3 Cowboys and a Baby

Mike Brownlow writes and illustrates a creative, fun read that both boys and girls will find enjoyable in Way Out West With a Baby.

Three rough cowpokes, Dan, Dom, and Deke, are surprised one night with the sound of a crying baby. They deduct the little one somehow fell out of a wagon. (Notice the illustration on the third page. You can see the wheel of the covered wagon hitting a rock, causing a baby to tumble out.) Use to rustling cattle, each were challenged with meeting the needs of the small one.

Agreeing the baby needed to be returned to his mother, they ride through the night. A thunderstorm crashed on the cowboys.

“But still they rode determinedly.”

The mother was thrilled to be reunited with her son. The cartoonish western frames will have you smiling along, feeling the adventure. The rhythmic words allow you to ride on the story, smiling and enjoying the adventure.

Savorings for reading and in writing for Way Out West with a Baby:

• Hybrid text – poetic rhyme and a narrative mix
• Cause and effect – storm, baby’s needs
• Conversation within the poem
• Character Descriptions – springy, unruly hair
• Sensory Description – storm, prairie