Rodeo Red

Perkins, M. (2015). Rodeo Red. New York: Peachtree Publishers.

About the Book

Rodeo Red is a little girl who has a special stuffed friend named Rusty. A new brother is introduced into her life, who she calls - Sideswiping Slim. As Slim grows up he causes Rodeo Reds world to get turned upside down. The biggest problem is when Slim takes Rusty for his own. She tries to take him back only to get herself put into jail. One day she gets a new stuffed animal from her Aunt. It was a white cat. She swiped the cat for Rusty from Slim. In the end all was right at the ranch once more.

Visual Elements of Art Evaluation

Color – The color in this books is very simple but smartly chosen. The little girl “Rodeo Red” is a little fiery red head. She is very emotional and territorial. The color red is a warm color that supports the personality of the character. Green is used in the background a lot to help keep the calm in the storm of Rodeo Red’s world. Slim is the protagonist who is also drawn wearing the color red. The big white fluffy cat is very eye catching and catches Slim’s eye which helps restore order in the story.

Literature Evaluative Criteria

Figurative Language – Rodeo Red uses a lot of cowboy language to colorfully express thoughts and feelings throughout the text. Some of my favorite sayings are: “Slippery as a snake’s belly in a mudslide”, “Cantankerous lemon custard”, “I threw in the sponge”, “a wiener roast gone bad”, etc. The figurative language used adds humor to the story.