Cowboys: Voices in the Western Wind - Hardcover

David L. Harrison is the author of more than seventy books that have sold over fifteen million copies. He is the recipient of many honors, including the Christopher Award. He lives in Springfield, Missouri.

Dan Burr has illustrated a number of books for young readers, including Castles: Old Stone Poems by J. Patrick Lewis and Rebecca Kai Dotlich. He lives with his family in Tetonia, Idaho.

Twenty-two free-verse poems and large digital paintings come together to depict the rough world of cowboys. Though two poems give voice to minorities—a young woman not allowed to participate and a former slave glad to be on the trail—the bulk of the poems follows the usual figures as they deal with harsh working conditions, unpleasant living situations, and ambivalent feelings about the job. The final poem, “The Race,” hints that cowboys will soon be obsolete: “Whoa, train. / what’s your hurry?” The beautiful photo-realistic paintings mix close-ups with panoramic scenes, though some of the guys look like modern-day men in costume: a barroom scene featuring old cowboys sitting alongside some very young-looking dance-hall girls seems to include characters sent direct from central casting. Still, this has an insider feel absent from many cowboy tales, and an afterword gives some historical background. Grades 3-5. --Randall Enos