cover image Buckamoo Girls

Buckamoo Girls

Ellen A. Kelley, , illus. by Tom Curry. . Abrams, $15.95 (28pp) ISBN 978-0-8109-5471-7

A pair of ordinary cows who dream big demonstrate the power of the imagination to transport oneself to another place and time in this whimsical tale. Saddled up as alter egos Susanna-Bandanna and Joanna-Montana, the two sport new personalities along with their "cowgirl" duds and head off on their hind legs. Lyrical, rhyming verse builds the momentum of these busy bovines, as they transform from passive pasture grazers to leaders of the pack ("Drive the herd/ now, git along!/ Rumblin' river,/ tumbleweed,/ sidewinder,/ stampede!"). Suddenly, their lives are anything but dull: it's nonstop action, from hoedowns to rodeos, as Curry's illustrations depict the kinetic motion. His ambulatory, wide-eyed stars steal the show, and sly asides (such as one of the aforementioned herd looking out incredulously at the audience) will hold readers' attention. As the day winds down, dark blues and deeper shades of purple dominate the landscape, and the cows return to life as they know it. With no indication of a prevailing sadness, readers can only assume the duo is content to resume their routine. Even if their taste for wanderlust was a one-time affair, these bovine heroines will appeal to the dreamer in everyone. Ages 4-8. (Oct.)