Bubba, the Cowboy Prince

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Ketteman, Helen. 1997. BUBBA, THE COWBOY PRINCE. New York, NY: Scholastic
ISBN 978-0-590-25506-6.

2. PLOT SUMMARY
This is a Cinderella story with a major twist--Cinderella is a boy! Set in Texas; Bubba, the Cowboy Prince details the troubles of one downtrodden cowboy who patiently endures cruel treatment at the hands of his step-brothers until a visit from his “fairy Godcow” propels him into a much better life with the beautiful and rich “Miz Lurleen.”

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
This little Texas tale turns tradition on its head with its unconventionally male Cinderella. The amusing story follows the basic Cinderella storyline but is set on a Texas ranch, features wicked step-brothers instead of step-sisters and doesn’t waste much time getting to the point where Miz Lurleen discovers the “cute as a cow’s ear” dude she’s been dancing with does not usually look so spiffy. The prose is straight Texas drawl and manages to introduce some unusual vocabulary words like “bolo tie”, “strapping” and “cow patties.” This book just begs to be read aloud. Ketteman does an unusually excellent job at making an old and often over told story fresh and exciting.

James Warhola, nephew of Andy Warhol illustrates this funny tale perfectly, each page displaying some sort of Texas symbol: stars, cowboy boots, jeans and big buckles abound. The wicked step-brother’s personalities are fleshed out in the paintings in ways that are not described within the text.

This book should be required reading for any child discovering the magic of Cinderella stories.

4. REVIEW EXCERPTS
Starred review in BOOKLIST – “With a male in the starring role, this charming and funny retelling may hold more appeal for young boys than the traditional version may.”
KIRKUS – “While spoofing Cinderella is not a new idea, Ketteman and Warhola's (Aunt Hilarity's Bustle) well-matched flair for hyperbole gives both the narrative and illustrations a one-two punch. Just the ticket for buckaroos lookin' fer a good read.”

5. CONNECTIONS
* A great way to introduce variants of the traditional Cinderella story and can also serve as a segue into conversation about Texas cowboys.
Hughes, Shirley. ELLA’S BIG CHANCE. ISBN 0689873999