This book is sure to be a hit with middle grade boys and girls who dream of riding the range and herding cattle across the country. In 22 poems, some for two voices, the poet pays tribute to the men responsible for moving enormous herds of cattle from one place to another, usually from Texas to Kansas where they would be sold. But life on the trail was challenging and lonely at times, and the poems put the lie to romantic versions of a cowboy's life. Since baths were a luxury on the trail, things got to smelling pretty ripe as described in "The Bunkhouse," and much time had to be spent bringing back recalcitrant cattle as described in "Chasing a Stray." The immediate peril of a possible death from thousands of large animals running out of control is captured perfectly in "Stampede!" The poem "Cookie" describes the monotony of trail meals, varying little out of necessity. I was particularly captivated and disheartened by the poem "The Lesson" in which a cowpoke loses his $80 stake in a card game. The digital illustrations are filled with faces that show every possible emotion. I love the fact that the illustrator used his Idaho neighbors as models for the artwork. An afterword describes how brief was the period of these cattle drives that continue to capture our imaginations.