MY BIG BOOK OF TEXAS

Yeehaw! A seventh-generation Texan salutes the sites, sights, celebrities, and spirit of the Lone Star state.

On the very last page, Jennings names a handful of ethnically diverse museums and historic sites to visit and earlier devotes a spread to introducing a racially diverse handful of famous Texans including Bessie Coleman, Beyoncé Knowles, Quanah Parker, and Tejano rancher Simón de Arocha. Otherwise, he sticks to a fairly typical set of “wonder-filled things” and populates his freewheeling cartoon tour with a cast of smiling, generally anthropomorphic animals. Artfully slipping in educational bits including counting and color exercises and a complete Texas-themed alphabet—“A is for…Armadillo astronaut above the Alamo!”—he packs pages with Texan livestock, wildlife, and prehistoric “critters.” For recreational options, the state offers not only enticing campgrounds, but also a hootenanny in Fort Worth and an Art Car Parade in Houston. Young hombres with a yen to be “cowpokes” will appreciate information on proper clothing, gear, activities, and (nonprofane) cowboy talk. Focusing on the state’s cowboy image and physical features, this work doesn’t move much past Miroslav Šašek’s classic This Is…Texas (1967), but, being far less wordy and even more amusingly illustrated, it should serve as a fresh alternative.

A cheery roundup of attractions.