Will Rogers: Quotable Cowboy

Children's Literature - Gisela Jernigan

"Will Rogers...is what Americans think other Americans are like.," The New York Sun, April 5, 1935. This lively and accurate biography does a very good job of portraying Will Rogers' friendly, witty and appealing character. It also describes his varied and many careers as a cowboy, trick roper, rancher, traveler, lecturer, newspaper columnist, radio personality, unofficial ambassador, stage and screen actor, husband, father, and friend to the humble and famous. The ten brief chapters and epilogue trace his active life from his birth to part Cherokee parents in Oologah, Oklahoma in 1879, to his death in a plane crash near Point Barrow, Alaska, in 1935. Especially appealing are his many humorous quotes interspersed throughout the text and in the margins, and the variety of black and white photos showing him with his friends and family. An index and source notes are included.

School Library Journal

Gr 5 Up-A highly pictorial look at this American legend who was a cowboy, lecturer, humorist, and radio personality. His early life, adventures as a ranch hand, and popularity with stage audiences (including President Woodrow Wilson) are all here. Bennett tells of Rogers's marriage and family life as well as his public persona. Good-quality black-and-white photographs and reproductions and the subject's trademark quips appear throughout. The book closes with a description of the Will Rogers State Historic Park and a blurb about the recent ``Will Rogers Follies.'' A solid addition.-Julie Halverstadt, Douglas Public Library District, Castle Rock, CO

Kay Weisman

In this revised and updated edition of "Will Rogers: The Cowboy Who Walked with Kings", Bennett describes Rogers' boyhood in Oklahoma, his travels around the world, his romance with and marriage to Betty Blake, and his early vaudeville career. She emphasizes that success did not change Rogers' generous and open personality, even after he became a Hollywood star and a well-known writer and humorist. In keeping with her subject, Bennett uses an upbeat and positive writing style; only the last chapter dealing with Rogers' fascination with air travel, which led to his untimely death in a 1935 Alaskan plane crash, seems steeped in premonition. Short chapters, frequent quotations from Rogers, and numerous black-and-white photos add up to an appealing middle-grade biography that will also be useful for report writers.