My Words on Children's Literature

Genre 2 TRADITIONAL LITERATURE

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY

Ketteman, Helen. 1997. BUBBA, THE COWBOW PRINCE. Ill. By James Warhola. New York: Scholastic Press. ISBN 0590255061

2. PLOT SUMMARY

This “Cinderella” tale stars Bubba the real cowboy. He spends his days being appropriately bossed around the family ranch by his wicked step-daddy and his nasty stepbrothers. The other half of the couple is Miz Lurleen, who owns ``the biggest spread west of the Brazos.'' She decides to throw a party and find herself a genuine Texas cowboy. Of course, the stepbrothers laugh at Bubba when he says he wants to go, too. But with the timely help of Bubba’s fairy godcow, Bubba turns into a handsome “prince” of cowboys. You know the rest of the story. . . Miz Lurleen and Bubba riding off into a Texas sunset.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS

This is one of many Cinderella stories that children ages 6-8 will enjoy. It is an off-the-wall parody that many will love. The exaggerated expressions such as “he felt lower than a rattlesnake in a gully” and “there goes another ten-dollar Stetson on a five-cent head” add just the right touch to create a Texas tale.

The illustrations of Warhola include small details in every picture which add to the Texas story. The Alamo bench and the cactus hat stand in Miz Lurleen’s living room are delightful. The fairy godcow in the clouds looking after Bubba is also an amusing idea. I liked the colors, the character’s facial expressions, and the fun.

4. REVIEW EXCERPTS

Kirkus: A Cinderella parody features the off-the-wall, whang-dang Texas hyperbole of Ketteman and the insouciance of Warhola, who proves himself only too capable of creating a fairy godcow; that she's so appealingly whimsical makes it easy to accept the classic tale's inversions.

5. CONNECTIONS

*Gather a variety of Cinderella stories. Read them aloud and let the students compare them and tell which ones they like best.

*Lowell, Susan. CINDY ELLEN: A WILD WESTERN CINDERELLA ISBN0064438643

*Cole, Babette. PRINCE CINDERS. ISBN 0698115546

*Jackson, Ellen. CINDER EDNA. ISBN 0688162959

// posted by catalogblog @ 7:19 AM