Black Cowboy/Wild Horses (Hardcover)

~ (Author), Jerry Pinkney (Illustrator) "FIRST LIGHT..." (more)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

A spirit of freedom pervades the pages of this picture book, accompanied by the sound of thundering hooves and the feel of the heat and dust of the plains. Based on an incident in the life of Texas cowboy Bob Lemmons, the tale centers on his success in corralling a herd of wild mustangs with only the aid of his horse. Possessed of a legendary tracking ability, Lemmons, a former slave, follows the drove day and night, infiltrating the herd astride his black steed, Warrior. In a dramatic climax, he defeats the mustang stallion for possession of the herd. Lester and Pinkney, who previously collaborated on John Henry and Sam and the Tigers, reunite in an impressive display of teamwork, transporting readers, through the alchemy of visual and verbal imagery, to the heart of the action. The resulting sense of immediacy offers a vivid taste of the cowboy life, whether it's hunkering down all night during a sluicing rain or riding under the wide-open skies. Lester studs his seamless prose with powerful descriptions, such as when a hawk is "suspended on cold threads of unseen winds," or the mustangs sweep toward the corral as "a dark surge of flesh flashing across the plains like black lightning." The fluid brushwork of Pinkney's watercolors seem tailor-made for the flow of muscle, mane and tail of wild mustangs galloping across the prairie. Notable for the light it sheds on a fascinating slice of Americana, this book is essential for anyone interested in the Wild West. Ages 5-up.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

From School Library Journal

Grade 2-4APinkney and Lester add a picture-book chapter to the lore of this nation's "true West" with the retelling of a story of a wild horse hunt by the black cowboy Bob Lemmons. He and his stallion, Warrior, wander on the prairie until they find the tracks of the animals they seek. Bob then spends days in a very slow approach to the herd. Horse and rider finally join the herd and are accepted by the wild horses, until at last Bob challenges the lead stallion for control. On Warrior's back, he fights the stallion, defeats him, and then leads the animals into captivity in the ranch corral. Throughout, both text and pictures emphasize the blending of all life. The linkages between the cowboy, the animals, and the natural world are so strong that lines separating them are blurred. 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. Pinkney's pictures were never better, making it all the more unfortunate that text boxes cover some of the action. Lester's overuse of metaphor is also a drawback. Still, this book will inspire heavy-duty thinking on the part of young readers.ARuth Semrau, formerly at Lovejoy School, Allen, TX
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9-12
  
• Hardcover: 40 pages
• Publisher: Dial; Stated First Edition edition (May 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0803717881
• ISBN-13: 978-0803717886
• Product Dimensions: 11.9 x 9.8 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #3,163,739 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Multiethnic Biographical Picture Book, May 22, 2000

By	Michele Wilson (Arlington, TX USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Black Cowboy, Wild Horses (Hardcover)

This book is based on a true story about Bob Lemmons, a African American Cowboy. The pictures are outstanding representations of the story. It is a tale of a cowboy and his ability to ride with wild horses. He has the ability to lead the horses into thinking that he is one of them. Yes, a wild horse! This book could be used as an introduction to biographies or cowboys for young people. I would read it to 5-10 year old children. It is wonderfully written and would be a asset to any school or public library.

10 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Sadly can't recommend this book, June 20, 2004

By	Cyndi-marie Myers "murphmyers" (Arizona United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Black Cowboy, Wild Horses (Hardcover)

Although the writing is not very good it makes up for it by having a story that goes nowhere and has no real ending. Being a mother of two black boys I am alway looking for books that have black charactors in them--so I was quite pleased to buy a black cowboy book for them. This books disappoints in almost everyway. The purple prose is so overwrought that you feel as though you are reading a new line of pulp romances for children. The story involves an ex-slave enslaving wild horses while wishing he himself could leave this life and let his horse ride free into the distant horizon. In the midst of the book we are introduced to a lively wild colt only to have this colt immmediatly bit by a snake and die. It is this tragity that unsettles the herd of horses so that the mounted cowboy can take over as alpha horse and lead them to a waiting corral to be broken by the cheering white cowboys to whom he never speaks.
On the plus side the illustration's muddly watercolors are pleasing to the eye.

5.0 out of 5 stars As always, julius lester takes you there, August 1, 2009

By	JLLM - See all my reviews

This review is from: Black Cowboy, Wild Horses (Hardcover)

Julius Lester is one of my favorite writers. His words capture the imagination and take you for a ride. He has a way of bringing you into his stories and characters,allowing you to smell, hear, see, listen, and feel the setting and events. Great for classroom use introducing writing genres and reading strategies; sensory images, character development, visualizing, metaphor use, similes,etc. etc.