Cowboy Up! Ride the Navajo Rodeo By Nancy Bo Flood and photography by Jan Sonnenmair
Cowboy Up! is a fabulous hybrid of nonfiction and poetry. It has been nominated for the CYBILS in nonfiction but today I am focusing on the poetry.
If you have never been to a rodeo, this book provides a great introduction to the sport. In Navajo country, many young kids dream of being able to bull ride, sheep ride, and stay on a bucking bronco for eight seconds.
Each two page spread has action packed photography, a narrative poem, and an explanation of the event. It’s a day in the life of the rodeo.
The poem on the end pages:
Rodeo Rider
I want to be a rodeo rider-
A barrel racing,
crazy bull chasing,
lasso slinging,
wild calf roping,
bronco busting,
mutton tumbling,
rodeo rider.
~Nancy Bo Flood
Today I am fortunate to be at an SCBWI-Oregon writing retreat at the fabulous Silver Falls Conference Center. Waving “hi” to my Poetry Friday pals at NCTE.
Poetry Friday is being held at
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Oh, Jone, I love, love, LOVE this book. Thrilled to see you featuring it. Nancy’s poems are consistently fine, and Jan’s photos of actual kids in the rodeo compliment them perfectly. I felt real joy reading this book for the first time. Fingers crossed for this one in the Cyblis non-fiction competition (and by the way, did you hear the Emcee at the National Book Awards mention the fact that one of the nominated authors in the Young People’s Literature category had previously been awarded a Cybil? Go, Cybils!)
I’ve only been to one rodeo in my life, when I was living in New Mexico. While it wasn’t really my cup of tea, Nancy Bo Flood seems to have captured the flavor of that occasion extremely well!