This book is good for second through fourth grade. The book is a western version of The Three Little Pigs. Instead of three little pigs there are three little wild boars. Instead of a wolf there is a coyote. The pictures show a realistic western setting.

Jim Harris is such a wonderful illustrator and the pictures in this book are so cute. It's a southwest twist on the 3 Little Pigs. We live in a desert area and it's fun to have a book to read to my 2 year old that reflects more of our local geography. I especially love that the little girl javelina is wearing a cowgirl outfit with fringe and perky little boots. CUTE!

My girls and I have read this book many times. The subtle multiculturalism of the book comes across in a humorous, pleasant way. Coyote is the consumate trickster of generic Native American folklore, and the javelinas get help from Native and Latino people in the construction of their homes. The drawings are well done and the story sticks close to the classical version with a dash of southwestern spice. Recommended for children 3-7 and their parents.

Far from the thoughtless, shrinking-violet waif-girl of older European tales, the red-headed, red-hatted Little Red of this fairy tale is a rootin' tootin' pre-feminist with a pistol for a granny. Our young cowgirl recognizes the Big Bad Wolf for the baddie he is but she was taught, in proper Texas tradition, to be polite to strangers....Granny and Little Red outsmart ol' Big Bad and hang out afterward to chew the fat about how girls can look after themselves. Hilariously illustrated and with authentic Wild West language, this tall tale will steal your heart!

This book is WONDERFUL! I like it a lot because it made us laugh! It had good pictures and they made us feel happy. It is a good book. "This book reminded me of when I went to a farm," Yasmin said. We want other kids to read this book because they will like it too.

"Bauern-Sensei" is a very interesting book. I always enjoy stories about missionaries and their work, and this was not only well-written and researched but also easy to read. She led an amazing life, and I am glad someone took the time to chronicle it. It was especially interesting because Mr. Messerschmidt is a relation of hers, so he treated her story with special care and affection. I highly recommend this book, not only for the story of a missionary's life, but because it opens up an interesting view of Japan.

Featuring a cowboy bootmaker "so poor that even his shadow had holes in it", this country western adaptation of "The Shoemaker and the Elves" spoons out colorful and humorous similes that are highly engaging for the under ten set.

I teach writing to children this age and could see the work of the elves in the eyes of my young writers. The story not only "hornswoggled" the children, but provided invaluable assistance in teaching them about similes and metaphores.

Written so anyone can speak the 'cowpoke' dialect, the elfin magic transforms grown-up readers into professional storytellers.

Tom Curry's dreamy but detailed artwork adds the crowning piece of elfian magic that will leave you pining for more.

This is a story about a boy who was in bed because he has a fever. To pass the time so he won't be bored, he flies paper airplanes, and with his imagination, he goes on some adventures. The way he uses paper is cool; he uses paper for everything! This book was so good that I went and made paper airplanes after I read it. I recommend this book for ages 8-12.

Lavina is a ten-year-old girl who lives at the Bosque Ranch in the Arizona territory in the early 1900's. Her mother died, and her father is sending her to live in California with her aunt. When she arrives, she steps into a whole different world. Sometimes her Aunt Agnes reminds her of her father. Her aunt has a daughter named Maude, and Maude has a daughter, Aggie, who is eight. It's hard to get along with Aggie, but Lavina makes friends at school. Lavina has a fight with her aunt one night, and she plans to run away in the morning, but something big happens before she gets the chance. This is a well-written book.

It's hard to say what the appeal of the saguaro cactus is exactly, but perhaps it is the way people relate to them. Their branches are referred to as arms; the young plants are called babies; and they live under nurse plants as seedlings. More than just being anthropomorphic, these giant cactuses are the true emblem of the spectacular Sonoran Desert. Across the country (far from their tiny growth region), the saguaro is a powerful symbol of the American Southwest. This book is a perfect blend of accurate scientific information and entertaining cultural anecdotes from the mother and daughter author team. It is jam-packed with useful facts, and all are attractively displayed in this beautiful book. The art is as precise and engaging as the well-written text. Definitely a worthy investment!

PLEASE, GIVE ME MORE INFORMATION FOR STUDING IN AUSTRALIA! THANK YOU!

Susan Lowell has adapted the classtic story of the Tortoise and the Hare perfectly for desert readers. As a kindergarten teacher in Arizona, I love reading this story to my students because it is relevant for them. They love listening to it!

In Dusty Locks and the Three Bears, there is a similar storyline to Goldie Locks and the Three Bears. It starts out with this cleverly created girl who is always getting into trouble and getting dirty. There are a lot of similar things that happen in the story that resemble Goldie Locks. First off they have three bears, a small cub, a mama bear and a great big grizzly bear. Each of them has their own chair and their own plate to eat from. The twists that make it different from Goldie Locks are cute and add spice to the story. Such as the different chairs that each of them have. Like the great big grizzly bear, he sits on a great big stump. Then instead of porage, they have beans. That is where Dusty Locks comes into play. The three bears go for a hike while their food cools, and Dusty Locks stumbles upon their house. She goes in and tries the three different kinds of beans, then she goes and sits on all the chairs until she sat on the small cub's chair and broke it. She then decides to go upstairs and see what's up there. She finds their beds, a pile of twigs and branches for the great big grizzly, a big hard bed for mama and a nice soft bed for the small cub. She sleeps there until the three bears come home and find everything tore up. She jumps up and flies out of there and never to be seen again. This book was very funny and is a good twist of Goldie Locks and the Three Bears. I had a chance to read it to some kids and they loved it. All the little funny changes and twists made it an enjoyable book to read. They maybe could have change the storyline some more to make it more original, but it still was successful in being funny.

I am an elementary art teacher and I checked out this book from my school library to read to my 3rd grade classes before they started work on fairy tale puppets. We all loved it! So I brought it home for my husband and my infant son. My 10 month old sat through the book with out a peep -except for giggles- over and over again. So we bought it for my husband for father's day. I am ordering more books by this author right away. It is just so fun to read it with a southern drawl and do all those crazy bear voices! I also love the illustrations. The characters have great facial expressions! I LOVE THIS BOOK! BUY IT RIGHT AWAY!

I found this book on vacation and it immediately became a favorite in our home. You will not get tired of reading this one! Great for classroom use as well.