Patches is Missing!
The cattle drive crossed the most beautiful land Kris had ever seen. Everything was perfect until they woke to find a cow missing, along with a cowboy named Bart. Bart must be a rustler!
They ride to get their cow back and bring the rustler to justice, but everything seems to conspire against them, Indians, wild animals, and then the flood.
Can Kris escape a mountain lion?
Can Kris rescue the rustler from drowning?
Can Kris get her new friend back to his tribe before they start to worry?
Kris & The Cowboys is the next installment of The Adventures of Kris, where imagination and friendship can overcome any obstacle.
Patches is Missing!
The cattle drive crossed the most beautiful land Kris had ever seen. Everything was perfect until they woke to find a cow missing, along with a cowboy named Bart. Bart must be a rustler!
They ride to get their cow back and bring the rustler to justice, but everything seems to conspire against them, Indians, wild animals, and then the flood.
Can Kris escape a mountain lion?
Can Kris rescue the rustler from drowning?
Can Kris get her new friend back to his tribe before they start to worry?
Kris & The Cowboys is the next installment of The Adventures of Kris, where imagination and friendship can overcome any obstacle.
Kris leaned forward against the top of the tall fence and stretched her legs to reach the bottom rail. It wasnât a nice, clean fence like the ones back home. The cowboys split logs into long rails. The end of each rail fit into holes carved into the posts so that it fit together like a jigsaw puzzle. Splinters poked out of the rails, so Kris had to be careful where she put her hands. She didnât want one of the splinters to stab her!
Her dad stood on her left. He was tall enough to stand on the ground and lean on the top rail. So was Buddy, the cowboy on her right. Buddy stood even taller than her dad, but maybe that was because of the high heels on his dirty brown cowboy boots. The wide brim of his cowboy hat cast a dark shadow over his face, but the shadow couldnât hide his sparkling eyes or friendly smile.
Buddy was her uncle, but not an ordinary uncle. He was her grandma Mableâs brother, which made him a great uncle! Kris thought he was pretty great, no matter what the reason. His ranch was a great place to take a vacation.
âWhat kind of horse is that?â Kris pointed at a tall brown horse with black feet, a black tail, and a long black mane that blew in the wind.
âThat horse is called a bay,â Buddy answered.
âA bay? Like by the ocean?â Kris asked.
âI guess, but Iâve never been to the ocean,â he answered.
Kris giggled as she imagined the graceful bay horse playing in the water on the beach, pretending to be a seahorse. It looked nothing like a seahorse.
Another horse pranced along the fence before stopping right in front of them. This horse was much smaller, but even the smallest horse was bigger than Kris. The horse pushed his nose against Krisâs hands and sniffed.
âLooks like she likes you.â Buddy smiled.
Kris reached out and touched the horseâs nose. Her fingers brushed over the short, stiff hair. It wasnât as soft as she thought it would be, but it wasnât prickly either. The nose was part brown and part white. So was the rest of the horse. Kris couldnât tell if somebody spilled brown paint on a white horse, or white paint on a brown horse.
âWhat kind of horse is this one?â Kris asked.
âAn Appaloosa,â Buddy replied. âSheâs only a couple of years old.â
âAn Apple Loose?â Kris asked. âThatâs a funny name!â
Buddy laughed, but it wasnât a mean laugh. âNot apple loose. Itâs all one word. Appaloosa. Itâs a Native American word.â
âNative Americans use some strange words,â Kris said.
âOur words are probably strange to them,â Krisâs dad said. Kris had been so busy looking at the horses, she forgot her dad was there.
âI guess so.â The only things Kris knew about Indians were from books and movies. They were always hooting and hollering and fighting with cowboys. She wondered if they were really like that.
âDoes the app-a-loose-a have a name?â
âApples,â Buddy answered, âbecause she really likes apples!â
Buddy took an apple out of his jacket pocket. âLet her take a bite.â
Kris stretched her hand as far from her body as she could. She didnât have to wait long. The horse jumped up and down and pulled back her lips to show off her enormous teeth. âThat horse needs to see a dentist! Doesnât she ever brush her teeth?â
âHow is she supposed to brush her teeth?â Buddy asked. âShe canât hold a toothbrush without fingers!â
Apples opened her mouth and took a bite of the apple. It might have been a little bite for a horse, but it was a huge bite for Kris. The horseâs little bite took half of the apple. Kris examined the half of an apple left in her hand. Black seeds stuck out of the white middle. The horse even ate half of the core!
