Synopsis
Unable to go to sleep without his posse of stuffed toys, Cowboy Baby is instructed by Sheriff Pa to collect them and go straight to bed, but Baby toddles off with his friends instead.
Reviews
PreSAAnother tale for the Never-Want-To-Go-To-Bedders. It's time for nighty-night, but Cowboy Baby, though surrounded by playthings, must have the three that are missing. When Sheriff Pa sends him out to find them, the child dresses himself in hat and boots and sets out on the trail of the missing critters. On succeeding pages he locates his toys, but still doesn't want to go to bed. Sheriff Pa solves this common conflict by lassoing a star right out of the sky and deputizing his son with it. Now Cowboy Baby can hardly get to bed fast enough. Yes Sirree! Well, it doesn't have to make a lot of sense for very small children to enjoy it. The pictures are winners for the toddler setAlarge scale, depthless in the way of primitives, and filled with jolly bright colors that could put any little bedtime whiner in a better mood.ARuth Semrau, formerly at Lovejoy School, Allen, TX
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Before Cowboy Baby goes to bed, he has to round up Texas Ted, Denver Dog and the other toy animals in his posse. "Off you go to find them,' said Sheriff Pa. 'Bring them home safely.' " Cowboy Baby waddles outdoors, into a desert landscape of blue sky, faraway buttes and golden sand. After he collects each of his friends, Cowboy Baby hides with them from Sheriff Pa, who eventually ropes in his caballero with some fatherly sleight-of-hand. The book's 10"x12" trim size conveys a don't-fence-me-in spaciousness, and Heap (The Hungry Monster) further suggests the vast terrain with full-bleed spreads, divided into rectangular panels by wide strips of acrylic paint in sultry southwestern colors. Yet Cowboy Baby never wanders too far from home, and, except in extreme close-ups, the cabin and Sheriff Pa are in plain sight. Heap nimbly enters into a toddler's sense of play, and while Cowboy Baby may live in the Wild West, his mischievous games will be familiar to readers in any region. Ages 2-5.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Ages 3^-5. British writer Heap came to America and knew she wanted to paint southwestern landscapes. That she does, but they are not the typical pretty vistas--not when there's a big-headed baby right in the middle of them. Pa wants Cowboy Baby to come to bed, but Baby insists that he can't until he finds his toys. It doesn't take long to locate Texas Ted, Denver Dog, and Hank the Horse; then Cowboy Baby decides to hide rather than hit the hay. Pa finds him, though, and lassos a twinkling star, which he uses to deputize his little boy, who is now ready to go inside. The story is slight, but there's a wealth of other enticements in this oversize picture book. The boldly colored artwork executed in watercolor and acrylics is totally engaging and touched with whimsy. Adults as well as children will be charmed by the chubby toddler with the tiny cowboy hat atop his head. And yes, Heap's setting, using the golds, tans, and browns of the terrain and the brilliant blue of the sky, is bounteous. Great for story hours, especially the sleepy-time variety. Ilene Cooper
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