makes you feel like you're actually in the old west. Will James did a great job with the characters too. It makes you feel like you know the characters, and you feel what they're feeling and everything. It is a layered book that is similar to Black Beauty, and if you liked that story, you will definitely like this. You may not have even liked Black Beauty, but if you like horses, stories of the old west, Spaghetti Westerns, and anything of the sort, you will definitely love this book. It keeps you on your toes, always wondering what will happen next. Will James wrote this book very well, and it deserved a newbery medal, five stars, ten out of ten, 100%, and I really think a movie should be made about it.

My dad bought me this book in 1954. It continues to be one of my favorites. Will James was the original cowboy author-illustrator and excellent at both. I can feel Smoky's hide under my hand and taste the dust of the great open spaces. A truly great read...and not just for the younger set!

I really wish I could have read this book when I was young. I think I would have loved the story of a horse born in the wild (probably in Montana) who becomes a legendary cowhorse, is stolen to become a legend in the rodeo circuit, and finally returns to the hills of his birth. Will James was a former rodeo participant and the book is written in the vernacular of the West (An earlier reviewer didn't care for the book because it didn't use proper English. I enjoyed it for that fact because it made the story seem more real coming from the pen of a cowboy). The book won the 1927 Newbery Medal for best contribution to American children's literature.

I found this book in the library and checked it out because I thought the name was funny. I was a bit afraid to read it, though, because I thought it might be a boring book. I was wrong. This book fully deserved the Newbery medal, and I laughed about 20 times just when I was starting it. This book is equivalent to Black Beauty, it has a similar storyline with tales of thieving, rodeos, and a love for horses. I liked it even more when I found out how old it was. I had just read an antique! The story had plenty of twists and turns, with loyalty, grief and happiness. I highly recommend this book

If you like horse stories, this one has got to be the best one there ever was! It is my absolute favorite book! It is about a cowboy named Clint, and his favorite cowpunchin' pony called Smokey. It starts out when Smokey is born, and about his life when he is younger. Then Smokey is rounded up, branded, broken in to using a saddle, and ready to start his career as a cow horse. He is assigned to the Rocking R, a cow outfit in the open west. In time, Smokey becomes the best cow pony in the whole cow outfit. Smokey and Clint become the best man/horse team, and they are inseperable. When the Rocking R breaks during the winter, Smokey is turned loose to roam free on the plains with the other cow ponies. In the middle of a snowstorm, a horse russler comes and drives Smokey and his herd far away from Clint and the cow outfit. Will Smokey ever get to see his master again? Well I aint about to spoil it for you, you're gonna have to read it to find out what happens next. Im sure you'll love it!

My mother read Smokey to me when I was a kid and lived on a big ranch in the foothills of Alberta. My father had that kind of magic with horses. It is a story of a special romance between a man and a horse. I have never forgotten it and recently bought a new copy of it. Great reading. It should have a revival now with all the success of "The Horse Whisperer". Great book

This is one of my favorite stories from childhood. This story of a horse's life in the West is enjoyable and eye opening. It's a great way to learn about human lives in the West (in the olden days) and their dependency on horses, cattle runs, rodeos, and it's entertaining to read about it from the horse's point of view. This is a great read for many children, especially if you love reading about the old West and horses.

This book is a well written book and I didn't expect it to beso good because it's an old book and looked about twice as long as ithad to be.But it suprised me and I actually couldn't put it down.This book was great because you actually got to see what a horse feels like the first time it's ridden,or how it feels when it's mammy comes home with another baby. Smokey starts out with just his mammy,and learns to walk and after that it got boring.But that was only until Smokey met Clint,his future best human friend.Clint teaches him how to carry a human on his back while trotting and trains him to be a great cowhorse.He goes on a few years of "roundups" where the cowhorses bring back cattle for the ranch that have wandered off. Smokey gets kidnapped with about 15 other horses and to tell much more would ruin the story for a reader who still hasn't read this book.The only reason I gave this a 4 stars is because page 15 to like 60 are pretty boring,which is before Smokey met Clint and after he was brought home by his mammy.It was kinda long,so be at least 10 if you try to read this book

Smoky the cow horse is a heart thriller, page-turner book that will keep you reading throught the night and the next. Smoky's life starts out from the very beggining, as a little colt to grow up into a fierce, wild, mouse colored horse. Smoky comes upon many dangers, such as a coagar, wolves, stallions, and humans.

Later on, Smoky comes under the hands of Clint, a gentle cowboy who is part of a successful outfit. Smoky learns the work of cow herding. And is prized by his wild bucking, and soons becomes known all around. Since nobody can ride him except Clint.

Smoky gets let go a number of times back onto the planes to run wild during winter, and a many of things happen while he's there.

But, when Smoky and his little herd, along with Pecos, journey too far out a spanish cowboy comes upon them and spots Smoky as the legendary bucking bronco. Smoky get's rounded up and caught, soon in a hidden corral. And is made into a hard-core bucking horse, known as the Coagar...

Well, read on from there if you want to know more, I don't want to spoil it for you! It's one of the greatest books next to Scorpion the good and bad horse, also by Will James. The ending is heart-swelling, and will make you overjoyed by the time your through!
-Hope