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Summary
Summary
Times sure are tough on the ranch, and Waynetta and her ma can use all the luck they can get. But when Waynetta trades their last longhorn for a handful of so-called magic corn, Ma is none too pleased.
Reviews (4)
School Library Journal Review
K-Gr 3-Spunky cowgirl Waynetta and her mother live on a ranch where the lack of water has forced them to sell all but one of them. Finally, Ma has to ask her daughter to sell that "sorry-looking critter," but instead the girl exchanges it for some magic corn. In this exuberant reworking of "Jack and the Beanstalk," Waynetta reaches the top of a giant cornstalk to find "the biggest ranch she'd ever seen." Then she walks to the front door (readers must surmise that it belongs to a house) and is greeted by a giant woman who says, "I reckon you've come to take back the things my husband stole from your ma years ago." The giant, who looks like an old Wild West villain, arrives chanting, "Fee, fie, foe, fat,/I think I smell a cowgirl brat!/Fee, fie, foe, feet,/chicken-fried cowgirl is what I'll eat!" While Waynetta hides behind a giant-size bowl of beans, he brings out his treasures, "a longhorn no bigger than a barn cat" that deposits "a golden cowpat," a lariat that "never misses," and a "thimble-sized bucket" that "never runs out of water." Watercolor images in varying shades of brown with dramatic splashes of purples, reds, greens, and blues depict Waynetta's rickety old house surrounded by broken fences and desert landscape. A gun-toting, ax-wielding mother and other exaggerative characters accompany the rich Texan parlance that peppers this amusing read-aloud.-Kirsten Cutler, Sonoma County Library, CA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Horn Book Review
This Texas ""Jack and the Beanstalk"" has cowgirl Waynetta climbing a cornstalk to find a ranch in the sky owned by a nasty giant cowboy. Waynetta retrieves her family's treasures, including a longhorn that produces golden cowpats, and tames the giant. The country expressions add regional flavor (though they get a bit tiresome). The boldly colored illustrations are appropriately larger than life. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
Kirkus Review
This Wild West version of Jack and the Beanstalk is sure to have readers breaking out their ten-gallon hats and asking for some southwestern fare. Waynetta and her Ma own a hardscrabble ranch in Texas, but one long dry summer threatens to put them under. That is, until the last of the longhorns is traded for a handful of magic corn guaranteed to bring luck. At the top of the cornstalk, Waynetta finds just that luck in three things a mean giant stole from her family years ago: a longhorn that produces gold cowpats, a lariat that never misses and a bucket that never empties. It takes two trips and a brave face-off against the giant, but the feisty heroine manages to capture all three. In the process, she reforms the giant, making for a less violent ending. Greenseid's illustrations perfectly suit this Texas fairy tale. Her palette is filled with greens, yellows, reds and browns, while her characters sport stereotypical western attire. There'll be a showdown at any library not stocking this title. (Picture book. 4-8) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
'Fee, fie, foe, fits, / I'll cook myself some cowgirl grits!" In this funny, feminist, fractured version of Jack and the Beanstalk, the hero is a girl, and her helper is a giant's wife. Waynetta and her ma work as 'hard as eight-legged mules" on their scrubby Texas ranch. Still, they barely scrape by until Waynetta discovers a magic cornstalk. After climbing to the top, she finds an enormous ranch owned by a giant and his wife. The giant's wife helps Waynetta hide from the huge, mean rancher until he falls asleep. Then Waynetta lassoes a longhorn that makes cowpats of gold, brings the cow home to Ma, and climbs the cornstalk again in search of more treasure. The ending, in which the giant is transformed into a sweet ranch worker, is a little lame. But the action-packed, neon-colored illustrations match the uproarious, tall-tale fun. Kids will enjoy the Wild West setting and the story of the bad grown-up who is outwitted by the small hero.--Rochman, Hazel Copyright 2007 Booklist