Our Texas

Children's Literature - Barbara L. Talcroft

For this big, lavishly illustrated tour of the Lone Star State, Hopkins selects sixteen locations around the state's perimeter, ending up inland at San Antonio and Austin (each is located on a map and has a two-page spread). Breezy verses give a sketchy idea of each site, including wildlife, landscape, events or history. Spearing's dramatic colored-pencil illustrations are deftly done on textured paper, though black outlines around each shape, often lending a static, almost stained-glass quality—the spread for Dallas reflects its Big D-ambience with gaudy colors, vertical lines, and bold curves. Most effective are the pages for Piney Woods, devoted to the Caddo people once numerous in Texas, famous for their beautiful pottery, but pushed out mercilessly by Texan settlers. (Though not listed, an excellent Texas Beyond History website of the University of Texas at Austin provides a comprehensive picture of the Caddo culture). Several spreads—Gonzales, San Jacinto, San Antonio—offer a look at the "Texas Revolution" from a biased point of view, giving the impression that the "unjust" Mexicans invaded Texas, whose heroic fighters ultimately triumphed; teachers would do well to present a more historically accurate account of the struggle for independence. Final pages add more information about each location, while another spread proves that Texas has a wealth of emblems: for example, the state dish (tasty Texas chili) and the state reptile (the horned lizard). Like Texas, the book is oversized—children undertaking a state report will find it energizing, but will definitely need to engage in further research. Reviewer: Barbara L. Talcroft

School Library Journal

Gr 1–2—Sixteen places in Texas are introduced in a-a-b-b verses. Some rhymes flow off the tongue, while others are harder to read. "In Houston the oil barons crave Texas tea!/That black gold's a priceless commodity./The city hosts NASA and its astronauts/whom Mission Control oversees from this spot," and "Up north in the Panhandle sits Amarillo./There are plenty of cattle, but few armadillo./The Grand Canyon of Texas is something to view./With luck you might spy the horned toad in there, too." Each four-line poem provides facts regarding location and features of the area. Most are commonly known cities: Dallas, Austin, San Antonio, Houston, and El Paso; others are less recognized, including Gonzales, Kingsville, and Tyler. The realistic colored-pencil illustrations are big and bold and done in dark tones; several different concepts are incorporated on a spread. Acceptable if materials are needed for younger students regarding the state and its diversity.—Sandra Welzenbach, Villarreal Elementary School, San Antonio, TX