Cowboys, Gold Diggers and Railroad Builders

Books for Readers in the Primary Grades

To order any of these titles, contact the library by email, mail or phone. You may also request these titles online through our OPAC. Happy Reading!

Apple Pie 4th of July by Janet S. Wong.
BR 15009.
A Chinese American girl is convinced that Americans will not be buying Chinese food from her parents' store on the Fourth of July. But she is happily proven wrong, and they sell it all before the fireworks start. Print/Braille. For grades K-3.

Bandit’s Moon by Sid Fleischman.
Annyrose's mother is dead, and her brother has left her at a ranch while he hunts for gold. But Annyrose runs away with the outlaw Wakeen. Discovering he is really Joaquín Murieta, the Robin Hood of the California Gold Rush, Annyrose must decide if she can stay with a thief. For grades 3-6.

Black Cowboy, Wild Horses: A True Story by Julius Lester.
RC 46423.
Story based on the life of a former slave, Bob Lemmons, who becomes a cowboy. Bob rides the plains seeking a herd of wild horses to capture and tame. For grades 2-4 and older readers.

Boom Town by Sonia Levitin.
RC 46525.
When Amanda, her mother, and her siblings arrive in California, they do not want to live in the gold fields where their father is panning for gold. So they build a small cabin in town, though it's just a stage stop and a few cabins. But when Amanda bakes one of her pies and sells it to the miners, she starts a chain of events that makes the town grow. For grades 2-4.

Chang’s Paper Pony by Eleanor Coerr.
BR 7743 or RC 29557.
Chang and Grandpa Li live in a California Gold Rush town during the 1850s where Grandpa is a cook at the hotel. Lonely and often teased by the miners, Chang longs for a pony. He tries panning for gold, with Big Pete's help. Then, while sweeping Big Pete's cabin, he finds gold in the cracks between the floor and gets a very special reward. Easy reading for grades 2-4.

Choo, Choo: The Story of a Little Engine That Ran Away by Virgina Lee Burton.
RC 52931.
Once upon a time there was a little engine named Choo Choo who became tired of pulling heavy coaches from the little town to the big city and back again. Choo Choo ran away but when the excitement wore off, she was happy to be found. For grades K-3.

Cowboy Country by Ann Herbert Scott.
BR 9920.
An "old buckaroo" and his dog, Matilda, take a young companion on a tour of "cowboy country." As they saddle up for a ride on the range, the cowboy tells of gear, procedures, terrain, and cows. He also warns of the hard work, mean conditions, and stretches of loneliness, but admits the cowboys' deep love for the life and the work. Print/braille. For grades K-3.

Cowboys: Roundup on an American Ranch by Joan Anderson.
RC 41672.
Leedro Eby, 13, and his brother, Colter, 11, live and work on a ranch in New Mexico that has been in their family for 150 years. Now it is roundup time and they are helping their parents and the other cowboys search for the cattle. For grades 3-6.

Fat Chance, Claude by Joan Lowery Nixon.
RC 27037.
Shirley and Claude, that zany Texas couple from If You Say So, Claude, and Beats Me, Claude, grow up and meet for the very first time in this prequel. They become fast friends on the way to Colorado to pan for gold, but then they race each other to file a claim for the same property. For grades K-3.

Ghost Town at Sundown by Mary Pope Osborne.
BR 14197 or RC 53557.
When Jack and Annie explore the Wild West to solve another riddle, cowboy Slim Cooley mistakes them for horse thieves. They ride horses and face mustang rustlers and a ghost before leaving. Magic Tree House; book 10. For grades 2-4.

The Golly Sisters Ride Again by Betsy Byars.
BR 10063 or RC 40051 or LP 994.
May-May and Rose Golly continue their adventures with their traveling show. They learn that having a goat in the audience really does mean bad luck, they find a talking rock but disagree with it, they fight over who gets to play a princess, they go on a much-needed holiday, and they weather a thunderstorm. For grades K-3.

Harry’s Birthday by Barbara Ann Porter.
RC 44621.
Harry is about to have a birthday, and he has told his father and all of his friends that he wants a cowboy hat. He has even chosen a cake shaped like a cowboy hat, and plates, napkins, and cups with cowboy hats on them. But what Harry gets is a little more than he expects. For grades K-3.

Humbug Mountain by Sid Fleischman.
RC 14185.
Wiley never dreamed that the search for his Grandpa Tuggle would lead him into the hands of foul villains, or that he and his sister would discover a petrified man, or that one of his mother's chickens would precipitate a gold rush. A tall tale for grades 3-6.

Justin and the Best Biscuits in the World by Mildred Pitts Walter.
RC 26053.
Justin hates housework and feels that the reason his mother and two sisters do it better is because it's "women's work." When he visits his grandfather on his ranch, he is taught, with understanding and humor, to feel differently about cooking and cleaning. He also learns about the history of his family and other "Exodusters" who moved West after the Civil War, and about several famous black cowboys. For grades 3-6.

Little Britches Rodeo by Murray Tinkelman.
RC 24719.
Clear and simple descriptions of the events and rules of the National Little Britches Rodeo Association finals, which include cowboys and cowgirls from ages eight to 18. The features described are similar to those of adult professional rodeo. For grades 3-6 and older readers.

The Mystery of Mineral Gorge: A Cobtown Story from the Diaries of Lucky Hart by Julia Van Nutt.
RC 50928.
Cobtown, USA; 1845. When eerie shrieking sounds begin emerging from Mineral Gorge, even the brave ten-year-old Lucky Hart is scared. Citizens hold a town meeting and decide to send a search party to investigate the horrible noise. Their discovery brings quite a surprise. For grades K-3.

The Original Adventures of Hank the Cowdog by John R. Erickson.
BR 10558.
Humorous tale of Hank the Cowdog, who is very proud of his position as head of ranch security. Unfortunately, Hank's heroic attempts at finding a chicken murderer backfire, and his helper cowdog is no help at all. When the rancher accuses Hank of being the killer, he quits his job, becomes an outlaw, and meets a beautiful coyote. For grades 2-4.

Pecos Bill: A Tall Tale by Steven Kellogg.
RC 25297.
The story of one of the West's larger-than-life heroes, who invented rodeos, lassos, and cattle roping. For grades 2-4.

Railroads by Rose Griffiths.
LP 311.
Toy railroads are pure fun for most children. While they play, the difference between straight lines, curves, and circles and how they affect time and distance can be understood. For grades K-3.

The Tale of Lazy Lizard Canyon by Doris Burn.
A sweet-talking, fun-loving cowboy and a lovely young girl outsmart both their families and settle a long feud over Lazy Lizard Canyon. A humorous spoof of the West that was. For grades 3-6.

Westward Ho, Ho, Ho!: Jokes from the Wild West by Victoria Hartman.
BR 9521.
A collection of knock, knock jokes, riddles, puns, and limericks about the wild, wild West. Chapters include "Roaming the Range," "Moseying to Town," and "Gold Rush." For grades 3 to 6.