I Wanna Be a Cowgirl

PreS-Gr 2—A young girl dreams of being a cowgirl and uses her imagination to turn her ordinary backyard into a Western playground. Alone in her room the protagonist, clad in jeans and a pink hat and cowboy boots, draws and dreams of life as a cowgirl. When she and her trusty pup gallop down the stairs and set out to roam their backyard, her extraordinary imagination transforms mundane props into Western ranch excursions. She lassos chickens with her lariat (jump rope), milks cows (two rubber gloves), and shears sheep (brushes her dog). And when her day is done she snuggles up beneath the starry skies and dreams that she's a cowgirl! The simple rhyming text and repeated refrain make this an enjoyable storytime choice. The full-bleed watercolor illustrations incorporate bright pinks, rich greens, and dusty browns to re-create a magical Western desert atmosphere in the backyard. Several low-angled shots give a wild and magical feel to the simplicity of the backyard and showcase the cowgirl's marvelous homemade pom-pom spurs.