Rodeo Red 

by Maripat Perkins

Perkins, M. (2015). Rodeo Red. Atlanta, GA: Peachtree.

Rodeo Red and her best friend Rusty, a stuffed hound dog, are living the good life until the arrival of Sideswiping Slim, a new baby brother.  Despite the fact that this "scallywag" does nothing but holler, destroy her things and even steals her beloved Rusty, her parents (the Sheriff and her Deputy) seem "smitten."  When her "city slicker" of an aunt sends her a belated birthday gift, "some sort of varnished varmint" (stuffed cat), she comes up with a plan to outwit her new brother and get her best friend back.

The highlight of this text describing the age old issue of sibling rivalry has to be Perkins’ extensive use of language that seems to come from straight out of the old west.  When punished for trying to retrieve her toy from her baby brother, her mother, “dropped me into a holding cell quicker than you could say lickety-split.  I was madder than a bee in a Sunday bonnet.”

Molly Idle does a great job of combining all the visual elements to convey an image that blends reality with Red’s imagination.  She uses soft, rounded lines and muted pastel colors to add some old west flavor, such as Red’s cowgirl hat, the saloon style doors in the home and even small touches like the sheriff’s badge adorning the mother’s neckline and father’s cuffs. 

Podcast Interview with Maripat Perkins