The Cowboy Kid

Patricia Morley is professor emerita of English and Canadian Studies at
Concordia University and an avid outdoor recreationist. She is the
author of several books, including The Mountain Is Moving: Japanese
Women’s Lives, Kurlek and Margaret Laurence: T

In the imagination of the Cowboy Kid, back-alley slums are transformed
into open plains where he roams on horseback. One day, his imagination
surpasses all previous flights when a magnificent amber-colored stallion
turns up in his favorite hideout—a city dump with a great oak tree,
old tires, doorless appliances, and tired furniture. The horse is “as
bright as a falling star.” With the Kid on his back, the horse snorts,
arches, and rises into the air.

As they fly over the city, wooden horses from houses and nurseries
break from their rockers and soar with the Cowboy Kid and his golden
steed. In grand museums, horses rip from their canvases and frames to
join the magical herd. Finally, the herd rises to drink from the Milky
Way, and readers are assured that the horses still gallop among falling
stars, while the young Cowboy whoops with joy.

Gilles Tibo’s brief text relies heavily on Tom Kapas’s dramatic
illustrations, the book’s strength. The beauty of the stallion is well
realized, while the dump and the slums are skimmed over. Even the
Kid’s blond appearance seems imaginary, as a final illustration shows
a dark-haired boy in a bed with teddy bears.

Tibo’s children’s books have won many awards. Kapas is a
Montreal-based painter and illustrator whose images have appeared in
magazines and on book covers. Highly recommended.