Cowboy Up!: Ride the Navajo Rodeo
This smooth blend of prose narrative and free verse introduces the rodeo. Clearly written descriptions of sights and sounds common to rodeos large or small, along with vivid evocations of each event’s speed and skill, are all tinged with clouds of dusty drama. In first-person poems, competitors—from young children to veteran bull riders—ruminate as they take their brief turns in the arena. Sonnenmair’s atmospheric color photographs capture both contemplative and climactic moments, focusing mostly on younger performers or spectators. There are also portraits of a pair of decidedly dangerous-looking bulls and a tribute to the courageous rodeo clown. Even knowledgeable young cowpokes will come away understanding more about the rules, history, and appeal of this intergenerational event—and the author also ropes in a generous array of print and web resources for readers to explore. Grades 2-4. --John Peters