While I have one reservation about this book, it is good fun. THe illustrations are charming and full of detail, and Matthew really saves the day from the cattle rustlers. He is a smart young hero, and the story helps you learn the names of cowboy gear such as chaps, bridle, spurs, etc. I also enjoyed the little desert creatures that seemed to follow Matthew around.

The only reservation I had was in the originality of the plot itself. The story of cows being rebranded has been done before. The best example of a rustler overlaying a portion of a brand over an existing brand to change it completely, is in the Donald Duck story from October 1948 "Sheriff of Bullet Valley". That is one of the most famous stories ever written and illustrated by the great Carl Barks, and it has been reprinted a few times over the years.
It is still a fun book, and well worth the very affordable price here at Amazon.com. []

There seem to be very few books for toddlers on cowboys. This is the best, and will continue to be even if others are written. Matthew gets a cowboy outfit for his birthday, and then "becomes" (in his imagination) a real cowboy, solving a mystery and capturing the bad guys in a non-violent way (the only "weapon" is a lasso, and the only visible pistol remains in the sherrif's holster). The book is PC: the storekeeper is oriental, and cowhands Slim, Tex, and Pete seem (from the wonderful illustrations) to be a senior citizen, woman, and Afro-American, respectively. My two-and-a-half-year-old son, who believes himself to be a real cowboy, has me read this to him at least twice each night, asking questions about the pictures, and generally being thrilled with it. If you have a toddler who's a cowboy, this is definitely the book for you. (Amazon.com's suggested age range of 4-8 may be about right, but, as I noted, my son is quite a bit younger and ! loves it.)