Lexie the Word Wrangler [Hardcover]

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 thedgoes missing from herbandana, leaving her with abananato tie around her neck, and soon afterward everyS-T-A-Rin the sky turns intoR-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 adesertthat’s suddenly become a giantdessert.
 
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 exlc8