Product Description

Under Cowboy Sam"s hat are more secrets than fleas on Doc Peeble"s hound dog, more secrets than peppers on a chili pepper plant, and more secrets than spikes on a horny toad lizard. Just about everyone in the town of Dry Gulch wants to tell Sam a secret. But when his hat gets plum full of secrets and won"t stay put on his head, Sam is bumfuzzled and bewildered. How can he keep all those secrets under wraps—and keep the townfolk from going crazy? Perfectly matched by Mike Wohnoutka"s comic illustrations, this funny and unexpectedly touching tale will appeal to readers young and old alike.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #497698 in Books
• Published on: 2001-09-17
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 32 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780618088546
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

From Publishers Weekly
Caballero wannabes will get a bigger-than-Texas bang out of Griffin and Combs's slangy, twangy debut. Cowboy Sam, the best confidant in Dry Gulch, keeps more secrets under his hat "than fleas on Doc Peeble's hound dog (and that's a whole lot of fleas)." But one day his hat gets so full that it starts popping off his head. While the townspeople worry about what will become of their secrets, Sam tries holding down his hat with horseshoes and a sack of oats, then ties it down with a leather strap and even stands on his head all to no avail. "That hat exploded and blew Sam way up into the air like a wild turkey. All the secrets rocketed into outer space." In the end, there's only one place big enough: Cowboy Sam's heart. The authors embellish this tall tale with a passel of colorful descriptions ("higher than a jackrabbit jumping over a prickly pear cactus") and rhythmic phrases ("He felt more bamboozled than an armadillo without his armor. More dejected than a crawdad without his craw. More lonesome than a Texas ranger without his range"). Wohnoutka's (Counting Sheep) comical acrylic illustrations have a touch of Mark Teague, particularly in their large-as-life perspectives and round, stylized faces, but the palette here is milder, brushed with the soft colors of the Southwest. Rootin'-tootin' boot-scootin' fun, beginning to end. Ages 4-8.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal
reS-Gr 2-Cowboy Sam is the well-loved secret keeper for the town of Dry Gulch, TX. He keeps them all right under his 10-gallon hat. But what happens when it has reached its capacity? Sam's solution is to weigh it down with horseshoes, then a huge bag of oats, and tries tying it onto his head with a leather strap. However, it soon becomes obvious that he needs a new place to store the townspeople's private thoughts and observations. Several people offer suggestions but it's Sam who comes up with the answer. The Western landscape and theme are wonderfully captured by Wohnoutka's cartoon representations of the town and its inhabitants. A pleasing, humorous read for young cowboy fans.

Shara Alpern, The Free Library of Philadelphia

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Review
A pleasing, humorous read for young cowboy fans. -- Review

Customer Reviews

I'll keep it under my hat.
Cowboy Sam is the local secret keeper in Dry Gulch. When someone tells him a secret he always nods and says, "I'll keep it under my hat." The problem begins when Cowboy Sam's hat gets too full of secrets! Nothing he does will keep his hat on his head and the entire town of Dry Gulch has to worry about their secrets! Ultimately, Cowboy Sam finds a solution to his secret problem, a solution which wins over everyone in Dry Gulch, even Tight-Lipped Tess. From now on, Cowboy Sam will 'keep it in his heart'.

Our four year old loves this book and gets a real kick out of the cute Texas sayings that Cowboy Sam brings to the book. Yippity-Skippty and Yee-Haw! Illustrations are look good and are funny in their own right. Highly recommended for all small kids.

Cowboy Sam, my kind of man.
As a librarian,first grade teacher, and parent, I would strongly recommend, Cowboy Sam and Those Confounded Secrets, as a GREAT read aloud. A must have for every library, but essential for every "Texas" collection, Cowboy Sam proves to be a true hero, an honest, trustworthy fellow. This book has wonerful opportunities as a teaching tool, both textually, and in character development for your students/children. Author Kathy Combs is an energetic, entertaining, speaker. She will keep your students captivated. Mike Wohnoutka's illustrations are a colorful, humorous, compliment to this story.

Cowboy Sam in the classroom
Cowboy Sam and Those Confounded Secrets was given to me by the mother of one of my first grade students. We love books in our room, so I gratefully accepted and read it to my class. This book is a delightful story of a character set in a time that really interests children. The story held their interest, the illustrations are beautiful and I found it to be a valuable educational tool. This book fit in really well with our Character Building program. Sam is a cowboy who is trustworthy and never breaks a promise. We read it and discussed this positive trait and how it made Sam so likeable to others.
The book is rich in vocabulary. We discussed so many words! Examples include peculiar, confounded, bamboozled and dejected. We passed the book on to our older students, because it contains many similes, too. My favorite..." The day started out as normal as a blue jay soaring through the blue skies."
Cowboy Sam has become a welcome and much borrowed addition to my classroom library.