JUST LOOK AT THOSE BOOTS

In Roberts’ fiction book for kids, Allie recounts his first day of third grade, navigating farm chores, homework, and a school bully.

Allie’s first day of third grade unfolds against the backdrop of a hardworking Oklahoma family who live on a small farm in the late 1930s. The Dedication features photographs of the author’s grandfather and father (Roberts’ inspiration), which establish a strong sense of place and set the scene. Told in his lively first-person voice, the story follows Allie, who prefers to go by “A.J.,” as he balances early-morning chores with the excitement of new cowboy boots and seeing his friend Benji, coupled with the dread of facing Elijah, the school bully who mocks A.J.’s name (he says “Allie” is a girl’s name). A.J. is determined to be brave this year, and his growing courage shows in a game of kickball (helped by his new boots) and in a budding friendship with Layla, which softens Elijah’s hold on A.J.’s day. Back home, A.J. recounts his day to Jon the farmhand before diving into a long list of chores: polishing boots, milking the goat and cows, and mucking out Lady Star’s stall before taking her for a ride. A moment of inattention sends him tumbling from his horse into a muddy pond, leaving him with extra chores and unfinished homework. Under his mother’s firm guidance, he finishes up his first day of third grade tired but content. The follow-up to 2025’s Just Call Me Pardner (the second in a series about A.J.), this book offers an evocative glimpse of 1930s life and shines brightest in its warm, detailed portrayal of A.J’s daily responsibilities, as well as his relationships with Jon, his mother, and Lady Star. Its charm and historical flavor are occasionally undercut by repetitive writing, especially the constant references to “daydreaming,” which appear so often that the lesson about staying focused could have been delivered more succinctly. Marble’s stylized illustrations, featuring a succession of doe-eyed characters, are endearing and deftly capture the story’s tone.

A warm, engaging story that will give young readers a detailed and informative look at early-20th-century farm life.