Cowgirl Kate and Cocoa by Eric Silverman

Book Genre: Fiction

Publishing information: Harcourt , Inc.
Award: Theodore Seuss Geisel Honor Book

Summary: Cowgirl Kate lives on a working ranch. She is looking for the perfect horse to help her herd cows. She finds a horse named Cocoa, with a chocolate coat and carmel colored mane, the colors of her favorite candy. Unfortunately, Cocoa has a mind of his own and quite often refuses to cooperate with Kate. Sometimes she tells him a story, buys him a present; he wants candy but she gives him a hat, she needs to count cows and he wants to eat. Cocoa can be very demanding but Kate is a kind cowgirl and is good to her horse. Cocoa knows this and takes good care of her,too.

One night she sleeps in the barn with Cocoa and he is up to his usual antics. He wants his straw fluffed, he's hungry, wants more water, and Kate takes care of all his needs. Then she can't fall asleep, so Cocoa sings her a lullaby. He lies down beside her and they fall asleep together in the barn.

Personal rating and reason for rating: (*** Good) This book is a sweet story of how two creatures depend on each other, help each other , and comfort each other. The sweet nature of the little girl in contrast to the spicy nature of her horse is an interesting use of difference in personalities and how we must compromise and cooperate with each other in a relationship.

Reading level: 2.3
Reading interest: ages 4 - 8

Possible use of text in integrated units of study:

Cultural Analysis: Students will study different cultures found within our United States. How would farm life differ from city life? What type of housing, clothing, food, and everyday activities exist on a farm as compared to living in the city? These would be good questions to ask after reading this book.

Math: Cowgirl Kate's job is to count cows in the herd. Students could read word problems such as, there are 20 cows on Kate's farm . If 10 are black and 3 are white, how many are brown?
This could also be used a word problem such as, if Kate had 23 cookies total in her saddlebag and Cocoa ate 9, how many cookies were left for Kate?

Reading: This is a chapter book which seems to be a big accomplishment for a beginner reader. This would pave the way for a desire to read chapter books because each chapter has a different adventure. Also, this book could be a great link for reading about farm life, agriculture, horses and pets, cowboys and cowgirls.

Geography: Student's will study the topography of the western plains as compared to the land where they live. Climate, foliage, and wildlife indigenous to the area could be studied and considered as to how they affect the clothing, shelter, and food for the people who live there.

History: Students will study about the settling of the west and the gold rush that brought people out there. They would also study about the transcontinental railroad connecting the east to the west.

Potential Problems: None viewed.