Cowboy Boyd and Mighty Calliope

Moser, Lisa

ISBN 10: 0375970568 ISBN 13: 9780375970566

Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers, 2013

Synopsis

There's no other horse quite like Calliope. She's short. She's slow. She's lumpy. She's a rhinoceros. Still, Cowboy Boyd has a real strong belief in Calliope and her ability to help out the crew at the Double R Ranch. Boyd and Calliope try to prove themselves to the ranchers by rounding up strays and hauling posts, but it just doesn't look like it's going to work out. That is, until a storm drives all the cattle away from the ranch. They need someone real special to bring them back. . . . 

Lisa Moser brings her trademark humor and strong structure to this smart and silly story of a cowboy and his beloved steed—a rhinoceros.

About this title

About the Author:

LISA MOSER is the author of Squirrel's World, which is on the 2010–2011 Texas Bluebonnet Master List; The Monster in the Backpack; Watermelon Wishes; Kisses on the Wind, which received an Oppenheimer Toy Gold Seal; Perfect Soup; and Railroad Hank. She lives in Wisconsin with her husband, Marty, and their daughter, Lydia.

SEBASTIAAN VAN DONINCK grew up in a small town surrounded by cows, trees, and twelve brothers and sisters. Today he is an illustrator and teacher living in Antwerp, Belgium.

From School Library Journal:

K-Gr 2-Rancher Rose and her hired hands are skeptical when Cowboy Boyd and his unusual mount arrive for a job at the Double R Ranch. As it happens, Calliope is a sensitive and affectionate rhinoceros-though she is not a very good ranch horse. Each task that she attempts ends in failure and, unsurprisingly, the very night that Rancher Rose tells Boyd and Calliope to "roll on," a situation arises where only her unique talents can provide a happy ending. The bright, playful illustrations feature saguaro and tumbleweed, with towering buttes fading into the background and an abundance of wildlife. The figures are expressive and exaggerated and add a great deal of humor to the text. Cowboy Boyd never gives up: "I got a real strong belief in Calliope," and readers can't help but root for the charming rhinoceros with her eager-to-please smile, demure manner, and long dainty eyelashes. Although the plot isn't fresh, the oddball premise and strong setting make this a fun choice for read-alouds and older storytimes, especially for readers who can pull off a good twang.-Anna Haase Krueger, Ramsey County Library, White Bear Lake, MNα(c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

About this edition

• Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers
• Publication date: 2013
• ISBN 10: 0375970568
• ISBN 13: 9780375970566
• Binding: Library Binding
• Number of pages: 40
• Illustrator: Van Doninck Sebastiaan