Cowboy Sam and Those Confounded Secrets

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.

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 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.

This book has captured my heart. I used this book in my middle school gifted class as an introduction to a writing unit. I was lucky enough to get one of the authors who lives in my vicinity to visit our classroom. After reading the book to my students, we did some exercises using ready-made secrets as story starters to create stories based on their secrets. They loved the book, the author, and the exercises. Some are now writing their own books, with hopes of being published. "Cowboy Sam and Those Confounded Secrets" has wonderful illustrations and a great moral tale. I've purchases copies for Christmas gifts for pre-schoolers and elementary students, and, as I said, used the book with middle school gifted students through seventh grade. Everyone (including adults) has loved it.

Cowboy Sam And Those Confounded Secrets by Kitty Griffin and Kathy Combs, illustrated by Mike Wohnoutka, is a wonderful book. Cowboy Sam is smart, tough and kind, and he can keep a secret. Everybody wants to tell Sam their secrets, 'cause he keeps them under his hat! He is very dependable. What happens when there is no more room under his ten-gallon hat? This is a western tale with a big as Texas finish. The authors model for readers and young listeners what really works with secrets and the kind of person who can be trusted to keep them. The story is filled with secrets and townspeople "scattered like marbles." "Yippity-skippity" and "Yee-haw!" This book is fun for all ages. The artwork is larger than life and leaps from the pages of this delightful picture book. The comic illustrations complement the comic language used by the authors. I hope another one will follow soon. The holidays are coming.