In the Days of the Vaqueros: America's First True Cowboys - Hardcover

Freedman, Russell

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0395967880 ISBN 13: 9780395967881

Publisher: Clarion Books, 2001

Synopsis

In this rousing account of the first true cowboys, Newbery Medalist Russell Freedman brings to life the days when the vaqueros rounded up cattle, brought down steers, and tamed wild broncos. In the service of wealthy Spanish conquistadors in the sixteenth century, Mexican ranch hands began herd- ing cattle, often riding barefoot. They soon developed and perfected the skills for this dangerous work and became expert horsemen. Hundred of years later the vaqueros shared their expertise with the inexperienced cowboys of the American West, who adopted their techniques and their distinctive clothing, tools, and even lingo. Yet today it is the cowboy whom we remember, while the vaquero has all but disappeared from history.
The vaqueros are at last given their due in this dramatic narrative, lushly illustrated with beautiful period paintings and drawings.

About this title

About the Author

Russell Freedman received the Newbery Medal for LINCOLN: A PHOTOBIOGRAPHY. He is also the recipient of three Newbery Honors, the Sibert Medal, and the Laura Ingalls Wilder Award, and was selected to give the 2006 May Hill Arbuthnot Honor Lecture. Mr. Freedman lives in New York City.

Reviews

Gr 4-8-Freedman explores the often-overlooked role of the Central American cowherders who preceded by centuries the cowboys of popular lore and legend. With clear and engaging prose, he describes how the 1494 arrival of cattle and horses in Hispaniola led to a need for skilled and rugged horsemen able to control the eventually vast herds. While tracing the geographic spread of the vaqueros' work over time and the tasks and tools involved in the trade, he also weaves in some thought-provoking social history. Freedman notes that the vaquero lacked status in his own culture, and "remained for hundreds of years a poorly paid laborer." North American cowboys, who flourished for a far shorter time, as well as much later, enjoy the romanticized image that has never applied to vaqueros. The author characterizes the typical vaquero, rather than using individual examples, discussing the pride, skill, and courage required to succeed at the work. Each of the seven chapters begins with a full-page color reproduction of a painting, and other full-color and black-and-white paintings are generously included on virtually every spread, most from the 19th century. Period photographs also add visual impact. Martin Sandler's Vaqueros: America's First Cowboys (Holt, 2001) covers similar ground. Freedman's book has a slightly more attractive layout, but both are excellent resources on a topic that was previously difficult to research at a child's level.

Steven Engelfried, Beaverton City Library, OR

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Combining impressive research and the skill of a campfire storyteller, Freedman (Martha Graham; The Wright Brothers) describes the rugged and often violent life of the original "cowboys," as they are known today. The vaqueros, or cowherders (from vaca, the Spanish word for cow), began riding in Spanish Mexico in the 1500s after Columbus brought cattle and horses to the New World, then migrated to California in the 1760s. "Long ago before cattle came to Texas, before George Washington crossed the Delaware, before the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock cowboys rode the range in Spanish Mexico," begins Freedman's inviting narrative. Readers interested in cowboys and all things Western will pore over the detailed descriptions of the techniques and equipment used by the largely unsung vaqueros to herd cattle on the open range; they essentially invented the lasso (from lazo) as well as rodeos (from rodear, meaning "to surround or encircle"). Freedman deftly sketches the rigid class system that confined the vaqueros to lowly status of p‚on ("man at the bottom of the social ladder") and tied them to wealthy landowners and he documents how these skilled laborers taught their trade to American settlers. Drawings by Jos‚ Cisneros and Frederic Remington plus period photographs highlight this tribute to the lifestyle and daring of the vaqueros. Though their contribution to the building of the West may have been eclipsed by the legends of U.S. cowboys, Freedman sets the record straight. Ages 8-12.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

*Starred Review* Gr. 5-up. Talk about mixed-up historical myths. It turns out that the first cowboys were Indian cow herders who rode the range in Spanish Mexico nearly 500 years ago. They called themselves vaqueros (from vaca, the Spanish word for cow), and much later they taught the settlers of the American West their work and shared the tools of their trade. Freedman, who also wrote Cowboys of the Wild West (1983), tells the story with depth, clarity, and a vigor that conveys the thrilling excitement of the work and the macho swagger of the culture. The vaqueros' story is set against the sweep of history, from the time of Columbus (who brought cattle and horses) to the coming of the railroad, and, finally, the end of the open range. The book's design is beautiful, with spacious type on thick paper, and the dazzling illustrations--prints, paintings, and photos on almost every page, from Remington's "Stampede" paintings to Cisneros' drawings of vaqueros in action--will lure even reluctant history students and readers. Older readers will also be fascinated by Freedman's discussion of the U.S. romantic vision of the frontier cowboys, who were traditionally viewed by Spanish and Mexicans as just poor laborers on horseback. Hazel Rochman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Edition details

• Publisher: Clarion Books
• Publication date: 2001
• ISBN 10: 0395967880
• ISBN 13: 9780395967881
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 80