A poetic greenhorn proves that the pen is mightier than the lasso in this winsome western. When Slim arrives at the WJ Ranch with dreams of being a “real cowboy,” his enthusiasm emerges as poetry whose words tumble “across the paper, like puppies playin’ in the yard.” Buster, Sally and Red warn Slim that “real cowboys” ride, whip and rope and don’t need “sissy stuff” like poetry. Slim’s dreams evaporate on the trail when he’s sent to the back of the herd because his riding, roping and whipping don’t pass muster. “As out of place as a bull in a china shop,” Slim decides to head home just as a thunderstorm triggers a stampede. After Red’s roping, Buster’s whipping and Sally’s riding fail to divert the cattle, Slim’s poems sooth the stampede. Humorous pencil and watercolor illustrations in dusty hues catch the cowboys in action while the light text lathered liberally with western lingo neatly captures cowboy cadence. Perfect for cowboys and -girls who long to ride at the head of the herd. (author’s note and glossary) (Picture book. 4-7)
