The Toughest Cowboy: or How the Wild West Was Tamed [Perfect Paperback]

John Frank (Author), Zachary Pullen (Illustrator)

Book Description

How do you tame the roughest, toughest pack of cowboys to ever ride the open range?

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 4–Tall tales this enjoyable are hard to find. Grizz Brickbottom, toughest cowboy in the West, yearns for a companion and convinces his cattle-rustling cohorts that they need a dog to help with the work. When the local saloon goes out of business, the proprietor puts up a sign offering a free dog to a good home. Unexpectedly, it's a miniature poodle named Foofy. Although the pup is afraid of cows and won't chase away mountain lions, she provides complete amusement for the cowpokes because she catches flying tin dinner plates in her mouth. Children will revel in the descriptive language ("Don't squat with your spurs on") and exaggerated metaphors and similes. Gross visual and verbal jokes abound ("S'not the point"). The oil-rendered paintings are spot-on renditions of the Wild West and will transport the audience to the Big Sky Country of the 1860s. Close-ups of faces are larger than life. Readers will return to this one again and again to catch all of the humor and nuances of both the text and illustrations. A strong first purchase that is suited to independent reading and sharing aloud.–Blair Christolon, Prince William Public Library System, Manassas, VA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Booklist

Gr. 1-3. Grizz Brickbottom is tough all right. He flosses with barbed wire and drinks a quart of Tabasco sauce each day. But even the toughest cowboy gets a hankerin' fer some unconditional lovin,' so Grizz heads into town to get hisself . . . a dog! Course, this bein' a wacky kids' book, the dog he gets is . . . a miniature poodle. Well, sir, things is never the same on the once-wild frontier. Grizz's pardners--Chuck Wagon, Lariat, and Bald Mountain--may hoot 'n' holler, but before you can say "spit," they've been tamed, too. Pullen's outrageously rude pictures are a mix of cartoon and caricature, but like Frank's text, they owe a great debt to Mel Brooks' movie Blazing Saddles. Mercifully, Pullen's cowpokes don't eat beans around a campfire, but they sure do pick their noses a lot! Michael Cart
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Perfect Paperback: 48 pages
• Publisher: Aladdin; Reprint edition (August 26, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0689834624
• ISBN-13: 978-0689834622
• Product Dimensions: 9.7 x 9.7 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #415,440 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #29 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > Obsessions > Wild West

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Terrific book for all - especially poodle fans!, November 8, 2004

By 

Ginger (Wyoming) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Toughest Cowboy: or How the Wild West Was Tamed (Bccb Blue Ribbon Picture Book Awards (Awards)) (Hardcover)

When my son pointed out this book in the bookstore, I started glancing through and then couldn't put it down. The illustrations are amazing, but the story is very funny and clever. The author uses puns and such gruff character names and traits along with a sweet little poodle, and weaves a really delightful story. The little poodle looks exactly like our neighbor's dog, so we bought two copies - one for them and one for us.

I think my husband and I have read it to our boys at least 10 times - and each time we find something new. For example, last night my son noticed that the sign SALOON had an O painted over to make the SALON sign (which I don't want to give any more away about). Even my grandfather (who had been a cowboy) loved it when we read it to him. He said the illustrations were very accurate. It's just a super book. We'll be giving it often for birthday and holiday presents this year.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Characters, Humor , Puns Kids and Adults will Enjoy, August 14, 2004

By 

Zelda (Washington State) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Toughest Cowboy: or How the Wild West Was Tamed (Bccb Blue Ribbon Picture Book Awards (Awards)) (Hardcover)

I've read a variety of western books to my students, but this one is going to be a favorite! It came highly recommended by both a school librarian and a friend that works in a children's bookstore, so I had to get a copy and read it. If you are looking for a book with codgery cowpokes, a poodle, and lots of laughs, this is a book for you. Primary school age children will love the story line and characters. Older children and adults will enjoy the puns and humor. The illustrations are detailed, old west, and funky fun.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Gem, January 21, 2005

By 

Assoc. Professor of English (Albany, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Toughest Cowboy: or How the Wild West Was Tamed (Bccb Blue Ribbon Picture Book Awards (Awards)) (Hardcover)

Dense with rich narrative language, crackling dialogue, stunning art and sidesplitting humor, this enormously entertaining western stands apart from the rest of the herd. The text is longer than that of most picture books, but it's all muscle and no fat; there's nary a wasted word. Many of the students in my undergraduate children's-literature course are headed for a career in elementary education, and all of them ought to include this title in their future classroom libraries.