This clever celebration of words and their meanings features a strong cowgirl who wrangles words alongside cattle.
Lexie is the best wrangler west of the Mississippi—word wrangler, that is. She watches over baby letters while they grow into words and ties shorter words together into longer ones; she herds words into sentences, hitches sentences together, and pens them all in to tell a story. But lately, something seems off at the ranch. First the d goes missing from her bandana, leaving her with a banana to tie around her neck, and soon afterward every S-T-A-R in the sky turns into R-A-T-S. There’s no doubt about it—there’s a word rustler causing this ruckus, and Lexie plans to track him down . . . even if it means riding her horse through the sticky icing of a desert that’s suddenly become a giant dessert.
This fantastic spin on “cowboy” stories populates Lexie’s ranch with lively letters and words, alongside the typical cattle and horses, and stars a smart, confident, charismatic heroine. Rebecca Van Slyke’s creative, silly wordplay pairs perfectly with Jessie Hartland’s lively illustrations, and there’s even a glossary of helpful terms for up-and-coming word wranglers.
* “Colorful language abounds in the clever, playful text, which will amuse kids. . . . Teachers, meanwhile, will appreciate the references to compound words, anagrams, and other wordplay. Created in a rather childlike style that perfectly suits the story’s droll, understated tone, Hartland’s expressive gouache paintings include enough detail to help kids visualize the scenes, while illustrating the action with considerable wit. Highly recommended for reading aloud, just for the fun of it.”—Booklist, starred review
* “Lexie is a cowgirl, but she wrangles words, not cattle—a concept that Van Slyke and Hartland explore with droll wordplay and bold, folk art–style artwork. . . . Luckily for readers, Van Slyke and Hartland deliver linguistic delights on every page. Compound words, anagrams, word chains, puns—is there anything Lexie (and this book) can’t do?”—Publishers Weekly,starred review
* “Hartland's quirky gouache illustrations, reminiscent of Maira Kalman's work, play up the Western-style humor. . . . Here's hoping Van Slyke and Hartland will round up some more nifty yarns, as this is clever wordplay to share with kids.”—Kirkus Reviews, starred review
REBECCA VAN SLYKE is a second-grade teacher in Lynden, Washington, and has an MFA in writing for children and young adults from Vermont College of Fine Arts. She is the author of the picture books Mom School, Dad School, Lexie the Word Wrangler, Lana Lynn Howls at the Moon, and Monster’s Trucks.
View titles by Rebecca Van Slyke
Jessie Hartland has written and/ or illustrated numerous acclaimed books for children, including Steve Jobs: Insanely Great!, which was a School Library Journal Best Book of the Year; Bon Appetit: The Delicious Life of Julia Child. which the New York Times called "exuberant"; and Our Flag Was Still There, a Bank Street College of Education Best Book of the Year. She is also the illustrator of Harlem Grown: How One Big Idea Transformed a Neighborhood by Tony Hillery; Ready, Set, Run by Leslie Kimmelman; and Lexie the Word Wrangler by Rebecca Van Slyke, all of which received starred reviews. Her illustrations have appeared in the New York Times, Travel and Leisure Family, Martha Stewart Kids, and Bon Appetit, and her paintings have been exhibited in Venice, Tokyo, and New York City.
View titles by Jessie Hartland
This clever celebration of words and their meanings features a strong cowgirl who wrangles words alongside cattle.
Lexie is the best wrangler west of the Mississippi—word wrangler, that is. She watches over baby letters while they grow into words and ties shorter words together into longer ones; she herds words into sentences, hitches sentences together, and pens them all in to tell a story. But lately, something seems off at the ranch. First the d goes missing from her bandana, leaving her with a banana to tie around her neck, and soon afterward every S-T-A-R in the sky turns into R-A-T-S. There’s no doubt about it—there’s a word rustler causing this ruckus, and Lexie plans to track him down . . . even if it means riding her horse through the sticky icing of a desert that’s suddenly become a giant dessert.
This fantastic spin on “cowboy” stories populates Lexie’s ranch with lively letters and words, alongside the typical cattle and horses, and stars a smart, confident, charismatic heroine. Rebecca Van Slyke’s creative, silly wordplay pairs perfectly with Jessie Hartland’s lively illustrations, and there’s even a glossary of helpful terms for up-and-coming word wranglers.
Reviews
* “Colorful language abounds in the clever, playful text, which will amuse kids. . . . Teachers, meanwhile, will appreciate the references to compound words, anagrams, and other wordplay. Created in a rather childlike style that perfectly suits the story’s droll, understated tone, Hartland’s expressive gouache paintings include enough detail to help kids visualize the scenes, while illustrating the action with considerable wit. Highly recommended for reading aloud, just for the fun of it.”—Booklist, starred review
* “Lexie is a cowgirl, but she wrangles words, not cattle—a concept that Van Slyke and Hartland explore with droll wordplay and bold, folk art–style artwork. . . . Luckily for readers, Van Slyke and Hartland deliver linguistic delights on every page. Compound words, anagrams, word chains, puns—is there anything Lexie (and this book) can’t do?”—Publishers Weekly,starred review
* “Hartland's quirky gouache illustrations, reminiscent of Maira Kalman's work, play up the Western-style humor. . . . Here's hoping Van Slyke and Hartland will round up some more nifty yarns, as this is clever wordplay to share with kids.”—Kirkus Reviews, starred review
Author
REBECCA VAN SLYKE is a second-grade teacher in Lynden, Washington, and has an MFA in writing for children and young adults from Vermont College of Fine Arts. She is the author of the picture books Mom School, Dad School, Lexie the Word Wrangler, Lana Lynn Howls at the Moon, and Monster’s Trucks.
View titles by Rebecca Van Slyke
Jessie Hartland has written and/ or illustrated numerous acclaimed books for children, including Steve Jobs: Insanely Great!, which was a School Library Journal Best Book of the Year; Bon Appetit: The Delicious Life of Julia Child. which the New York Times called "exuberant"; and Our Flag Was Still There, a Bank Street College of Education Best Book of the Year. She is also the illustrator of Harlem Grown: How One Big Idea Transformed a Neighborhood by Tony Hillery; Ready, Set, Run by Leslie Kimmelman; and Lexie the Word Wrangler by Rebecca Van Slyke, all of which received starred reviews. Her illustrations have appeared in the New York Times, Travel and Leisure Family, Martha Stewart Kids, and Bon Appetit, and her paintings have been exhibited in Venice, Tokyo, and New York City.
View titles by Jessie Hartland
