With keen determination, a cowboy saddles his horse, packs up a bar of soap, calls for his dog, and sets out on the long journey to the river. Once there, he instructs the dog to guard his clothes while he takes his bath. After washing and scrubbing and lathering and buffing, the cowboy comes clean and wants to get started home. But an unforeseeable obstacle complicates matters when he fixes on retrieving his duds...
This is an audio recording of my grandfather, James K. Richardson Sr., telling the story of "The Dirty Cowboy" to me and my husband. I've turned a cassette tape into a digital recording, then mashed it together with a few slides and a photo of my grandfather. This Youtube video is not particularly spiffy but I am proud of my technological achievement anyway since it's only my second (or third) Youtube thingy.
I made this mostly for teachers, librarians, educators, and I suppose, the curious too. I am sure that a good teacher could make quite a unit out of writing tall tales from family stories, or recording family stories, transcribing them, and then concocting all sorts of other written work -- short stories, picture book texts, poetry, and experimental whatnots. I hereby throw this into the educational pot!
So here's the raw material that inspired the book, The Dirty Cowboy. Papa was the first person that told me this story and I tried to use Papa's turn of phrase in writing the book. In fact, the voice in the book is my best imitation of Papa (which you can now hear below and judge for yourself where I hit it right on and where I fell short).
Hope you like!
Fans of Captain Underpants, rejoice! Here is a hilarious new picture book that will produce laundry loads of laughter.Esme´ Raji Codell, “DON’T MISS! Madame Esme´’s Recommendations for New and Exciting Children’s Literature,” PlanetEsme.com
To say I’m in love with the new children’s book “The Dirty Cowboy” seems like a bit of an understatement. Since it crossed my desk two weeks ago, I have managed to read it aloud to at least 25 people (only two of whom were children). …It’s hard to choose which is more satisfying – the story or the illustrations – but what is clear is that together, these two first-time authors have made one darn fine children’s book.Heather Lee Schroeder, The Capital Times (Madison, WI)
Get a copy of “The Dirty Cowboy” for the young ‘uns and get ready for old fashioned belly laughs … We’re not talking sitcom humor or the pale, thin giggles that many commercial children’s books offer. We’re talking grand ole yarn of the kind Mark Twain himself would have told.
2/08-4/08 Lifeline Theatre’s 45 minute musical for children, Chicago.
(See Youtube video on the "Listen...Watch")
Amy Timberlake