The Zebra-Riding Cowboy: A Folk Song From the Old West

by Angela Shelf Medearis, María Cristina Brusca (Illustrator)

When a bespectacled stranger shows up at the Z-Bar Ranch asking to borrow a horse, the cowboys think they'll have some fun. They offer him the Zebra Dun, the meanest, wildest, most ornery horse around. But this newcomer not only rides the Zebra Dun with ease, he also out-wrangles every other hand on the ranch-- proving that every educated fellow's not a plumb greenhorn.

Genres: Picture Books

40 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1992

Reviews

[Beverly · Rating 4 out of 5]

The folk song is presented in couplets place underneath the paintings, which look like watercolors. The cowboys are a multi-ethnic crew, with a nice author's note in the back explaining the inclusion of cowboys of color. The score for the song is included on the front and back covers. However, one could also sing the song to the tune of the theme music for "The Beverly Hillbillies."

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fun and thoughtful book! The lyrics are based on a cowboy song from the late 1800's, which tells about a city-slicker who the cowboys think can't handle a horse. The city-slicker goes on to prove you can't judge a book by its cover.

I was impressed that the main character is an African American city-slicker/cowboy, and that the other characters form a diverse cast as well. Ms. Medearis has a poignant afterword describing her choice after her nephew claimed "there weren't any black cowboys". She lists many historical black cowboys and admonishes books, movies, and television shows that fail to depict Mexican and African American cowboys that were an integral part of the Old West. Still no cowgirls in this one (that I could see), hopefully next time...

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun to read this tongue tickling folk song

[Elizabeth]

This book takes the "Zebra-Riding Cowboy" or "Zebra Dun" song and illustrates it with a racially/ethnically diverse cast, including an African-American as the educated "greenhorn," because yes, there were black cowboys (and Mexican cowboys) -- see Afterword for more information.