Caleb and Me

Susan Patrick is a librarian at Ryerson Polytechnical University.

An old-time cowpoke and his faithful dog are the central characters in
this collection of short stories structured around the old man’s
reminiscences about his life to his granddaughters. Some of Nelson’s
stories are far-fetched, in the tradition of the tall tale of oral
storytelling (“a winter so cold that a dog’s tail freezes and breaks
off”). Others are straightforward recollections of farm and ranch life
and the rodeo during the first half of this century (cow stampedes,
bucking broncos, chuckwagon outriding). Nelson writes with humor and
first-hand knowledge of the type of life he describes. For those who
enjoy the genre, these stories are fun and entertaining.