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Little Britches and the Rattlers
Little Britches saddles her pony and heads out for the rodeo. She hopes to win first prize in the calf-roping contest. Along the way, she meets seven cunning rattlesnakes. One by one, they threaten to eat her up But Little Britches is smart. She knows how to bargain with those rattlesnakes and come out on top Endearing graphite, watercolor, and digital illustrations by Vincent Nguyen bring this southwestern romp to an outlandish finish.
32 pages, Hardcover
First published September 1, 2008
6 people are currently reading
38 people want to read
About the author
Eric A. Kimmel
162 books112 followersEric A. Kimmel is an American author of more than 150 children's books. His works include Caldecott Honor Book Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins (illustrated by Trina Schart Hyman), Sydney Taylor Book Award winners The Chanukkah Guest and Gershon's Monster, and Simon and the Bear: A Hanukkah Tale.
Kimmel was born in Brooklyn, New York and earned a bachelor's degree in English literature from Lafayette College in 1967, a master's degree from New York University, and a PhD in Education from the University of Illinois in 1973. He taught at Indiana University at South Bend, and at Portland State University, where he is Professor Emeritus of Education.
Kimmel lives with his wife, Doris, in Portland, Oregon.
Kimmel was born in Brooklyn, New York and earned a bachelor's degree in English literature from Lafayette College in 1967, a master's degree from New York University, and a PhD in Education from the University of Illinois in 1973. He taught at Indiana University at South Bend, and at Portland State University, where he is Professor Emeritus of Education.
Kimmel lives with his wife, Doris, in Portland, Oregon.
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
December 3, 2013
I just read some reviews of this book on Amazon, people giving it low ratings because they were freaked out by the story and how the rattlers ate each other up until there was nothing left. Not a single one of those negative reviews mentioned The Story of Little Black Sambo. If they had been familiar with that classic tale then I think their reviews would have been different.
Little Britches is on her way to the rodeo. (She wants to win the calf roping competition.) Along the way she meets several rattlesnakes who want to "swaller her up". She gives each of them a different piece of her rodeo outfit and is eventually left in just her longjohns and bandanna. A hissing noise gets her attention, and she looks down into a valley. All those rattlers are arguing over who's the grandest in the desert. They have thrown off Little Britches' clothes and are chasing each other around in a circle, each one with another's tail in its mouth. Before long, they have eaten each other up entirely, nothing left at all, not a rattle nor a fang. Little Britches reclaims her clothes and makes it to the rodeo just in time to win the calf ropin'!
The illustrations' muted southwest colors fit the setting of the story nicely and the cartoon rattlesnakes aren't as menacing as they could be (I'm thinking Rikki Tikki Tavi's Nag and Nagainia, who scared the living daylights out of me as a kid). The use of dialect also keeps it from getting too scary and makes it a fun read-aloud. In the classroom or library, read this with Julius Lester's Sam and the Tigers and/or Anne Isaacs' Pancakes for Supper and do a little comparing and contrasting. Kids will find it pretty entertaining, and they'll all choose a favorite of the similar stories.
Little Britches is on her way to the rodeo. (She wants to win the calf roping competition.) Along the way she meets several rattlesnakes who want to "swaller her up". She gives each of them a different piece of her rodeo outfit and is eventually left in just her longjohns and bandanna. A hissing noise gets her attention, and she looks down into a valley. All those rattlers are arguing over who's the grandest in the desert. They have thrown off Little Britches' clothes and are chasing each other around in a circle, each one with another's tail in its mouth. Before long, they have eaten each other up entirely, nothing left at all, not a rattle nor a fang. Little Britches reclaims her clothes and makes it to the rodeo just in time to win the calf ropin'!
The illustrations' muted southwest colors fit the setting of the story nicely and the cartoon rattlesnakes aren't as menacing as they could be (I'm thinking Rikki Tikki Tavi's Nag and Nagainia, who scared the living daylights out of me as a kid). The use of dialect also keeps it from getting too scary and makes it a fun read-aloud. In the classroom or library, read this with Julius Lester's Sam and the Tigers and/or Anne Isaacs' Pancakes for Supper and do a little comparing and contrasting. Kids will find it pretty entertaining, and they'll all choose a favorite of the similar stories.
April 27, 2019
The story was cute, and heaven knows those of us with kids in the country WISH the rattlers would all eat each other!
My problem is with the illustrator. The picture where she's riding the horse- her foot is WAY above the stirrup! Has this illustrator ever seen a picture of someone riding a horse with a saddle?!? I don't expect alot of accuracy in kids books, but really, that is BLATANTLY ridiculous. Of course, the other pictures show no stirrups, and the legs positioned entirely wrong. A teeny tiny bit of research goes a long way.
It would have been really nice to have seen the rattlesnakes with accurate colorings and markings. Instead of apurple polka dotted rattlesnake. Rattlesnakes are found in nearly every state in the US, in several shades of greens and browns, with quite a bit of variation. Hey, lets read a cute book, and by the way, this is what a rattlesnake actually looks like, so, if you ever see one, run the other way! But no. The book would have been way better with these small changes.
The incorrect positioning of the saddle, and characters' legs, annoyed me so much it ruined the book, and we will not be reading it again. That is a shame, because otherwise it was really cute.
PS- don't buy salsa from new york city. NEW YORK CITY! Apparently the illustrator from Houston moved to NYC when he was 2. Because he sure can't draw a western saddle!
My problem is with the illustrator. The picture where she's riding the horse- her foot is WAY above the stirrup! Has this illustrator ever seen a picture of someone riding a horse with a saddle?!? I don't expect alot of accuracy in kids books, but really, that is BLATANTLY ridiculous. Of course, the other pictures show no stirrups, and the legs positioned entirely wrong. A teeny tiny bit of research goes a long way.