Kris couldnât help laughing. âShe must be hungry!â
Buddy smiled. âShe does like her apples, but thatâs just her dessert. Sheâs already eaten her real food.â
âWhat do horses eat?â Kris asked.
âThey eat grass in the pasture, they eat grass, but in the barn, we feed them oats.â
âI eat oats for breakfast sometimes,â Kris said.
âPretty much the same.â Buddy nodded. âBut I imagine your dad cooks yours first.â
âYou mean you donât cook the horsesâ oats?â Kris asked.
âNope!â Buddy answered. âThey like them raw.â
âThat would be hard to chew, wouldnât it?â Kris asked.
Buddy laughed again. He must enjoy laughing. âDid you see Appleâs teeth?â
Kris nodded. âThey were awfully big.â
âHorses need big teeth to grind their oats and grass down so they can swallow it.â
Kris imagined how much work it must be to chew raw oats and grasses. Just thinking about it made her jaw tired.
âHave you ever ridden a horse?â Buddy asked.
Kris shook her head. âIâve read about riding horses, but Iâve never done it before.â
âMaybe tomorrow we can teach you how,â Buddy said. âIf itâs alright with your dad, of course.â
Kris turned to her dad with her best well-behaved smile.Â
Dad laughed. âItâs alright with me as long as you follow directions and be careful!â
âI will, Dad.â Kris rolled her eyes. He was always telling her to be careful.
âGreat!â Buddy said. âWeâll start tomorrow right after breakfast.â
Kris couldnât wait to ride but hoped she didnât have to eat raw oats like the horses. She might not get done chewing them until lunch!
Have you ever wanted to ride a horse or visit a ranch?
Do you live on a ranch or have personal experience with cows and horses?
As a child, did you ever pretend you were a cowboy, cowboy, or Indian?
If you answered yes to these questions, you should grab a copy of Kris & The Cowboys: The Adventures of Kris today!Â
As the story begins, we see Kris admiring the horses on her Uncle Buddy's ranch. Like many other kids, she starts asking her Uncle Buddy many questions regarding them. What kind are they? What are their names? Doesn't Apples, the Appaloosa horse, ever brush her teeth? What do horses eat? Readers will learn the answers to these questions, plus many more, as the plot takes shape.Â
During Kris's time at the ranch, she discovers why boots are the preferred footwear for cowboys when riding horses. Her Uncle walks her through saddling a horse, the name for every item used, and their purpose. For example, the braided belt (cinch) has to be tight enough so the rider doesn't fall off but loose enough so it doesn't restrict the animal's breathing. After Kris finally made it atop Apples, thanks to a stepladder, Buddy explained how to make the horse move left, right, and stop, and he also explained the proper way to make them go faster. It is not what we see in movies!
Since Kris wasn't an experienced rider, it was unsafe for her to go on the cattle drive with her uncle and ranch hands; however, when one has an imagination as vivid as Kris's, one can be anything and go anywhere one wantsâno permission needed, either! In Kris's mind, she goes on a grand adventure, trying to help her uncle rescue Patches, the cow, from Bart, the cattle rustler. As with any great adventure, suspenseful moments are a must, and boy, does Kris and her uncle have some nail-biting close calls. They crossed paths with a mountain lion and Indians; the latter meant no harm, teaching readers not to judge someone by the actions of another. Kris also battled roaring rapids to get herself and two others to safety. (Who they were and how they made it across the river will be revealed by reading the book, so READ IT.)
Kris & The Cowboys: The Adventures of Kris is a 14-chapter adventure book full of action and suspense while dropping helpful information along the way. In addition to all that, it also had a few comical moments. There were a few noticeable editing errors, but they didn't impact the story's flow. I wish "cowgirl" was used at least once because cowgirls are pretty brave and amazing, too. Amazon's recommended reading age is 6-10, but even preschoolers will love to watch this brave little girl be the hero of their story!Â