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Very cute- big fan of Jan Brett illustrations. Great book for Texan friends, ha. ( )

This book details the day of an armadillo that has stayed too far from mom. He ends up following a cowgirl through Texas all the way to a rodeo, and all while detailing the beautiful scenery, tastes, and smells that come with the region. This book would be a great way to start talking about the flora and fauna of different regions, because of all the great imagery we can paint a great mental image of the Texas hill country. ( )

Texas and country-stylings are definitely not my thing, but it was nevertheless entertaining to see Jan Brett step out of her winter Nordic aesthetic to try something new with this story. We follow a wayward armadillo (named Bo), who has wandered off from his family pack while following a pair of red cowboy boots - which he somehow thinks is a new armadillo friend. Bo’s new “friend” is being worn by a young cowgirl, who quickly leads him back to a rodeo event in which she’s involved, which ensues in all kinds of highjinx for Bo. He jumps on the back of her horse, hides under a table and accidentally eats a hot pepper, and gets jettisoned into the barn rafters during a whirlwind dance, but somehow doesn’t manage to get hurt throughout all of his adventures before finally figuring out that the boots are not in fact an armadillo and returning to his family. Brett utilizes her signature frame in frame pictorial style to show us Bo’s family hunting for him while he’s off adventuring, so fans of her style will be satisfied with this new take on the medium as each frame is chalk full of action. ( )

Gorgeous illustrations. ( )