Module 12: "Home on the Range" by Deborah Hopkinson

Book Cover Image:

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Book Summary:

This beautifully illustrated picture book presents the biography of John Avery Lomax (1867-1948).  In his early childhood, Lomax worked on the family ranch in Texas and often listened to the ballads sung by cowboys and ranch hands while on the trail.  His love for music led him to a career as one of America’s greatest folk singers.  He is most recognized for his song, “Home on the Range.”

APA Reference:  

Hopkinson, D. (2009).  Home on the range: John A. Lomax and his cowboy songs. New York, N.Y: Putnam Juvenile.

My Impressions:

The book contains biographical information on Lomax’s life as well as music notation for some of his compositions.  The ink and watercolor illustrations add to the overall appeal and charm of the book, as it flows across the lifestyle of southern Texas’ landscapes and its animal life.

Professional Review:

Interspersing her narrative with verses from "Home on the Range," "Sweet Betsy from Pike," "The Old Chisholm Trail" and like cowboy chestnuts, Hopkinson retraces the early career of the greatest collector and recorder of American folk songs ever. Taking minor liberties with the historical record (and compensating with a detailed afterword), she follows him from rural Texan childhood to the halls of Harvard, and then back out onto the trail, where, with a notebook and a primitive "Ediphone," he gathered verses and performances from anyone who would sing for him. In Schindler's atmospheric illustrations a dapper young man mingles comfortably with brushy-mustached, Stetson-topped cowpokes--and sits in one scene with a colorfully clad fortuneteller--in settings that are mostly wide, outdoorsy spreads of western prairie. Capped with a fuller picture of the work of Lomax and his son Alan, as well as enticing source notes, this account can't help but broaden the insight of little dogies everywhere into the histories and meaning of these enduringly popular songs. (Picture book/biography. 7-9)

[Review of the book Home on the range: John A. Lomax and his cowboy songs, by D. Hopkinson].  (2008, November 15). Kirkus Reviews, 76(22).  Retrieved from http://www.kirkusreviews.com.

Library Uses:

I think this would be a great addition to a ‘western sing-a-long” at the library for both children and adults.  Lomax’s many famous cowboy ballads will be familiar to most, and if you are lucky enough to know someone who could strum along on the guitar, that would add greatly to the overall authenticity.  You might also want to decorate the room with hay bales, a fence and some rope...and have your guests dress up in western gear for the occasion!