Traditional Folktale Review-BUBBA THE COWBOY PRINCE

1. Bibliography

Ketteman, Helen. 1997. Bubba The Cowboy Prince: A Fractured Texas Tale. Ill. by James Warhola. New York: Scholastic Press. ISBN 9780590255066.

2. Plot Summary

In Bubba The Cowboy Prince, the traditional Cinderella tale gets a Texas-sized makeover complete with lots of Texas twang! For a gender twist, Bubba is the mistreated hero of the story, abused at the hands of his "wicked stepdaddy and his hateful and lazy stepbrothers." Bubba has to do all the work around the ranch but he doesn't complain because he loves ranching. Playing the traditional role of the Prince is Miz Lurleen, "the purtiest and richest gal in the county." Miz Lurleen decides she needs to find herself a husband who loves ranching as much as she does and throws a ball for all the ranchers in the county. Of course, Bubba's stepdaddy and brothers won't allow Bubba to go but he gets some help from his fairy godcow who dresses him up in the "handsomest cowboy duds he'd ever laid eyes on." Miz Lurleen is not impressed with any of the ranchers at the ball until she dances with Bubba. ("Why, you're cute as a cow's ear.") At midnight, Bubba's clothes turn back into rags and he runs out of the ball, leaving a single cowboy boot. Of course, the next day, Miz Lurleen goes ranch to ranch having cowboys try on the boot. When she finds Bubba, his stepdaddy and stepbrothers "throw chicken fits" but Bubba just smiles and rides off into the sunset with Miz Lurleen.

3. Critical Analysis

This story takes the beloved tale of Cinderella and gives it a fresh modern look with a fun exaggerated western style that almost gives it a tall tale feel. The dialogue stays consistently "Texan" such as using "fer" and "git" and Miz Lurleen "aiming to find herself a feller". Ketteman westernizes every detail in the story from the men dressing up in bolo ties and boots, to the ranching chores Bubba has to do , to the most memorable character: the fairy godcow. Male readers may identify more with this masculine version of Cinderella. Warhola's oil painting illustrations capture the exaggeration and whimsy of the characters. His depiction of the fairy godcow with her pink halo is especially memorable as well as Miz Lurleen's mile-high hair!

4. Review Excerpts

Booklist-"Ketteman wisely leaves the plot unchanged, but the story has a distinct western flair and a humorous tall-tale feel..."

Publishers Weekly-"Just the ticket for buckaroos lookin' fer a good read."

Kirkus Reviews-"A Cinderella parody features the off-the-wall, whang-dang Texas hyperbole of Ketteman and the insouciance of Warhola, who proves himself only too capable of creating a fairy godcow..."

5. Connections

This book begs to be read out loud! In fact, it is impossible to read out loud without using a fun exaggerated Texas twang accent. I know- I tried! I read this story to my two year old and my nine year old who both erupted into giggles at the cowboy dialect and the silly illustrations. This book would be perfect for a read-aloud or a readers theater in the classroom because of the distinctly defined characters in the story.

Other modern parodies of the Cinderella tale are:

Cole, Babette. Prince Cinders. ISBN 0698115546

Minters, Frances. Cinder-elly. ISBN 0140561269

Lowell, Susan. Cinder Ellen: A Wild Western Cinderella. ISBN 0064438643

Jackson, Ellen. Cinder Edna. ISBN 0688162959