The Lighting of the Tree at the V Zoo Party 2009

Good morning, Zebee here. Boy! Did we have a great tree lighting party! So many of my boss Joy’s author friends came it was amazing. Many of them brought along their characters too. Let’s see how many we can remember.

Elysabeth Eldering came. She brought along Matt, Guy and Mary Beth, her Junior Geography detectives. They were searching for clues for one of her books.

Lea Schizas was there. Bubba and Giganto were with her. They sure are nice boys and good soccer players. We had a game between the story characters and all of us here at the V Zoo. We lost, but we vowed to have a rematch next year and win. We need a coach. Any volunteers?

Oh, and Bill Kirk came and brought along Ari. We all watched were we stepped so we wouldn’t crush him. He’s really a cool spider.

When Vivian Zabel arrived with Buddy, some of the characters wanted him to teach them how to rope Prairie dogs. Since the closest thing we have to that here at the V Zoo are the meerkats, that just wouldn’t work. Instead he showed them how to rope a fence poll.

Che Dee was there with Odo, the time children, Mashu, Cassie and the Tulies.

Mary Jean Kelso brought along Andy and Spirit. Spirit is a beautiful horse and Andy is amazing the way he can ride.

Dayna Hilton and Sparkles came. Sparkles had us all on our knees again. This time even I could do it. I’ve been practicing.

Rachelle Burk was there with Kenny and Allison. We all wanted to hear about living in a tree house. I’d like to climb up in a tree house someday.

Rena Jones and Dilly came. So did Shari Lyle-Soffe along with Aaron and Horace. Mayra Calvani and Humberto read us some of Humberto’s favorite books. Hugo also showed up with Elizabeth Dulemba with soap for everyone.

I’m sure I forgot some of the authors and their characters. The place was packed and we had a fun time.

Who got to put the star on top of the tree this year? Billy. He climbed up Star’s neck and placed it, very carefully, on the top branch.
Got to go, I need to finish making my gifts. We are all making things for each other this year.

posted by Zebee aka Joy Delgado
We go Beyond Reading
Laughing Zebra – Books for Children
Fun ways to help children learn
Books Go Beyond Reading

Book Blog Tour: “Prairie Dog Cowboy” by V. Gilbert Zabel

Today we are hosts in a book blog tour. Zebee here and it’s my privilege to share this great book, “Prairie Dog Cowboy” with you.

We convinced the main character, Buddy, to join us here at the ‘V Zoo’ to talk about his story. Hi Buddy!

B: Hi Zebee. Sure is nice of you to have me here today.

Z: My pleasure Buddy. When my boss Joy read this book to all of us, we really wanted to meet you. What I want to know is, what made you decide (at such a young age) that you wanted to be a cowboy when you grew up?

B: Gosh, I had to herd Pa's cows, but on foot with my dog Patch. Cowboys get to ride horses when they herd cows. That's a lot more fun than running after them.

Z: That makes sense. So, was it really that hard to rope a prairie dog? The little critters that run around here don’t look like they’d be that hard to rope.

B: They are hard to rope. Prairie dogs are fast, and I do mean fast. The least sign of trouble or danger, and, zip, they're gone into their holes. I practiced and practice and practiced for years before I could lasso one.

Z: I guess I never thought about it that way. I run from danger too, as do most animals. I guess it was good practice though.

B: Yep, you sure could say that.

Z: What part of becoming a cowboy was the hardest to learn, besides roping prairie dogs?

B: The hardest lesson I had to learn was one that I nearly failed: Cowboys do whatever is needed to be done, whether he things it's important or not. That means I needed to move rocks from the road to the house so the wagon wheels wouldn't break on the roughness of a rocky road. Hey, if livestock needed to be fed or watered or stalls mucked out, cowboys had to do it. Being a cowboy is hard work, but I like it.

Z: Thanks Buddy. Cowboy life sounds like it can be real rewarding. My boss Joy has a review of the book she’s going to share with the folks out there in Bloggerville. If you want to look around a bit, feel free to, and if you want to rope a few prairie dogs while you’re here, you can do that too.

B: Thanks Zebee. This was fun and I think I will check out the rest of the zoo. See you around.

* * * * *

Okay, here is my boss Joy’s review of “Prairie Dog Cowboy” by V. Gilbert Zabel.

Life as a Cowboy back in the day

Buddy is five years old and dreams of being a cowboy when he grows up. He tends to the cattle on his pa’s homestead and with the help of his dog Patch does a pretty good job. He works hard, and his neighbor Caleb Hyman recognizes this. He offers Buddy a job, when he can rope a prairie dog.

As the years pass, Buddy gets really good at being a cowboy and many of the neighbors take notice. They bring horses for him to break, cows for him to keep an eye on and he does all this while going to school and taking care of his parents land.

The one thing Buddy doesn’t seem to have is his mother’s love. He doesn’t understand and try as he might by planting the fields, harvesting them when it’s time and taking care of all the outside chores, she doesn’t change her attitude towards him. Then Buddy’s father becomes ill and things get worse. Will Buddy’s mom ever love him? Why does she favor his older brother Jake? Will the brothers become friends? Find out as you read this action packed tale.

V. Gilbert Zabel has a way of spinning a story. Taking a time in our country’s history that is full of change, she tells of this young boy’s trials, tragedies and triumphs. Sprinkled into the story are facts about life as a cowboy back in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s in the Oklahoma territory turned state.

At the back of the book there is some information that helps take this book beyond reading. There are sections about life in “No Man’s Land”, prairie dogs and a set of discussion questions to help reinforce what you’ve read. This book will be a great supplement in any classroom.