Cowgirl Kate and Cocoa

Cowgirl Kate and her ever hungry cowhorse Cocoa are a funny pair. Divided into four short chapters, the story tells about life on the ranch with Kate and her horse. Cocoa is always getting distracted by the fact that her stomach always wants to be filled with something tasty. Between being too full to work and snubbing breakfast in hopes of a delicious surprise, Kate and Cocoa are a dynamic duo and will keep young readers turning pages and giggling .

The child protagonist gets to be the leader and teacher in this story of the working relationship and friendship between a young cowgirl and her horse, Cocoa. Cocoa is needy, petulant, and always hungry (like a young child!), but Kate is able to wisely guide Cocoa to making the right choice.

Young children will relish seeing their peer a the leadership role, along with the grown-up feeling of a chapter book. This is truly an easy reader, however, and the audience may be able to tackle it on their own. This would be a good recommendation for a 2nd grader to take home and try on their own, or read with a parent. The ink and watercolor illustrations by Betsy Lewin add charm to a sweet yet sassy story.

Cowgirl Kate and Cocoa (her horse) are the best of pals. They both rely on each other and despite the laughable mistakes by Cocoa. This shows how there needs to be give and take within a relationship and without that it is hard to get along. If Kate hadn't needed the comfort of Cocoa, she would have been really mad about him ruining his straw hat present and also not eating his oats in the morning. It is important to look past flaws of others and look for the good parts within each person.

This book is best for primary readers. The genre is fantasy because there is a talking horse who can tell Cowgirl Kate everything she needs. The author makes is seem real though. Cocoa and Cowgirl Kate are both deep characters. They are good friends and they both teach each other different things and learn how to really take care of each other by the end. They both grow through the experiences in the book. The theme of this book is to always do whatever you can to care for and love the people that matter most to you.

This is a good imaginative story for young children. It explores the dynamic friendship of Kate and Cocoa which is similar to what a kid would experience with their own pet. At one point Cocoa acts the way a preschooler would when bedtime is brought up by asking for food and water. Little children can relate to this and would probably think it's funny. The watercolor illustrations are cute but do not add much depth to the stories.

I would use this book to possibly talk about farms or ranches in class. You can introduce what goes on on the farm or ranch.

Genre: Early Chapter(Fantasy)
Media: Watercolor
Summary: This books tells us a story of a girl with her friend, Cocoa which is a horse. They work together, they herd cows together, and they sleep together. They are the best friend for each other.
This is a good and typical early chapter. The book is divided into four chapters. Each chapter tells us a story, and they all have connections. The vocabulary is not advanced either. It is a good early chapter good for 1st graders to read. Maybe teachers can read this book before students have a field trip.

For the horsey set, this is a great early reader. The illustrations are not too sweet, and Kate and Cocoa have a fun relationship. I especially appreciate that these can be read independently and that the font and spacing is just right for young readers.