Review: I Wanna Be A Cowgirl by Angela DiTerlizzi, Illustrated by Elizabet Vukovic

I WANNA BE A COWGIRL

by Angela DiTerlizzi

illustrated by Elizabet Vukovic

Beach Lane Books

Picture Book

 40 pages

 ages 3 and up

Grab your boots and spurs and hat—it’s time to be a cowgirl!

Way out west, the warm winds blow.
The grass grows high, the sun hangs low.
I’ll find a farm, there I’ll go,
and I’ll become a cowgirl.

From sun up to sun down, the girl in this story pretends to be a cowgirl as she pulls on her (rain) boots, saddles up her (stick) horse, and gallops off through the (backyard) hills. Filled with humor and imaginative play, this sweet story from Angela DiTerlizzi captures the dream of zillions of little girls everywhere—the dream of being a cowgirl! 

MY TIDBITS

Riding, ropin' and Western fun gallops in full force for all those cowgirl dreamers.

One little girl wants to be a cowgirl, and she's determined to live a day as a real, cattle roping girl. Through role play, she rides her horse, milks cows, checks chickens and so much more.

This is a simple story, which leads through a little girl's imaginative day as she lives and experiences the thrills of being a cowgirl. Her enthusiasm—and a super, sweet dog partner—make the tale vibrant and enjoyable. Her adventures are told through written verse, which gives her endeavors a bit of a musical feel. It's easy to read and follow her as she goes from one cowgirl activity to the next. Younger girls who have a love for horses, farms and riding across the range will enjoy flipping through the pages.

The illustrations are cute and bring across this little character's energy nicely. While the text stays relatively poetic, the illustrations bring in a pinch of humor as this character's cowgirl attempts sometimes hit little snags. It's a gentle read with lots of cowgirl sunshine thrown in.  The pictures blend the imaginative world in with reality, and encourage young listeners/readers to play pretend on their own.

And here they are. . .

The Author. . .
Angela DiTerrlizzi is a mom, wife, and author who loves writing books for children. Her picture books include some Pets, Some Bugs, and baby Love. She and her husband, besteslling author/illustrator Tony Diterlizzi, reside with their daughter in Amherst, Massachusetts.

The Illustrator. . .

Elizabet Vukovic is a freelance illustrator born in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, where she still resides. As a kid she had quite an imagination, which she expressed mostly on paper, since acting out her ideas was an annoyance to her siblings. She now devotes herself fulltime to illustration for children and other venues. When not obsessing about art (which isn't very often) Elizabet enjoys long bicycle rides, traveling, and bugging her elderly cats.