Alice from Dallas

February 1, 2014
Grab your cowboy hat and boots and saddle up for one rootin', tootin' story featuring Alice from Dallas. Dallas, Pa., that is. Every day Alice rides her pony (the wooden kind) to school and entertains her class with tales of the Wild West. She reckons she's "the only cowgirl in all of Pennsylvania." That is, until Lexis, a "real" cowgirl from Texas, comes to town and treads on Alice's turf. There's bound to be a showdown between the two girls--at noon, of course, on the playground. While Lexis acts out a stagecoach holdup and throws a lasso better, Alice challenges by dancing a sprightly Texas two-step. When Lexis tries to show her up by duplicating the twirling moves, she falls down and hurts her foot. The next day, Alice feels guilty and visits Lexis to say she's sorry. Each girl acknowledges the other's skill, and it turns out that two cowgirls are better than one. The comic watercolor-and-ink illustrations don't miss a beat in capturing the amusing rivalry that turns into friendship. Pigtailed Alice sports plaid shirts and jeans; blonde Lexis is a sparklier sort--a rhinestone cowgirl, if you will--who dresses down with a Lone Star T-shirt. The clever ending is a yee-haw moment that will rope in readers as quick as tumbling tumbleweeds. (Picture book. 4-8)

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March 1, 2014

PreS-Gr 2-Alice (from Dallas, Pennsylvania) regales her classmates with her passion for the Wild West. When a new girl comes to school with lasso tricks and cowgirl songs of her own, Alice is miffed. Feelings of jealousy lead Alice to challenge Lexis to a "showdown...at high noon." Spurs are "a-jinglin'," and stick ponies are galloping during the playground standoff. But when Lexis falls and hurts her foot in the Texas-Two-Step duel, Alice feels remorse. The enthusiastic cowgirl realizes that Lexis isn't competition but, rather, a kindred spirit. Hoyt's watercolor and ink illustrations are full of witty details, from ten-gallon hats to long shadows cast on hallway floors. Peppered with plenty of "Yippee ki-yay!" twang, this charming friendship story makes for a rollicking fun read-aloud.-Linda Ludke, London Public Library, Ontario, Canada

Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 1, 2014
Grades K-2 There's no better cowgirl in all of Dallas (Pennsylvania) than cowboy hatwearing, cattle-herding Alice. Everyday, she puts on her boots and spurs and ties up Nellie (her hobby horse) at the hitching rail (bike rack) at school. But Alice's confidence is shaken with the arrival of a new cowgirl, Lexis, who is really from Texas! Soon Alice and Lexis are having showdowns all over school: Lexis demonstrates how to hold up a stagecoach and lassos the monkey bars, while Alice gallops Nellie across the playground and dances her best cowgirl dance. But when Lexis hurts herself while trying to dance like Alice, Alice feels guilty, makes amends, and realizes that there really is room in this town for both of them. Hoyt's ink-and-watercolor illustrations gleefully capture the girls' enthusiasm for all things western. A lively story for cowgirls everywhere, with a breezy lesson about jealousy.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)

July 1, 2014
Alice, who lives in Dallas, Pennsylvania, loves to pretend to be a Wild West cowgirl until Lexis from Texas (or is she?) comes to town and threatens to usurp her. A high-noon playground showdown leads to an injury and an inevitable but satisfying partnership. This mild rivalry-turned-friendship tale conveys its message smoothly, while Hoyt's watercolor and pen illustrations embody the "Yippee ki-yay!" spirit.

(Copyright 2014 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)