Module 2/Genre 2 - Traditional Literature

Bubba the Cowboy Prince: a Fractured Texas Tale

Bibliography

Ketteman, Helen, and James Warhola. 1997. Bubba the cowboy prince: a fractured Texas tale. New York: Scholastic Press. ISBN 0590255061

Plot Summary

Bubba the Cowboy Prince is a enchanting Cinderella type story with a Texas twist. Bubba is the unloved step child who does all the work and never gets to enjoy life. When the well-to-do Miz Lurleen throws a ball to find a husband/ranch hand Bubba wants to go too, but his stepbrothers and stepfather just laugh. As a Texas-size storm starts, Bubba’s fairy god-cow came to the rescue. Bubba gets to go to the ball after all.

Critical Analysis

This is a lighthearted fractured fairy tale that takes Cinderella, changes the gender and makes him the stereotypical red-headed step child. This story reads like it is set in some fine ranching town like San Saba, Texas. The dialogue is perfect in its grammatical imperfections and twang. Bubba’s nemeses are typical evil looking step-family, especially the wicked stepdaddy (the stepbrothers are just homely looking, not scary at all). This story is, of course, predictable with a typical Cinderella ending.

The illustrations in this book are so full of detail that more time is spent enjoying the details of the Texas storm and twister, than it takes to read the page. Miz Lurleen’s armadillo and Bubba’s dogs expressions almost steal the show if it weren’t for the fairy god-cow who is also cleverly placed through out the beginning of the story in an almost Where’s Waldo? sort of way.

Anyone would enjoy this southern take on a male Cinderella and his fight for a chance to dance with the heroine of the story. Young readers will enjoy looking for elements of the written story in the illustrations. Older children will like figuring out the story with their previous knowledge of Cinderella and the visual clues given.

Review Excerpts

BookList: “With a male in the starring role, this charming and funny retelling may hold more appeal for young boys than the traditional version may.”
Publishers Weekly: “Rustler lingo and illustrations chockablock with Texas kitsch make this ranch-spun Cinder-fella a knee-slappin' tale.”
Kirkus Reviews: “There are no surprises in this version except in the hilarious way the premise plays itself out and in Warhola's delightful visual surprises.

Connections

Have young students draw parallels between Bubba the Cowboy Prince and the traditional Cinderella story they know. They can compare and contrast setting, characters, plot, and more.

Other Cinderella type books to use for comparing and contrasting:

Climo, Shirley, and Ruth Heller. 1989. The Egyptian Cinderella. New York: Crowell. ISBN 9780690048223

Climo, Shirley, and Ruth Heller. 1993. The Korean Cinderella. New York, NY: HarperCollinsPublishers. ISBN 9780060204327

Perlman, Janet, and Charles Perrault. 1994. Cinderella Penguin, or, The little glass flipper. Picture puffins. Ringwood, Vic: Puffin. ISBN 9780140553246

Boada, Francesc, Monse Fransoy, and Charles Perrault. 2001. Cinderella = Cenicienta. San Francisco: Chronicle Books. ISBN 0811830845

Books to help teachers and librarians teach Cinderella:

Hollenbeck, Kathleen M. 2003. Teaching with Cinderella stories from around the world: easy lessons and activities that help kids explore story elements, appreciate different cultures. New York, N.Y.: Scholastic Professional Books. ISBN 0439188431