Fat Stock Stampede at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, The
Kindergarten-Grade 3—Young Jake creates havoc at the rodeo by accidentally opening the gates on the livestock pens. A herd of heifers, chickens, horses, pigs, etc., then take over the show area. There are "calves on carousels, rabbits on roller coasters, pigs on paddleboats!" Jake rectifies his mistake by disguising himself as a rattlesnake and scares the animals back into their pens, saving the day for the "FFA and 4-H folks" who were hoping to win scholarships. Although the topic of this tall tale is rather unique, the text and illustrations are pedestrian. Jake's Texas rattler getup is pretty unbelievable: he wraps himself in a burlap sack and uses a baby rattle on his tail (the pictures do not make clear how it is attached). Most libraries can skip this one.—Judith Constantinides, formerly at East Baton Rouge Parish Main Library, LACopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.