A hurricane sweeps an alligator away from his Louisiana bayou home and off on an adventure in Texas in this colorful tale.
Gaston the green-nosed alligator, the Deep South’s most celebrated children’s book character, is off on a new and exciting adventure, this time to the cowboy country of West Texas.
First introduced in 1973 as the central figure in the perennial bestseller Cajun Night Before Christmas―which recounted Santa’s Christmas Eve flight through the bayou country―Gaston has delighted adults and youngsters alike in many other volumes.
In this charming tale that will appeal to the young and the young at heart, Gaston’s native Louisiana swampland is struck by a terrific hurricane. The friendly, smiling denizen of the bayous is swept up by the wind, carried far away, and finally dropped onto the Texas plains amid a startled group of cowboys.
Thus, Gaston begins his Western adventure, one that leads him through the tribulations facing a greenhorn cowboy determined to learn to ride broncos, tame mustangs, bulldog steers, and lasso and brand mavericks.
Fetchingly decked out in his ten-gallon Stetson and cowboy boots, the alligator learns first-hand the difficult life of a cowboy on the range, but he adapts to the challenge, winning the respect and admiration of his fellow cowhands.
“They say if you can make a living doing what you love then you never have to work. I haven't worked in years.”
―James Rice
“Rice is especially good with facial expressions, whether they are on a Texas jackrabbit, a longhorn steer, a dusty cowboy, or the green and long-nosed alligator named Gaston.”
―Library Journal
“Rice’s detailed pictures are captivating.”
―Woman’s Day
This outpouring of praise is directed towards James Rice (1934-2004) and the outstanding list of children’s books he wrote and illustrated. Widely acclaimed as the South’s leading illustrator of juvenile books, Rice lives through the more than 2.5 million books in print that feature his work-a record that ranks him with top children's authors and illustrators nationally.
Cajun Night Before Christmas®, Rice’s first book, has been nationally recognized as a classic in its genre. Rice lent his talents to Pelican Publishing Company’s The Night Before Christmas Series, which includes the tremendously popular An Irish Night Before Christmas, Redneck Night Before Christmas, and Gullah Night Before Christmas. It was through Cajun Night Before Christmas® that Rice developed the character of Gaston® the Green-Nosed Alligator, who went on to have his own series of books. Several of Rice’s other sixty books are set in his home state of Texas. Trail Drive is just one that both entertains and teaches children about cowboys and Western life.
Rice was born on a farm in Coleman County, Texas, and resided in Hico, Texas. He graduated with a bachelor of fine arts from the University of Texas, a master of fine arts from Stephen F. Austin State University, and a master of arts from Howard Payne University. Rice taught art and music at both high school and college levels at such schools as Southeastern Louisiana State University, Louisiana State University, and Dallas Baptist College. When not working on new books, Rice visited schools throughout the country to teach children the joys of writing and illustrating.
