Books.org participates in affiliate programs including Bookshop.org and the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. We may earn a commission from qualifying purchases made through links on this page, at no additional cost to you.
Overview
Cowboys aren't necessarily boys, and they aren't necessarily grown-ups, either. In this lively photo essay, young readers will meet girls and boys who live a unique way of life on their families' cattle ranches. Cowgirls and cowboys take part in many aspects of livestock operations, from calving and branding to haying and rounding up the herd. With a colorful and informative text, illustrated with action-packed photographs, Cat Urbigkit's book follows cattle kids through a year of ranching on the western range.
Synopsis
American Farm Bureau Foundation for Education Recommended BookCowboys aren't necessarily boys, and they aren't necessarily grown-ups, either. In this lively photo essay, young readers will meet girls and boys who live a unique way of life on their families' cattle ranches.
Cowgirls and cowboys take part in many aspects of livestock operations, from calving and branding to haying and rounding up the herd. With a colorful and informative text, illustrated with action-packed photographs, Cat Urbigkit's book follows cattle kids through a year of ranching on the western range.
Editorials
Children's Literature -
Author/photographer Urbigkit brings her talents home to the ranch and invites readers into the world of cattle ranching. Her focus is on the kids who live on cattle ranches on the western range. Urbigkit explains the different types of cattle ranches, the kinds of cows raised on each and their different purposes. The story here, though, is in the photographs. We meet four-year-old Taylor who mounts her horse and helps out with the ranch chores. Nine-year-old Chett helps his father deliver a calf, and teen Will uses his dirt bike to help with the herding. While this is a lifestyle that few urban children will ever get to see up close and personal, this book can show them a little of what life is like on a cattle ranch. The text is very clean, simple and easy to read, but the story could be told in just the photographs, which are mostly candid shots on the ranch. There are multiple photos on each page, layered over a larger photo that serves as a background. The photos are excellent and clearly convey the author's information. This is a good addition to all collections and will work nicely for units on communities.School Library Journal
Gr 1-4
This glossy pictorial essay attempts to show how children fit into life on a modern cattle ranch. Unfortunately, the book has little substance and readers are often left wondering who these "Cattle Kids" are and exactly what they do. Urbigkit describes the various tasks that take place during a typical year, such as birthing, branding, and grazing. Descriptions of these tasks are limited, however, and sentences are often vague and even trite. "The work can be hard, but it's never boring and usually it's a lot of fun." Even more frustrating is the fact that some of the photos are used several times. Cattle Kids has no page numbers, no index, and no glossary to define difficult words such as "castration" or "lariat." Its only use is as a cursory introduction to Western ranching. For a much more interesting and informative account of work with cattle from a child's perspective, suggest Judy Wolfman's Life on a Cattle Farm (Carolrhoda, 2001) instead.
—Madeline J. BryantCopyright 2006 Reed Business Information.