by Moe Zilla

Created on: May 28, 2010

"Growing up in Oklahoma, I was fascinated with legends of the West," the author reveals on the book's jacket, "especially tales of fearless cowgirls. At slumber parties we relished in telling ghost stories about Belle Starr, a cowgirl bandit who was said to have lived in the area…" She credits the experience - and her imagination - with leading her to the brave cowgirl heroine for her 2003 children's picture book. Its title is "Hannah Mae O'Hannigan's Wild West Show" - and the book's cover gives the tale tale one additional twist.

"Featuring her trusted cow pony, 'Sassafras'…"

The story has more text than usual, so it's a good book for advancing readers - and for girls who like ponies. And it's also the story of a plucky little girl who stands up for her dream of being a cowgirl. Unfortunately, she lives in the city, but her parents do their best to make her dream come true. But she practices lassoing with her stuffed animals, and learns how to corral with a vast herd of…hamsters.

Ernst's illustrations use lots of pastel pinks, greens, and yellow, maybe suggesting the colors of a western sunset. They're cartoon-like ink and pencil drawings, and they give the book a friendly, accessible, feeling. It's nice to see a western story that takes place in the present, while still alluding to all the glories of the grand western tradition. After a few pages, Hannah's parents have put her on a train to the ranch of her Uncle Coot - and the train is an old-fashioned locomotive that chugs through the desert.

Uncle Coot speaks in a predictible cowpoke dialect. ("Well, I'll be hornswoggled! It's the cutest itty-bitty cowgirl I ever saw…") But the book falls into a predictable complication - Uncle Coot doesn't think he should let his niece out "with the mean nasty cows! No siree…" The story sidesteps around the sexism of this when it takes an adorable turn. Hannah's big break comes when the terrified cowhands discover their horses are being spooked by…hamsters.

It's a fun book, and I feel like the author's heart is really in the right place. And apparently I'm not the only one. The Kansas City Public Library had an architect create 22 enormous book spines on the outside of their downtown parking garage to give their building a distinctive look. And one of the giant book spines is for another Lisa Campbell Ernst children's story - Stella Louella Runaway Book.

Which, appropriately, is about a missing library book…

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