It would have been really nice to have seen the rattlesnakes with accurate colorings and markings. Instead of apurple polka dotted rattlesnake. Rattlesnakes are found in nearly every state in the US, in several shades of greens and browns, with quite a bit of variation. Hey, lets read a cute book, and by the way, this is what a rattlesnake actually looks like, so, if you ever see one, run the other way! But no. The book would have been way better with these small changes.
The incorrect positioning of the saddle, and characters' legs, annoyed me so much it ruined the book, and we will not be reading it again. That is a shame, because otherwise it was really cute.
PS- don't buy salsa from new york city. NEW YORK CITY! Apparently the illustrator from Houston moved to NYC when he was 2. Because he sure can't draw a western saddle!
March 16, 2022
Kimmel must've agonized over including an author's note, because he didn't want to draw attention to . I guess he never heard of Story of Little Babaji which, like this Little Britches story, adapts the story lightly, keeping Bannerman's good intentions and sense of what pleases children.
I recommend that you do skip any earlier editions, and read this and Fred Marcellino's version.
As I always say, I will continue to read more by Kimmel... I'm so glad he's prolific. And I'm delighted yet again at the illustrator choice, this time it's Vincent Nguyen that works so well with the cowgirl and the rattlers.
I recommend that you do skip any earlier editions, and read this and Fred Marcellino's version.
As I always say, I will continue to read more by Kimmel... I'm so glad he's prolific. And I'm delighted yet again at the illustrator choice, this time it's Vincent Nguyen that works so well with the cowgirl and the rattlers.
March 27, 2020
snake lover? liker? appreciator? if you know anything about Beth ... she doesn't like snakes .. 2 many copperheads in her yard that have scared the pooh out of her ... u will understand that. i wanna work without being scared out of my mind. move on please. Eric A. Kimmel knows how to pick a great illustrator .. well done. amazing work!! so fun.
August 30, 2017
A Texas version of The Story of Little Black Sambo, only with a girl instead of a boy, and rattlesnakes instead of tigers.
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April 9, 2012Kimmel, Eric A. Little Britches and the Rattlers. (2008)
Annotation: Little Britches is head for the rodeo, but on her way she is stopped by rattle snakes who threaten to "s-s-swaller" her up. Each time she gives them some part of her outfit, but at the end she is able to get her clothes back and get to teh rodeo on time.
Themes: cowgirls, rattlesnakes, texas, rodeos, trickery
Ways to use with children: You could have your students make adpatations to this book and tell about the dog sledder heading to the Iditarod, or a scuba diver head to a coral reef. What would those characters be wearing and what type of animal would they have to trick?
Recommended ages: 4- 10
Annotation: Little Britches is head for the rodeo, but on her way she is stopped by rattle snakes who threaten to "s-s-swaller" her up. Each time she gives them some part of her outfit, but at the end she is able to get her clothes back and get to teh rodeo on time.
Themes: cowgirls, rattlesnakes, texas, rodeos, trickery
Ways to use with children: You could have your students make adpatations to this book and tell about the dog sledder heading to the Iditarod, or a scuba diver head to a coral reef. What would those characters be wearing and what type of animal would they have to trick?
Recommended ages: 4- 10
Read
May 6, 2011I saw this book on the shelf at the library and had to get it. The name caught my eye because a certain sibling of mine whose name I won't mention (Shyla) gave me the nickname of "Little Britches" when we were younger. Then, after reading the book, I realized the book was PERFECT for me. The young lady was clever and patient--just like me! A very enjoyable read. I would like to thank my children--I never would have found this book without them!
March 6, 2013
A wild west retelling of Little Black Sambo with a little cowgirl and some rattlesnakes instead of tigers. My kindergarteners enjoyed this story and it paired well with The Gingerbread Cowboy another classic story retelling with a western twist.
November 7, 2016
A redux of "Three Billy Goats Gruff" and "Little Black Sambo," the illustrations are darling, but the part where the clothes are returned to the owner just didn't work. Even the kids thought the snakes couldn't just totally vanish. Even with that, the story is still worth reading if you are a fan of either of the stories of origin.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 17, 2008
"Little Black Sambo" turned into a totally politically correct story with a little cowgirl.
Little Britches doesn't have much personality in the drawings, but the snakes do, and that makes this kind of fun.
Little Britches doesn't have much personality in the drawings, but the snakes do, and that makes this kind of fun.
January 15, 2010
Personally I like Little Babaji quite a bit better. I had to give it five stars for the sake of my three year old as she is on a roll where she must hear it nightly from me and then several times on her own while she lays in bed. She loves it. The illustrations are great.
July 24, 2011
The only problem with this book is that "swaller" and "git" are repeated all the time and of course for an ELL that could be confusing. Other than that, I like the repetitive text, the story is fun, and this could be a great way to introduce clothes in a beginner level ESL classroom.
March 17, 2014
A wild west retelling of Little Black Sambo that is charming and just right for primary students. Little Britches is cute, the rattlers sound a lot creepier than they look--even when they eat each other up, they're still not scary looking.
December 2, 2008
The snakes are adorable. Totally misread the title the first time around.
December 13, 2008
A charming retelling of the Little Black Sambo tale, in western theme.
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December 10, 2009"western, rodeo, rattle snakes, twisted folktale giving animals clothes"
June 2, 2010
Little britches is the cowgirl version of Little Black Sambo. This is a hilarious read-aloud, especially if you do good snake voices.
April 8, 2014
version of Little Black Sambo
December 27, 2014
darling book
Fun quick read that has beautiful illustrations. Loads of fun for all! Gotta watch out for the rattlers...they are gone swaller you up!
Fun quick read that has beautiful illustrations. Loads of fun for all! Gotta watch out for the rattlers...they are gone swaller you up!
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews