Tex & Sugar: A Big City Kitty Ditty

A great book with fantastic illustrations that is fun to read and look at time and time again. The theme of pursuing your dreams is timeless. My kids got a big kick out of all the little details in the illustrations like the King Kong with the cowboy hat.

This is a really cute book that is fun to read! Clever text and great pictures!

What an awesome book! The illustrations are beautiful and just chock full of witty and whimsical themes. Did anyone notice the Broadway stars and the radio personalities? The theme is timeless (country/city; boy meets girl) but the story seems fresh. Like a good country song about "the dirty sidewalks of Broadway", Ms. Johansen Newman captures the spirit of the city and the dreamers who populate it. A beautiful book!

Barbara Johansen Newman has illustrated several children's books, but this is her first as both author and illustrator. I definitely recommend this book. The truth is, I can't believe the price for the quality of the book. It's gorgeous and very well-put together. The writing flows in a very fun way! The verse rhymes, which I think makes it even more fun to read, especially with your children. The illustrations are a delight!! With rich, saturated color, the art is highly detailed yet has a very down-home, folk-art feel, which really adds to the mood of the story. The characters are very cute and sweet. The story itself is one we can ALL relate to - having a dream, not giving up on it, and the importance of friendship. I have to mention the overall design of this book - it's gorgeous. The cover is full rich color, with red foil detailing on the "Tex and Sugar" signage, which really adds additional pop to the cover - that was a decision that paid off well! There are some very thoughtful design elements throughout the book - namely the lassos, which show up in the design proper, as well being utilized as a 'frame' around some of the illustrations - which adds visual interest and helps break up the illustrations in an interesting thematic way. It's obvious that a lot of thought and planning went into every aspect of this book. All in all, a highly enjoyable book that really is "the whole package". I'm actually keeping this on my living room side table. It's such a fun book, you want to show it off.