COWBOY DREAMS - Hardcover

Khalsa, Dayal Kaur

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 051757490X ISBN 13: 9780517574904

Publisher: Clarkson Potter, 1990

Synopsis

A little city girl wants to grow up to be a cowboy.

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Reviews

Horse images were always a part of this city child's life, from a painting on her crib to a rocking horse to playing "horsie" on her father's back. As the unnamed heroine grows older, she rides a carousel horse, looks at paintings of horses in the museum, goes to cowboy movies, rides a mechanical horse in front of the variety store, and even gets to ride the real thing when the Pony Man comes to her block. All of this is a realistic portrayal of a child's imaginative play; but when her grandmother takes her to a fancy toy store, a life-sized horse on wheels spurs the imagination to take her into the West of her dreams. Immediately following, on the first double-page spread, there is a gradual fade from reality to fantasy. It's the cowboy songs she sings that carry her into the imaginary world, and from this point, the song lyrics are the only text. This works better visually than verbally. The book jacket confirms immediately that this is indeed the stuff of dreams. It is not, however, a child's dreams, but an adult's reminiscence. This nostalgic view of childhood unfortunately creates a static image, more retrospective than real story, which may limit its child appeal. The bold, flat colors and childlike names are charming and will have adult viewers attempting to date such items as the car, the washing machine, and the black-and-white motion picture. --Kay E. Vandergrift, School of Communication, Information and Library Studies, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

In a diverting tale guaranteed to fulfill any child's fantasies about life in the Old West, a city girl who longs to become a cowboy serves as heroine and narrator. She listens to Lone Ranger radio broadcasts (" 'Hi Ho, Silver! Away!' were practically the first words I ever said."), studies equine paintings and Saturday movie matinees to learn about horses, and buys a raffle ticket to win a trusty steed. "Dreaming of life in the Wild West," she rides a local merchant's mechanical horse; she even makes her own mount on the basement banister. As she sings her beloved cowboy songs, this would-be Dale Evans envisions herself (astride a model horse) in the midst of the lyrics. The late Khalsa's whimsically perceptive cityscapes--a lyrical F.A.O. Schwartz interior, a quintessential suburban backyard that features a palomino in the garage--are surpassed only by her mesmerizing desert panoramas, with their imaginative perspectives. Inviting mesas and canyons seem to stretch into infinity, while lucky indeed are the deer and antelope who can play in these lush valleys. Ages 6-8.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: Clarkson Potter
• Publication date: 1990
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 051757490X
• ISBN 13: 9780517574904
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 24