School Library Journal

K-Gr 3--Bill Pickett was a rodeo cowboy in the days when black men were not allowed to do much of anything that wasn't menial or demeaning. Pickett, however, followed his dream. As a young boy, he would watch cowboys herd cattle past his parents' farm and dream of becoming a cowboy. One day, Bill helped some cowboys bulldog a calf they were having trouble branding. They were suitably impressed with his skills, and there was no stopping him after that. By the age of 15, he had left home to work on ranches throughout Texas. His fame grew steadily, and eventually he was offered a job in a rodeo. After just a few years, he was famous throughout the country, even riding in Mexico, South America, and England. His fame not only helped popularize rodeo, but helped to give attention to a black man in a very racist time. This is a brilliantly done tribute to an unjustly forgotten pioneer. The text is fascinating, and the oil paintings on scratchboard are full of energy and motion, matching the book's powerful mood. A wonderful choice for any collection.--Melissa Hudak, North Suburban District Library, Roscoe, IL

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

In a starred review, PW called this biography of the first African-American inducted into the National Cowboy Hall of Fame a """"rip-roarin' salute to a legendary cowboy."""" Ages 4-8. (Nov.)

ALA Booklist (Fri Nov 01 00:00:00 CST 1996)

Bill Pickett, one of 13 children born to parents who were freed slaves, grew up in Texas watching the cowboys drive cattle along the Chisholm Trail. Observing a bulldog manage a cow by biting and holding on to the beast's lip, young Bill discovered he could do the same thing. He became an accomplished horseman with a range of tricks, but it was bull-doggin' that brought the crowds to their feet throughout his long career. The story is told with verve, relish, and just enough of a cowboy twang, with Pinkney giving an excellent overview of the history of rodeos and black cowboys in a closing note. Husband Brian Pinkney's pictures, in his typical scratchboard technique, are well suited to the story, their lines and colors swirling with movement and excitement on the deep black surface. (Reviewed November 1, 1996)

Horn Book (Mon Apr 01 00:00:00 CST 1996)

Another picture-book biography by this team once again focuses on an extraordinary black American who has not been widely written about for children. Pinkney provides the historical background of pioneering farmers and ranchers of the late nineteenth century but focuses on one boy's dream of becoming a real American cowboy. Brian Pinkney's hand-colored scratchboards capture the young boy's enthusiasm and the excitement of the rodeo. Bib.

Kirkus Reviews

From the creators of Dear Benjamin Banneker (1994), rip-snorting picture-book biography of the first African-American cowboy inducted into the National Cowboy Hall of Fame. Pickett, quick as a jackrabbit, more wide-eyed than a hooty owl,'' left home at 15, having already invented his famous bulldogging technique—controlling balky cattle by gripping their lips with his teeth and twisting. As awild-riding South Texas brushpopper,'' he quickly earned a reputation working both ranches and the rodeo circuit, putting on shows from Mexico City to London, and making steer-wrestling the standard rodeo event it is today. Based on both published sources and interviews with one of Pickett's descendants (and with an afterword called ``More About Black Cowboys''), this covers the essentials of his career while casting Pickett in the mold of a folk hero. Although readers may be disappointed to see only one scene of Pickett performing his spectacularly gross trick (sinking his teeth into the lips of a steer), the swirling lines and brushstrokes of the scratchboard illustrations ably second the text's energy and vivid imagery. (bibliography) (Picture book/biography. 6-8)"