Will's Race for Home by Jewell Parker Rhodes illustrated by Olga and Aleksey Ivanov

Opening lines:

My father is a far-thinking man. He stands, feet firmly planted on ground, his hand over his eyes blocking the blinding sun. I stand to the left of him, stroking Belle, our gray mule. For what seems like hours, Father stares at the horizon. I can’t imagine what he sees. Not truly. I asked once: “What’re you looking at?” Without looking at me, he answered, “Dirt.” Dirt is all around. Not worth staring at, I think. Near or far, it’s all Texas soil.

And the story continues:

It feels as though Ma and I have a pact. I don’t know what our pact is, but Ma includes me in ways Father never does. She makes sweet treats, tucks me in bed, kisses my forehead, and, sometimes, lets me have a carrot for Belle. She talks to me calm, sensible. Yes, Father is a far-thinking man. Father’s life isn’t here or now. It’s out there, somewhere else, in a future time. I think I’m too close to him, too near to count.

Father works hard on the farm but while it is true he is no longer a slave, most of the profits from his cotton go to the landowner. Father cannot read but he brings home a notice from the market:

Father and Will set off on their long journey of 400 miles with their faithful mule Belle. "Belle will have to pull for eight hours a day for forty days.”

Nearly a month of travel, Father’s body is more relaxed. He still doesn’t talk much, but there’s an ease, a calm about him. The farther we get from Mr. Thompson’s farm, the more the wide-open, remote land stirs him with wonder.

Going back to the title - Will is racing because there is limited land and thousands of people are rushing to claim their share. It is also a race because Father hopes to make a new home for his wife and his own elderly father. Finally it is a race because three armed men are chasing them after a terrible altercation in one of the towns on their journey. Luckily their new friend Caesar, a former slave and soldier, was able to rescue Will during a robbery of their wagon and he has now joined them on the trail, but these three white cowboys are out for revenge. 

It is so sweet to read the way old Belle their mule loves Caesar's huge horse Midnight. 

Belle loves Midnight. Midnight loves Belle. Standing close to each other, they share water, hay. Belle nudges Midnight’s flank; Midnight rubs his chin against her. Ears flat, Belle is happy. Ears pointed, Midnight scans the surroundings, keeping them safe. No snake or coyote will surprise him. When Midnight is nearby, Belle tugs the wagon with extra energy. It’s like she’s showing off. Resting, like now, they keep close enough to touch.

If you are book talking Will's Race for Home, I suggest reading chapter 22 - the river crossing - it is a dramatic and life-threatening scene which will have your library group on the edge of their seats. (There is also a similar scene in One Big Open Sky but with a more devastating outcome).

Publisher blurb: It's 1889, barely twenty-five years after the Emancipation Proclamation, and a young Black family is tired of working on land they don't get to own. So when Will and his father hear about an upcoming land rush, they set out on a journey from Texas to Oklahoma, racing thousands of others to the place where land is free-if they can get to it fast enough. But the journey isn't easy-the terrain is rough, the bandits are brutal, and every interaction carries a heavy undercurrent of danger. And then there's the stranger they encounter and befriend: a mysterious soldier named Caesar, whose Union emblem brings more attention-and more trouble-than any of them need. All three are propelled by the promise of something long denied to them: freedom, land ownership, and a place to call home-but is a strong will enough to get them there?

Here is a video of Colby Sharp explaining how much he loved this book. This book is about US History but I am sure readers here in Australia aged 10+ will enjoy this thrilling tale of heroism and the wild west and as a bonus this is a fairly short book which might surprise you because it is filled with action and danger. Listen to an audio sample here. You can see more books by Jewell Parker Rhodes here. 

Here is a fabulous character description from this book that you could use as a model with your older students:

Off to the right is the first Black man I’ve seen during the journey. He reminds me of a great-tailed grackle. Long legs, face. His ankle-length coat, like a bird’s tail, sweeps and gleams iridescent—purplish black. His skin is obsidian dark; his clothes duller, more ash. Even his Stetson hat is black. He leans his shoulder against one of the posts outside the Pioneer Saloon. He doesn’t seem to mind the flow of weary travelers and loud drunks passing by. His dark eyes seem to see everything. Even me!

Jewell Parker Rhodes writes this quick, slick, gripping paean to the Western genre while also tying in fantastic historical details and an overarching tale of a boy and his father bonding at last. ... (This book is) Short and sweet, exciting and touching. Fuse8 Betsy Bird SLJ

Reading this review by Betsy Bird I learned a new term "exodusters". Read more here. 

