ALA Booklist (Wed Feb 01 00:00:00 CST 2006)

Partners, the amusing sequel to the engaging Cowgirl Kate and Cocoa (2005), features four short, episodic chapters, each telling a new tale of the little cowgirl and her horse. In the first, Kate has difficulty convincing Cocoa that horseshoes are a better choice for him than cowboy boots. In the next, they play hide-and-seek on the range. Kate tries to use the uncooperative Cocoa for cow-roping practice in the third adventure, and in the fourth, they explore the highs and lows of the horse-and-rider partnership. The clean lines and buoyant spirit of the watercolor artwork reflect the simplicity and humor of the entertaining text. This is a pleasing choice as either a beginning reader or a picture book to read aloud.

Horn Book (Tue Aug 01 00:00:00 CDT 2006)

In the first chapter, "cowhorse" Cocoa wants cowboy boots like Cowgirl Kate's, until he finds out that horseshoes bring good luck; subsequently, the two friends find a lost calf, practice roping skills, and go for a swim. Lewin's lively, expressive watercolors add even more humor to Silverman's already funny and engaging text in a book aimed at more advanced independent readers.

School Library Journal

K-Gr 2-The cowpoke and her horse are back, once again riding the range in this beginning reader. From shoeing to roping to rounding up cattle, Kate is as resourceful as Cocoa is contrary as they once again prove that a best friend is one you can count on through hot and cold, weak and strong, and even wet and dry. Lewin's cartoon style is as fresh as a prairie breeze after a spring rain. Set against a white backdrop, bold black outlines and warm watercolors underscore the busy days of ranch life. Libraries will have a hard time keeping this title in stock, so be sure to purchase more than one copy.-H. H. Henderson, Heritage Middle School, Deltona, FL Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews

After garnering a well-deserved Geisel Honor medal for their first adventure, Kate and her wiseacre talking horse Cocoa kick up their heels and hooves in another satisfying romp. In the first of four funny chapters, Kate talks Cocoa out of wanting cowboy boots and into "lucky" new horseshoes. The pair cooperates—mostly—to rescue a lost calf and hone Kate's roping skills, partnering through thick and thin (not to mention wet and dry). Silverman's crisp, lively dialogue and well-chosen action words ("nuzzled," "twirled," "pranced") result in that rarity among easy readers: a flowing text that functions as well as a read-aloud as it does a reader. Lewin, who knows her way around a barnyard, uses her signature, economical, bold black line to define and enliven the bright watercolors. She deftly captures the many moods of Cocoa, who's at turns mischievous, willful and affectionate. Both girls and boys will enjoy this fresh new series, another winner in the publisher's stable of excellent books for emergent readers. (Easy reader. 5-8)