Every Cowgirl Goes to School

May 27, 2013
In her fourth picture book, aspiring cowgirl Nellie Sue, normally a spitfire, is feeling deflated on her first day of school. Her best friend Anna sits with a new student on the bus, she gets hit in the leg during PE (“What do folks have against a good pair of boots?”), and a misunderstanding leaves Nellie Sue tearful and humiliated. If the girls’ reconciliation comes a bit quickly, Janni delivers useful information about bucking up after bad days (and dealing with annoying classmates), and thanks to Avril’s gouache and ink pictures, Nellie Sue’s rhinestone-sparkly personality is never in question. Ages 3–5. Author’s agent: Jamie Weiss Chilton, Andrea Brown Literary Agency. Illustrator’s agent: Bernadette Szost, Portfolio Solutions.

June 1, 2013
It is easy to misconstrue everything that happens on a not-so-good first day of school when a new girl upsets the balance between two friends. Cowgirl Nellie Sue is excited about the brand-new day of school ahead of her. But starting with the bus ride, her day goes downhill. Her friend Anna is sitting (and talking!) with some other girl. And Anna and the straight-laced Maya seem to be best buds all day long--from their seats next to each other and their giggling and whispering to Maya's stepping on Nellie Sue's shoelace and causing her to fall--leaving poor Nellie Sue to feel left out. When Maya's attempt to reach out to Nellie Sue backfires, Maya then seeks her out, and the two immediately become fast friends. While the girls' detente is way too easy and somewhat unrealistic, Nellie Sue's spirit and determination remain consistent with her previous outings, and her message is an important one: "It was a brand-new day, and I decided it would go just my way." Avril's watercolor and gouache illustrations capture the girls' emotions, and she nicely shows the three friends' different personalities through their clothing choices, hairstyles and the five things they have added to their "all-about-me" bags. Girls having friendship troubles may not find the solutions they seek here, but Nellie Sue does have a can-do attitude that will resonate with readers. (Picture book. 4-7)

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June 1, 2013

PreS-Gr 1-Nellie Sue is excited about the first day of school, even though she can't wear her big, pink cowgirl hat or take along her trusty sidekick, Ginger the dog. When she gets on the bus, her friend Anna is already sitting next to a new girl, Maya. Tension builds throughout the day as things fail to go Nellie Sue's way, culminating in an incident with Maya, who has drawn a picture of her as a cow. The misunderstanding is resolved with an apology, and new friends are made as ever-resourceful and determined Nellie Sue's winning personality saves the day. Avril's pink-infused, energetic ink, watercolor, and gouache illustrations suit the girl's sparkly persona well, as does the cowpoke vernacular found in the text. Fans will be happy to read a new chapter in Nellie Sue's life. This picture book also makes a nice addition to collections needing more school and friendship titles.-Angela J. Reynolds, Annapolis Valley Regional Library, Bridgetown, NS, Canada

Copyright 2013 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 1, 2013
Can Nellie Sue's cowgirl spunk, captured in the peppy illustrations, save her when the new school year dishes out some challenges, including new-girl Maya, who threatens Nellie Sue's best friendship with Anna? Like the Fancy Nancy series, the Every Cowgirl books feature reliably engaging scenarios starring an unsinkable girl who is a suburban everykid, despite her insistence otherwise ("How-dee, Pardner!").

(Copyright 2013 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)