Will’s Race for Home is a powerhouse Western and coming-of-age story set during a pivotal historical period. Populated with dynamic characters who grow impressively throughout the story, this slim historical fiction title explores an under-examined period in Black history with sensitivity and a spirit of adventure. Readers will be on the edge of their seats as the protagonist navigates moral dilemmas and leaps of faith to find a home for his family. Reading Middle Grade

The short chapters make this fast-paced and eventful ride through the West an accessible and engaging read. Kirkus Star review

Companion book:

One Big Open Sky

Little Sure Shot by Matt Ralphs

Annie lives in Ohio. Her real name is Phoebe Anne Mosey. She lives with her Pa, Ma, four older sisters, a baby sister and a young brother. They are poor but surviving and this is a loving family. Annie is a little different from her siblings because she loves to go out with Pa hunting and he can see she has skill so he is teaching her, even though she is only six, to load his gun and how to shoot wild animals to give the family food. 

Pa sets out one day with grain for the Mill but on his return journey the weather takes a terrible turn and Pa arrives home frozen and desperately unwell. The family all try to keep him alive in the hope that he might recover but sadly, after a few months Pa dies. Things now become desperate and so Ma is forced to give her baby to a childless couple and then she decides Annie will need to go to the Infirmary. Luckily the people there are kind and Annie can eat well and have some freedom but all of this is cut short when a farmer requests a girl to come and help his wife with her new baby. Annie does not want to go but there is a promise of $2 to be sent to her Ma each week. 

Mr and Mrs Grace are despicable people. They starve Annie and beat her but she stays and tries to survive in this horrible place because she knows the money will be helping her family. Little does she know (spoiler alert) no money is actually being sent. Eventually the violence becomes so bad that Annie runs away back to the Infirmary. Now her luck and fortunes change. Annie is very skilled with a gun and this comes to the attention of a local butcher. He enters her in shooting competitions and she begins to win some money - enough money to help her family. Then Annie comes to the attention of a hotel owner and he takes her to see a sharp shooter called Frank Butler. From there she goes on to meet Chief Sitting Bull (yes this really did happen to Annie Oakley) and later Buffalo Bill or Wild Bill Cody. She joins his show with her new husband Frank Butler and she then travels all over the US, Canada and even Europe.  

Publisher blurb: Annie’s family work hard to survive on their Ohio farm. Annie’s happiest when hunting game with her pa, and she doesn’t care one bit that it’s not the kind of thing girls are meant to do. When tragedy strikes, the family is thrown into deepest poverty. Until one day, Annie dares to pick up Pa’s old rifle, and find a way to feed her starving family. As the family’s fortunes worsen, Annie is sent away to work, and life becomes an ever greater struggle. Yet Annie has the courage and pluck to survive – and her brilliance with a rifle starts to gain her more than just turkeys for the pot. Can Annie’s amazing skills take her all the way to fame and fortune?

Little Sure Shot is the story of Annie Oakley but readers will not know this until the final pages and the Afterword. I really enjoyed this story of courage and survival. As a young reader I loved books set in the pioneering days of the US such as the Little House books and Children of the Oregon Trail. Readers who enjoy stories about real people are sure to enjoy meeting Annie. I was totally caught up in her story. I sat down to read a few chapters of Little Sure Shot just after breakfast today and I then I kept reading right to the end (287 pages).

I do need to give a warning - the book is filled with guns and shooting and also the domestic violence in the scenes with Mr and Mrs Grace are very distressing. I would recommend this book for mature readers aged 11+.

Shot-through with courage and adventure, Ralphs’ rendering of Oakley’s incredible rags-to-riches story is an inspiration. Love Reading4Kids

Read more about Annie Oakley:

National Women's History Museum

History.com

Companion read:

May B: A novel

Matt Ralphs is the author of Fire Girl and Fire Witch - two books which totally engrossed me. Little Sure Shot is very different in setting and style but it is just as engrossing. 

Kid Sheriff and the Terrible Toads by Bob Shea illustrated by Lane Smith

Drywater Gulch had a toad problem. 

Not the hop-down-your-britches kind of toad. 

Not the croaking-all-night kind of toad. 

The never-say-thank-you outlaw kind of toad.

I just love the word 'gulch'.  I have talked about this previously. A gulch is deep, narrow, steep sided ravine. In this book we are truly in cowboy country.

This book also has such a great cast of characters.
The Toad Brothers - who would "steal your gold, kiss your cattle, and insult your chili. Hootin', hollarin', and cussin' all the while."
The Mayor with the perfect name Mayor McMuffin
Ryan, the hero and new sheriff who rides into town (slowly) on his tortoise.

Can you handle a shooting iron?
Nope
Ride a horse?
Nope
Know any rope tricks?
Nope
Stay up past eight?
Nope

Ryan does, however, know a lot about dinosaurs.

When the bank is robbed Ryan knows the culprit is T-Rex. When the stagecoach is robbed, Ryan can see a Velocripator at work. The Toad Brother are outraged. They want credit for their crimes. Ryan, the Sheriff, explains he needs to put the criminal dinosaurs in jail.

"The Toads fought their way through the door of the jail, slamming it shut behind them. 'HA! You can blow them dinersores out your nose, Sheriff, this here jail of full up of real bonafide criminals.!"

Ryan has solved the problem, the gang are now in jail and everyone is happy. The question is did Ryan really know what he was doing? Did he understand reverse psychology at the tender age of seven and what adventures await his attention over the horizon?

Did you notice the word dinersores.  It is one of many delicious example of word play in this book.
diney-o-saur
try-lollipops
jerkosaurus

Every school library should have picture books for older students. Some I especially love are Mr Maxwell's Mouse, Grandad's Gifts by Paul Jennings and The Stranger. You can see my full list by clicking the subject link on my sidebar and here in my Pinterest collection. Here is a list with other ideas of picture books for older kids and adults too.

You can see nearly all of the illustrations from this book on the publisher web site.

This is a book from 2014 but it is a new discovery for me. I found it in my local public library and knowing other wonderful books by Lane Smith I was keen to read this one.  Take the time to read this interview with Bob Shea and Lane Smith - it is so funny just like this hilarious picture book. Take a look at this review on Nerdy Book Club.

Coming from Australia I am not sure I can do the right accent needed when you read this book aloud. Luckily I found a video. Take a look and a listen here to this piece by Storybook Theater. It is just perfect.  You could also use this book for a discussion about visual literacy concepts. There are some excellent ideas about this in Horn Book.


A crowd-pleasin’ knee-slapper that’ll have ’em rolling in the aisles, yessirree. Kirkus Star Review

Kid Sheriff and the Terrible Toads is extraordinary in tone, humor, slang and physical beauty, and surely belongs on any Caldecott short list.  It is a picture book masterpiece. Sam Juliano Wonders in the Dark

A great read aloud, this picture book is silliness through and through with a western twang. Waking Brain Cells

Leroy Ninker saddles up by Kate DiCamillo illustrated by Chris van Dusen

Filled with love and kindness and 

glorious sweet-talk: 

“Yippee-i-oh.” Kirkus

This book and the others in the series have been in our school library since 2015 but for some reason I had not read one even though I am a HUGE fan of Kate DiCamillo.

As I search for junior novels for children in Grades 1 and 2, I picked up Leroy Ninker Saddles up at my local bookstore.  This is another gem from Kate and it is an ideal book for those younger children who want a laugh or two and a very satisfying story.  Leroy Ninker works at the drive in theater in the concession stand.  Yes you will need to talk about the very first sentence - but this is the joy of reading - to share places and ideas beyond the known world of the child.  Leroy sells drinks and makes buttered popcorn and for him the world is a 'Yippie-i-oh' place except for one thing.  Leroy longs to be a cowboy.  He has the hat, boots and lasso but, as the delightfully named Beatrice Leapaleoni, points out, he needs a horse.

Leroy sees an advertisement :

"Horse for sale ... Old but good. Very exceptionally cheap."

Good readers will see two key words here - old and cheap but all Leroy can see is a horse.  He does not think about where the horse will live or what the horse will eat he just sets off on foot making an all day journey to the home of the horse.  Beatrice tells him to "Take fate in your hands" and "wrestle it to the ground."  She also tells him to check the teeth and hooves. 

Along the way Leroy decides his horse will be called Tornado - Yippie-i-oh!  But when he arrives the woman who owns the horse, Patty LeMarque, tells him the horse is named Maybelline.  I can see Kate DiCamillo smiling when she decided on that name, such a contrast with the horse of Leroy's imagination.

Patty explains there are three things about Maybelline. 

"she is the kind of horse who enjoys the heck out of a compliment. You gotta talk sweet to Maybelline."

"she is a horse who eats a lot of grub ... A. Lot. Of. Grub."

"Maybelline is the kind of horse who gets lonesome quick.  ... Do not leave Maybelline alone for long or you will live to rue and regret the day."

Leroy has not really been listening to all these instructions. When he climbs on the horse he is filled with joy and distractions.  "The colors were deeper. The sun shone brighter. The birds sang more sweetly."

Every young reader will see disaster is just around the corner but not little Leroy - his is such a happy optimist.

Here is a link to Kate's web site.  Listen to the first chapter.  We first meet Leroy in the Mercy Watson series.  In this video Kate talks about her Mercy Watson series and how she then went on to write this series Tales from Deckawoo Drive.  Take a look at this review in the School Library Journal. It will absolutely convince you this is a perfect little book.